IELTS Preparation Series 1, Episode 7: Enviro-loo

(Bấm vào đây để xem/nghe bài kế tiếp)

Xem lời thoại bên dưới:

0:02

Hello. I'm

0:15

Margot Politis. Welcome to Study English, IELTS preparation.

0:19

Today we have an environmental theme on Study English, but it's an environmental story with

0:25

a difference.

0:26

We find out about a new toilet system that has been developed to save the local environment

0:32

in a Tasmanian park.

0:34

We're going to be looking at how to talk about processes, so listen carefully to David Holman

0:39

talk about his new environmentally friendly toilet.

0:44

The liquid waste comes from the toilet behind me. There's a containment vessel for the solids.

0:46

From the bottom of the solids you drain off the liquid and it comes down here down this

0:51

pipe.

0:51

OK. The pipe tips into this tipping bucket arrangement and what this does is it fills

0:58

up to a point, and then it suddenly tips and that will measure each time it tips. So we

1:03

can calculate the amount of liquid effluent that's gone in.

1:06

As that fills up, you can see the towelling material here will come in contact with the

1:12

effluent, the air is drawn in through these holes and will actually direct the air in

1:17

onto the surface of the water, through the wick and out through the top.

1:21

OK, so David was talking about how his toilet, the Enviro-Loo, works.

1:28

He was describing a process. Today we're going to look at the type of language you'll need

1:33

to describe processes.

1:36

We'll listen to David again. This time, listen out for the types of verbs he uses.

1:42

The liquid waste comes from the toilet behind me. There's a containment vessel for the solids.

1:47

From the bottom of the solids you drain off the liquid and it comes down here down this

1:49

pipe.

1:50

OK. The pipe tips into this tipping bucket arrangement and what this does is it fills

1:57

up to a point, and then it suddenly tips and that will measure each time it tips. So we

2:01

can calculate the amount of liquid effluent that's gone in.

2:06

David uses a variety of verbs and tenses. But mostly he uses the simple present tense.

2:14

The simple present is often used to describe processes and procedures.

2:19

Let's look at some examples.

2:22

The liquid waste comes from the toilet behind me.

2:24

OK. The pipe tips into this tipping bucket arrangement, and what this does is it fills

2:29

up to a point and then it suddenly tips.

2:33

There's also another, more formal way of describing processes.

2:38

That's using the passive voice.

2:41

In academic writing, it's common to use the passive voice for actions in a process or

2:47

procedure. When you use the passive voice, your writing becomes impersonal and distant.

2:54

This is more formal, and is often more suitable in an academic setting.

2:58

Listen for a passive verb here.

3:02

As that fills up, you can see the towelling material here will come in contact with the

3:08

effluent, the air is drawn in through these holes.

3:13

He says 'is drawn in': the air is drawn in.

3:19

Notice there is no subject, no person or thing doing the action, it is just done. This is

3:27

called the passive voice.

3:30

This highlights the process or action, rather than the person or thing doing the action.

3:36

The passive is used when the important thing is not who did the action, but the action

3:42

itself.

3:44

This is true when you are describing processes. The process is the same, no matter who is

3:50

doing it, so we choose the passive voice.

3:54

Let's look at bit more closely at how the passive is formed.

3:59

Passive verbs are formed by using the verb to be plus the past participle of the verb.

4:05

Let's look at the verb to draw in, to bring something in.

4:11

The past participle is drawn. This is an irregular past participle.

4:18

So the passive form is to be drawn in.

4:22

The different forms of the passive vary according to the action, and when the action happened.

4:30

OK. So in formal writing, we use the passive form for processes. But David doesn't always

4:37

use the passive, because he's having a conversation with someone.

4:40

Let's look at one of David's more informal sentences, and see how we could change it

4:46

into a more formal description.

4:49

There's a containment vessel for the solids and from the bottom of the solids, you drain

4:53

off the liquid.

4:54

He says: From the bottom of the solids you drain off the liquid. Let's look at the main

5:00

part of that sentence:

5:02

You drain off the liquid.

5:04

The verb is drain off.

5:08

In a passive sentence, we'd say 'is drained off', the past participle with the present

5:14

tense form of to be.

5:17

To form the passive, we also need change the sentence around.

5:22

Most English sentences use the active form. That's subject, verb, object. But in the passive,

5:32

sentences begin with the object of the verb: object, verb, subject.

5:39

In this sentence, we know that 'drain off' is the verb, 'you' is the subject and 'the

5:46

liquid' is the object.

5:48

So to form a passive sentence, we'll need to turn the sentence around into object, verb,

5:56

subject. Notice that we add the word 'by'.

6:00

The liquid is drained off by you.

6:03

But in a process, we don't need to include the agent of the verb, so it usually gets

6:09

left out.

6:10

Our new, more formal sentence reads:

6:14

The liquid is drained off.

6:17

So let's go back to that full sentence

6:21

From the bottom of the solids, you drain off the liquid.

6:25

From the bottom of the solids, the liquid is drained off.

6:30

Here's another one:

6:33

We can calculate the amount of liquid that's gone in.

6:36

We can calculate the amount of liquid.

6:40

The subject is 'we'. This will be dropped in our passive sentence.

6:45

The object is 'the amount of liquid'.

6:49

The verb is 'can calculate'.

6:53

'Calculate' has the past participle 'calculated'.

6:56

When there are auxiliary verbs like 'can', we use the infinitive form of the verb 'to

7:04

be'.

7:05

So the full verb phrase 'can calculate' becomes 'can be calculated'.

7:12

Remember that a passive sentence starts with the 'object', then the 'verb', so:

7:18

We can calculate the amount of liquid.

7:21

becomes:

7:22

The amount of liquid can be calculated.

7:24

OK, let's finish today by testing you on the passive.

7:29

Listen to the steps in a simple process.

7:34

This is how you make a cup of coffee. It's in a conversational style.

7:38

You fill the kettle with water. You turn on the kettle.

7:44

You boil the kettle. You pour the hot water into a mug.

7:50

You add some sugar. Then you can drink it.

7:53

OK. Let's start at the beginning.

7:57

You fill the kettle with water.

7:58

What's the verb? Fill. The subject? You. The object? The kettle.

8:08

The passive verb is 'is filled'.

8:12

The new sentence is:

8:14

The kettle is filled with water.

8:17

See if you can do the next one.

8:20

You turn on the kettle.

8:21

The verb is 'turn on'. The subject is 'you'.

8:29

The object is 'the kettle'.

8:33

The kettle is turned on.

8:36

You boil the water. The water is boiled.

8:41

You pour the hot water into a mug. The hot water is poured into a mug.

8:49

You add some sugar. Some sugar is added.

8:54

Then you can drink it. Then it can be drunk.

8:59

But we'd usually say: Then it's ready to be drunk.

9:01

So let's go through that again.

9:06

The kettle is filled with water. The kettle is turned on.

9:11

The water is boiled. The hot water is poured into a mug.

9:16

Some sugar is added. Then it's ready to be drunk.

9:21

And I think I'll go and make a cup of coffee right now.

9:23

Don't forget to practice these active and passive sentences.

9:28

And I'll see you next time for Study English. Bye.

#II21Ieltsprepseries1