By the end of this exercise, you can use the passive infinitive to talk about rules and safety tips, form passive constructions in different tenses, and write a short news story.
Free Year 9 English practice: passive infinitive for Australian national park rules and snake safety, passive forms in a message from Jim, and news headline writing.
All texts and tasks on this page are from Green Line 5 (Klett), Station 1: Travelling in Australia, pages 16–17 and workbook page 17. Exercises B, C and D are marked automatically; the rest are read by your teacher.
Task 5 from page 16. Read the information in the box, then write about things which are easy to do in Germany, but which would be difficult to do in Australia.
Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world. About 70 % of all Australians live in cities of more than 100,000 people. That is because there are large parts of the country with extreme climatic conditions – very high temperatures and little rain. About 40 % of Australia is said to be uninhabitable, mostly in the country’s interior which is often referred to as ‘the outback’.
Apart from being urbanised, Australia is the most sparsely populated country in the world. Germany would fit into Australia 20 times, but the Australian population is just about 24 million, compared to 80 million in Germany. Many Australians are used to travelling huge distances. The journey from Sydney to Perth, for example, takes about five hours by plane.
Task 7 from page 17. Australia has more than 500 national parks. Use the passive infinitive to say what must not / should not be done. Type only the passive infinitive that fits the gap.
After modal verbs (can, must, should), the passive infinitive is: be + past participle.
Example: Dogs must not be brought into the park.
1. Flowers must not (pick) in the parks.
2. Litter must not (throw) on the ground.
3. Animals should not (disturb) by visitors.
4. Tracks must not (leave) on the paths.
5. Aboriginal sites must not (touch) or walked on.
6. The bush should not (use) as a toilet.
7. Trees and plants must not (damage).
Workbook task 4, page 17. Here are some tips on what to do if you see a snake in Australia. Use the passive infinitive to complete the sentences. Type only the verb form — after modal verbs use be + past participle; after verbs like want, like, need use to be + past participle.
1. Snakes can (find) in all parts of Australia. Not all of them are poisonous — but you don’t want (bite) by any of them because all snakebites can cause infections.
2. Snakes are shy creatures that like (leave alone). Usually, they’ll attack only if they feel threatened.
3. If you see a snake, stay calm and don’t move. Remember that the snake is probably just as frightened as you are and should (give) a chance to escape.
4. Snakes must (show) respect. They should never (pick up) or (chase).
5. If you’re bitten, you’ll need (take) to hospital immediately. Snakebites must (treat) as quickly as possible.
Task 8 from page 17. Complete Jim’s message with the right passive forms. Type the full verb form that fits each gap.
Hey guys! Still hanging out in Sydney?! You won’t believe what I (just / tell): A young guy from London got lost in the outback!
He (last / see) by another tourist just before he started his tour. And guess what: He’s my age! Isn’t that weird?! Anyway, I hope he (rescue).
I’m on day five of my great train journey across Australia and I still love it! We saw some bushfires in the distance, and the smoke (can – smell) from far away.
Yesterday I went on my outback tour. You know I (not want – show around) in a group, but then I decided to listen to what we (tell) at the hostel. Lucky me!
There was this pretty girl in my group. She was so impressed when I saved her from this weird-looking thorny devil lizard. I (tell) by the guide that they aren’t dangerous at all, but Julie thinks I’m her hero now! 😉
We saw lots of kangaroos and there are even camels around! They (bring) to Australia a long time ago, and they seem to enjoy life in the outback. Have fun! – Jim
Tasks 9–10 from page 17. First, look at how news headlines work. Then write a news story using the word bank. Try to include passive forms.
Full sentence: Some deadly spiders were found in a hotel in Sydney.
News headline: Deadly spiders found in Sydney hotel
Full sentence: The record heatwave sparks bushfires all around the country.
News headline: Record heatwave sparks bushfires
Tip: Headlines are short. They often drop articles (a, an, the) and use the simple present for past events.
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