I. Simple Present Active and Passive Sentences

In passive sentences, the subject becomes object and the object becomes subject. This voice is used when the writer or the speaker has more interest in the object of the sentence.  Most  teachers  in  schools,  colleges or universities do not like passive voice on students’ writing with the view that it is incapable of giving strong and clear meaning to the reader. As a result, they often advise students to  frequently  use  active  voice in producing a variety of academic pieces of work unless situations force them. Nevertheless, describing processes, analyzing different ideas or events needs the use of passive voice though still limiting the frequency is important.

Simple present passive voice is formed with the object of the sentence, auxiliary verbs in verb to be form (am/ is/are + past participle) form of the main verb.

Examples:

1. The president (subject) always makes inspiring speech (object) to the meeting participants. (active voice)

2. An inspiring speech is always made to the meeting participants by the president. (passive voice)

3. The students (subject) always write their homework (object) in this room. (active)

4. Their homework is always written in this room (passive voice)

Instructions: One of the uses of the passive voice is to describe different processes. Now, look at how the process of Ethiopian coffee making is described in the paragraph given below and then describe the processes of making any sort of Ethiopian traditional dish or drink in small groups.

Ethiopian traditional coffee is appreciated and adored by many foreigners. They admire not only the flavour  of  the  coffee  but also the process involved in making it. To prepare the coffee and celebrate the ceremony, passing through the following process is common almost within all Ethiopian cultures. First, any unwanted impurities are removed and the neat coffee beans are separated off. These beans are washed with both hands until the covering of each bean is removed repeatedly. Having done this, they are put on a flat iron plate and roasted on a charcoal stove or traditional oven until the colour of the beans turn to dark brown. Then, the pan is taken off from the stove and put on the ground. In the meantime, water is added into a clay pot and put on the stove or oven. While the water is boiling, the roasted beans are pounded until they are converted into soft flour. Then the powder of the coffee is added to the coffee pot and boils until the right fragrance comes out from the pot. Finally, the coffee pot is taken off and kept on the ground until the impurities decant. Before the coffee is served, it is common to spread green grass around the coffee table, smoke incense and roast popcorn. Finally, the coffee is poured into cups and served.

II. Passive Voice with Modal Auxiliary Verbs

When you convert active sentences with modal verbs (can/may/might/ should/has (have) to/ had to/ ought to/ used to/ need to) to passive form, the structure of the sentence is object form of the sentence+ modal verb+ “be”+ past participle (verb3)

Examples:

III. Subject-verb Agreement

1. Subjects and verbs must agree in number. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular and the vice versa.

Example

1. One of the employees expressed her satisfaction with her job. She is currently in a managerial role at the organization.
2. Two of the employees expressed their satisfaction with their jobs. They are currently in a managerial role at the organization.

2.The expressions “one of”, “either of”, “neither of”, etc., are often followed by a plural countable noun and singular verb but when there is a relative pronoun (who/that/ whom…) the verb agrees with noun that precedes the relative word (antecedent)

Example

C. One of the pressing problems of the day is sustaining the unity of the country.

D. One of the problems which ring in the mind of most Ethiopians these days are sustaining the unity of the country.

3. When two subjects are joined/compounded by “together with”, “along with”, “as well as”, “in addition”, “including”, “with”), the verb usually agrees with the first subject

Example: The prime Minister, together with his military officers has visited the war zone in the north east part of the country.

4. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by “either-or” or “neither-nor”, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is closer to the verb.

Example

1. Either the children or their father has not yet arrived home.
2. Neither their father nor the children have yet arrived home.

5. Words before prepositions determine the verb, that is, to use either singular or plural verb.

Example: The titles in this book are written in question form.

6. Non-count nouns often take singular verb but when they are preceded by phrasal quantifiers such as a piece of, an item of, a slice of, a bar of, the verb agrees with them.

Examples:

1. The slices of bread have been on the dining table.
2. The items of information you have collected from non-trustworthy media are dangerous in disturbing the people.

IV. Using “do” and “make”

Sometimes it is difficult to use the verbs “do” and “make” with the correct noun for most of our students. The only thing you should do is to study the list of words that are followed by both verbs and use them in your different communication settings correctly when/ where they are necessary.

Here’s a table showing whether to use “make” or “do” with the given nouns:

Number	Noun	Correct Phrase
1	occasion	make an occasion
2	impression	make an impression
3	effort	make an effort
4	comment	make a comment
5	offer	make an offer
6	gardening	do gardening
7	demand	make a demand
8	duty	do your duty
9	a course	take a course
10	change	make a change
11	attempt	make an attempt
12	gesture	make a gesture
13	business	do business
14	damage	make damage
15	noise	make noise
16	progress	make progress
17	degree	do a degree
18	homework	do homework
19	movement	make a movement
20	guess	make a guess

These are the common collocations where “make” or “do” is used with each noun.