Grammar focus
1. Study the tense chart for the verb ‘analyze’ in the third person singular in the passive.
| Present | Past | Future | |
| Simple | it is analyzed | it was analyzed | it will be analyzed |
| Continuous (Progressive) | it is being analyzed | it was being analyzed | — |
| Perfect | it has been analyzed | it had been analyzed | it will have been analyzed |
| Perfect Continuous (Progressive) | — | — | — |
Complete the tense chart for the verb ‘test’ in the passive in your notebooks.
2. Check whether you can use the passive tense forms correctly.
a) Answer the following questions in the Past Simple Passive.
1. Did they agree upon the terms?
2. Did he give a detailed description of the mechanism?
3. Did you make a thorough analysis of the latest data?
4. Did they object to your proposal?
5. Did he refer to this book in his report?
b) Make up sentences describing what is being done now or
b) around now.
1. This research program / discuss / widely in scientific literature.
2. A new powerful machine / construct / to accelerate particles to higher energies.
3. Some changes / make / in the experiment design at present.
4. Old equipment / replace / at several laboratories now.
5. Intensive investigation / carry out / in this field of research.
c) Make the following sentences passive.
1. They have lately published a new paper on this problem.
2. We have recently established new important facts.
3. They have done a very promising research this year.
4. In recent years we have made much progress in this area of
4. physics.
5. They have considerably improved the technique in the last ten years.
d) Make up sentences using the Future Simple Passive.
1. In this paper (a brief account / give) of the data obtained.
2. In the next section (an attempt / make) to clarify this point.
3. At the next seminar (theoretical aspects of the problem / consider) in more detail.
4. Next time (all the disadvantages of this approach / discuss) in depth.
e) Make up sentences in the Present Simple Passive from the
e) words given below.
1. In this paper special attention / give / to atomic-scale
1. phenomena.
2. Much emphasis / place / to the importance of such studies.
3. Measures / take / to avoid the errors.
4. All of these requirements / meet / in a new series of
4. experiments.
5. In our work readings / take / regularly.
6. High-precision measurements / make / with a special
6. instrument.
f) Answer the questions in the Past Perfect Passive.
1. Had they completed all the experiments by the end of the year?
2. Had he submitted his paper for publication by the end of last
2. month?
3. Had they already discussed the recommendations of the council
3. when you arrived?
4. Had the committee produced its final report by that time?
3. a) Read the text and identify all the verb forms in the passive. Translate the text in written form.
The proton was discovered in 1914 by the British physicist Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937), and its name comes from the Greek word for “first” because at the time of its discovery it was the smallest object known to have a positive electric charge.
The neutron was discovered in 1932 by the English physicist James Chadwick (1891-1974). It carries no electric charge, either positive or negative. In other words it is electrically neutral, hence its name.
As early as 1911 Rutherford had shown that an atom contains almost all its mass in a very small region at the center, the nucleus. Once protons were discovered, it was realized that they are relatively massive particles and must be located in the nucleus. The number of protons varies from one kind of atom to another. The hydrogen atom has a single proton in its nucleus, the helium atom has 2, the lithium atom has 3, and so on – up to the uranium atom which has 92. Still more massive atoms have been prepared in the laboratory.
(From the Collapsing Universe by Isaac Asimov)
Mind the pronunciation of these words:
| hydrogen | [ˊhaɪdrəʤən] |
| lithium | [ˊli:qɪəm] |
| helium ] | [ˊhi:ljəm] |
| uranium | [juˊreɪnɪəm] |
b) Put questions about the discovery of the proton and the neutron in the active and in the passive.
4. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense form, Past Simple, active or passive.
Starting in 1907, Rutherford (begin) an intensive study of scattering a particles by various targets. The scattered a particles (detect) by observing the flashes of light they (produce) upon reaching a zinc sulfide screen.
When the experiment (perform), it (find) that most of the a particles (scatter) through small angles, but a significant fraction (scatter) through much larger angles. And occasionally an a particle (stop) and (send) back out toward the source!
5. Pay attention to the following sentences in the passive. Name the tense forms.
| Mentionhas been made of this effect. | Был упомянут этот эффект. |
| Useis being made of these materials. | Применяют эти материалы. |
| Referencewas made to this law. | Ссылались на этот закон. |
| Advantagewill be taken of this fact. | Воспользуются этим фактом. |
| Accountis taken of this case too. | Учитывается также и этот случай. |
Collocations to make mention of, to make use of, to make reference to, to take advantage of, to take account of are typical of the scientific register. Memorise them. Use in the sentences of your own.
The following verbs and prepositions go together:
| to approve of | одобрять |
| to arrive at | достигать чего-либо |
| to deal with | иметь дело с / рассматривать |
| to insist on (upon) | настаивать на |
| to refer to | ссылаться на |
| to rely on | полагаться на |
| to send for | посылать за |
| A new projecthasrecentlybeen approved of. | Недавно был одобрен новый проект. |
| This subjectwill be dealt within the next chapter. | Эта тема будет рассматриваться в следующей главе. |
| This article is oftenreferred to. | На эту статью часто ссылаются. |
| The equipmentwas sent for last week. | За оборудованием послали на прошлой неделе. |
6. Identify the subject and the predicate. Translate the sentences into Russian.
1. Various parameters are measured in this way. 2. A lot of papers have been submitted to the program committee. 3. His report on unusual fluid dynamical behavior was well prepared. 4. The method under consideration is being intensively developed. 5. The effect has recently been predicted by our scientists. 6. Further details will be given in Chapter 2. 7. The resolution wasn’t supported by the conference participants. 8. His papers are usually illustrated with slides. 9. This principle was introduced in the late 1970’s. 10. The question hasn’t been raised in literature so far. 11. The results of our research will be reported at the next meeting. 12. X-ray analysis has been widely used in science and technology for many years now. 13. Such studies were described in literature a few years ago. 14. The conference on semiconductors will be held at the end of September. 15. Lasers have been used in research since the early 1960’s.
7. Put the following words into the correct order.
а) the / recently / results / been / discussed / have
b) experiment / requirements / the/ met / in / are / the
c) made / the / was / experiment / week / last
d) the / made / all / will / observations / be / directly
e) has / been / good / made / progress / this / lately / field / in
f) was / the / prize / awarded / Nobel / in / 1958 / he
g) every / our / held / are / seminars / week
h) laboratory / method / used / often / is / this / in / our
Summarising
1. Read the text ‘The Four Forces’ again. Note down the essential information. Use your notes as the basis for a summary (3-4 sentences). Mind that summarising is giving a brief account of the main points of the text.
2. Read the passage from ‘Six Easy Pieces’ by Feynman again. Write a summary of the text (7-10 sentences).