The passive

I can identify and use different forms of the passive.

Real or fake?

News reader Artist Wolfgang Beltracchi has made millions of pounds from his paintings. However, many of the paintings are not signed with his own name, but with the names of other famous painters. He is the world's most successful forger, and has fooled the art world for over thirty years. Our reporter Jade Quinn has been investigating. How was he finally caught, Jade?

JQ He used the wrong kind of paint in a forgery of a Campendonk painting. The painting had been bought by a company who sent it to a forensic art scientist in London. He identified a type of paint which wasn't being used when Campendonk was alive.

NR That was careless! What happened to Beltracchi?

JQ He was prosecuted and sent to prison for six years.

NR Fifty-eight of his paintings have been identified by police as forgeries and several more are being examined by experts. Are there any more?

JQ Beltracchi himself claims that he has forged hundreds of paintings, but he won't say which ones, so they might never be discovered.

NR What has he done with the money he earned from the forgeries?

JQ He's spent a lot of it, but some of it will be returned to the people who bought his forgeries.

NR Does he still paint in the style of famous artists?

JQ Yes, but now he signs the paintings with his own name.

1 SPEAKING Discuss this question.

(Thảo luận về câu hỏi này.)

Why is a perfect forgery worth less than an original work of art?

(Tại sao một tác phẩm giả mạo hoàn hảo lại có giá trị thấp hơn một tác phẩm nghệ thuật nguyên gốc?)

2 Read the article above. Was it right to send Beltracchi to prison? Why? / Why not?

(Đọc bài báo trên. Việc đưa Beltracchi vào tù có đúng không? Tại sao đúng / tại sao không?)

3 Match the highlighted passive forms in the article with 1-9 below. Then find two examples of 9.

(Nối các dạng bị động được đánh dấu trong bài viết với 1-9 bên dưới. Sau đó tìm hai ví dụ về 9.)

1 present simple passive

2 present continuous passive

3 past simple passive

4 past continuous passive

5 present perfect passive

6 past perfect passive

7 will + passive

8 modal verb + passive

9 by + agent

LEARN THIS! The passive

a We form the passive with the verb be and the past participle of the verb.

b We use a passive infinitive after modal verbs.

c We use the passive when we want to focus on the action itself, or when we do not know who or what performed the action.

(LEARN THIS! Bị động

a Chúng ta tạo thành thể bị động với động từ be và quá khứ phân từ của động từ.

b Chúng ta dùng động từ nguyên thể bị động sau động từ khiếm khuyết.

c Chúng ta dùng thể bị động khi muốn tập trung vào chính hành động đó, hoặc khi chúng ta không biết ai hoặc cái gì đã thực hiện hành động đó.)

4 Read the LEARN THIS! box. Make the active sentences passive. Use by where necessary.

(Đọc khung LEARN THIS! Biến câu chủ động thành câu bị động. Sử dụng ‘by’ những chỗ cần thiết.)

1 William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth.

(William Shakespeare đã viết Macbeth.)

Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare.

(Macbeth được viết bởi William Shakespeare.)

2 They are performing a ballet at the concert hall this evening.

3 Does Lady Gaga design the costumes?

4 How many Hobbit films have they made?

5 The artist ought to sign the painting.

6 Thousands of people will visit the gallery this year.

5 Complete the text with the verbs in brackets. Use active or passive verbs, as appropriate.

(Hoàn thành văn bản với các động từ trong ngoặc. Sử dụng động từ chủ động hoặc bị động, nếu thích hợp.)

John Myatt is a British artist. He makes copies of famous works of art, but they

¹_________ (not sell) as originals. They ²_________ (paint) with ordinary decorator's paint, and the word 'fake' ³_________

(write) on the back. But it wasn't always like that. In the 1990s, Myatt ⁴_________ (forge) about 200 paintings. In 1998, he ⁵_________ (catch) and ⁶_________ (send) to prison for a year. Since his release from jail, Myatt ⁷_________ (be) very successful, and his paintings ⁸_________ (buy) by wealthy people all over the world. He ⁹_________ (be) now a rich man!

6 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Use the passive form of the verbs below to ask and answer five questions about famous works of art.

(Làm việc theo cặp. Sử dụng dạng bị động của các động từ dưới đây để hỏi và trả lời 5 câu hỏi về các tác phẩm nghệ thuật nổi tiếng.)

A: Who was E.T. directed by?

B: E.T. was directed by Steven Spielberg.

(A: E.T được đạo diễn bởi ai?

B: E.T được đạo diễn bởi Steven Spielberg.)