Words, Tenses, and the Two Voices
Desert vocabulary, the present perfect, and active vs passive voice
AI Generation Prompt
Watercolour painting — an ultra-wide cinematic banner (16:5). Two flowing arrows on a dark surface — one moving left-to-right from a figure to an object (active), one reversed pointing back (passive) — a gentle visual of who-does-what in a sentence. Warm light glowing against a dark ground. Loose luminous watercolour washes, soft wet-on-wet colour bleeds, granulation and visible paper grain, glowing against the dark ground. No text, no labels.
The article is rich in vivid words and one striking image — a walking sandman. Then we'll revisit the present perfect and meet the chapter's big grammar idea: active and passive voice.
The words of the desert
Words and one famous image from the article.
Q1.'Khetaram's khaki turban… the scorching summer winds and swirling sandstorms which turn him into a walking sandman.' Find the ALLITERATION.
The present perfect — a past with present meaning
You met this tense before. has/have + past participle describes a past action whose effect reaches into now: Khetaram has served for 15 years (and still does); India Post has reached rural depositors. It links past and present in one breath.
Put the verb in the present perfect.
Grandfather ____ (collect) these stamps over twenty years.
I ____ (begin) my own collection of stamps.
Active and passive voice
Compare these:
- Active: The GDS delivers the mail at the border. — the subject does the action.
- Passive: The mail is delivered by the GDS at the border. — the subject receives the action.
In the active voice, the doer comes first ('the GDS delivers…'). In the passive, the thing acted upon comes first ('the mail is delivered…'), and the doer (if mentioned) follows with by. Passive is formed with be + past participle (is delivered, was carried, will be needed). Use the passive when the action or the thing matters more than the doer — common in reports, notices, and instructions.
Active or passive — and how to change it.
'Khetaram carries the mailbag.' Change to the PASSIVE voice:
Which sentence is in the PASSIVE voice?
'A lot of stamina will be needed for this job.' This is passive. The active version is:
Q1.In the ACTIVE voice, the subject:
AI Generation Prompt
Watercolour painting — an ultra-wide cinematic banner (16:5). Two flowing arrows on a dark surface — one moving left-to-right from a figure to an object (active), one reversed pointing back (passive) — a gentle visual of who-does-what in a sentence. Warm light glowing against a dark ground. Loose luminous watercolour washes, soft wet-on-wet colour bleeds, granulation and visible paper grain, glowing against the dark ground. No text, no labels.
The article is rich in vivid words and one striking image — a walking sandman. Then we'll revisit the present perfect and meet the chapter's big grammar idea: active and passive voice.
The words of the desert
Words and one famous image from the article.
Q1.'Khetaram's khaki turban… the scorching summer winds and swirling sandstorms which turn him into a walking sandman.' Find the ALLITERATION.
The present perfect — a past with present meaning
You met this tense before. has/have + past participle describes a past action whose effect reaches into now: Khetaram has served for 15 years (and still does); India Post has reached rural depositors. It links past and present in one breath.
Put the verb in the present perfect.
Grandfather ____ (collect) these stamps over twenty years.
I ____ (begin) my own collection of stamps.
Active and passive voice
Compare these:
- Active: The GDS delivers the mail at the border. — the subject does the action.
- Passive: The mail is delivered by the GDS at the border. — the subject receives the action.
In the active voice, the doer comes first ('the GDS delivers…'). In the passive, the thing acted upon comes first ('the mail is delivered…'), and the doer (if mentioned) follows with by. Passive is formed with be + past participle (is delivered, was carried, will be needed). Use the passive when the action or the thing matters more than the doer — common in reports, notices, and instructions.
Active or passive — and how to change it.
'Khetaram carries the mailbag.' Change to the PASSIVE voice:
Which sentence is in the PASSIVE voice?
'A lot of stamina will be needed for this job.' This is passive. The active version is:
Q1.In the ACTIVE voice, the subject: