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When Did Your Folks Get Here?

By the end of this exercise, you can use causative verbs (let, make, have, allow), form the passive progressive, and complete a dialogue using different passive constructions.

Auf einen Blick / At a glance

Free Year 9 English practice — Green Line 5 Unit 1: reading comprehension on immigration to Australia, causative verbs (let, make, have, allow) and the passive progressive.

Niveau / Level
B1 (GER/CEFR)
Für / For
Jahrgang 9 · Gymnasium
Grammatik / Grammar
Passive Voice (Passiv)
Fertigkeiten / Skills
Grammatik / Grammar
Aufgaben / Tasks
4 — When Did Your Folks Get Here? · Let, Allow, Make & Have · The Passive Progressive · Safety Advice
Kosten / Cost
kostenlos, ohne Anmeldung / free, no sign-up

Zum Aufwärmen / Warm-up

Nächste Herausforderung / Next challenge

Grammatik nachlesen / Review the grammar: Passiv / Passive Voice

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Ex A – ReadingRead a dialogue about people from different backgrounds meeting in Australia, then answer comprehension questions.
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Ex B – Causative VerbsChoose the correct verb (let, make, have, allow) to complete each sentence.
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Ex C – Passive ProgressiveSelect the correct passive progressive form for each sentence.
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Ex D – Passive DialogueType the correct passive form to complete a dialogue about safety in Australia.
Enter your details to begin
Exercise A

When Did Your Folks Get Here?

Read the dialogue, then answer the questions below.

Before you read — optional, not marked
This is just to get you thinking — you can leave it empty and it does not count towards your score.
Reading: “When Did Your Folks Get Here?”

Mike has invited some new friends to a barbecue at his place in Sydney. They are all young travellers from different countries.

MosheNice of you to let us come to your barbie, Mike.
MikeNo worries. Great you’re here. – Hey Cam! Come and meet a couple of new mates. They’re staying at the hostel.
CamHey, how’re you doing?
TanyaHi. I’m Tanya. Nice to meet you.
CamYou’re a Kiwi, right? From your accent? And you’re, let me guess … American?
MosheNo, I’m from Israel. Moshe.
CamOK, cool. You know Mike can trace his ancestors right back to the first British convicts in Australia?
MikeCome on, Cam. Not that joke again! The story is: My ancestor Bill was walking down the road when a man bumped into him. The man was being chased by a police officer because he’d stolen a gold necklace from a jewellery shop. When the man ran off, the police officer stopped Bill and found the gold necklace in his pocket. Then Bill was arrested and given a sentence of 30 years in Australia.
CamOK, he was just a victim. But many of the convicts were real criminals.
TanyaWhat about you, Cam? Where are your ancestors from?
CamMy parents came here from Vietnam before I was born. Life used to be very hard in Vietnam back then. People were being oppressed, but a lot of them managed to leave, in tiny little boats. You want to talk to somebody whose family has been here a bit longer, try Clifton. – Hey Clifton!
CliftonHi. Are you guys bored by one of Cam’s extra-long stories?
CamVery funny, Cliff. We were talking about when people’s ancestors arrived in Oz. When did your folks get here?
CliftonThat’d be around 50,000 years ago, I guess. They call us ‘Indigenous Australians’ but we came from somewhere else too. Just got here a bit faster than everybody else.
CamSo where do you guys plan to go next?
MosheGood question. I’ve got an aunt and uncle in Melbourne, and my parents made me promise I’d go there. But I also really want to see the outback, and I’ve only got a few days left. It’s like I’m being pulled in two different directions.
CamThat’s hard! What about you, Tanya?
TanyaSydney is perfect for me. You’ve got beaches, culture, everything I want.
MikeYou should check out the Museum of Sydney, if you haven’t already. It tells the whole story, from when some British sea captain had the first prison camp built up to the present day.
TanyaYeah, that’s definitely on my ‘to do’ list, but it’s being renovated at the moment. So I’ll just hang out on the beach.
Comprehension questions
Exercise B

Let, Allow, Make & Have

Choose the correct verb to complete each sentence.

Grammar: Causative & permission verbs

  • let + object + bare infinitive — They let him go.
  • allow + object + to-infinitive — They allowed him to go.
  • make + object + bare infinitive — She made him read it.
  • have + object + past participle — He had his photo taken.
Choose the correct verb
  1. Moshe’s parents him go to Australia.
  2. They him to go on the trip.
  3. Moshe’s father him read about the dangers of travelling in Australia.
  4. Moshe his photo taken by a photographer for his first passport.
  5. The hostel owner didn’t them stay out after midnight.
  6. The park ranger the group walk only on marked trails.
  7. Cam’s parents her to visit relatives in Melbourne.
  8. Mike his surfboard waxed at the surf shop.
Think about it
Exercise C

The Passive Progressive

Choose the correct passive progressive form for each sentence.

Grammar: Passive progressive

  • Present: am/is/are + being + past participle — I’m being pulled in two directions.
  • Past: was/were + being + past participle — The man was being chased by a police officer.

Use the passive progressive when an action is/was in progress at a specific moment.

Choose the correct form
  1. When we arrived, the barbecue by Mike’s dad.
  2. Look! A new immigration museum in Sydney right now.
  3. While we were visiting, the refugees by journalists.
  4. At this moment, traditional songs at the festival.
  5. When Bill bumped into the thief, the man by a police officer.
  6. Don’t go to the Museum of Sydney yet — it at the moment.
Explain the rule
Exercise D

Safety Advice

Use the right passive forms to complete the dialogue between Tanya and Mike.

Complete the dialogue
Mike Don’t worry too much, Tanya. Jim (warn) of the dangers before he left, and he isn’t stupid, is he?
Tanya I’m not so sure about that. When he was in northern Australia, he (tell) that swimming in rock pools can be dangerous. But he still jumped in. You’d think he’d never heard of crocodiles!
Mike But he (not attack), right?
Tanya No, but we (tell) so many stories about crocodile attacks that it now seems a wonder he (not hurt).
Mike Yeah, I heard that more warning signs (put up) soon. Did you hear about the kid who (kill) by a croc just last week? If Jim isn’t more careful, he’s going to get killed too.
Tanya If that hasn’t already happened. Park rangers are still searching for a guy that’s been missing since Thursday. Let’s hope he (find) very soon!
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All exercises complete!

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