Year 6 English Modal verbs, the perfect form and the passive: check-up and practice test questions

Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.

1. Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
2. Test the choice. might shows a possibility, not a certainty
   might fits
3. Reject the other choices. The other word gives a different degree of possibility or advice.
   must and should do not fit
4. Write the answer.
   might

Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓

Watch out. Modal verbs show how sure the speaker is, or what should happen.

Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.

1. Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
2. Test the choice. surely shows a strong expectation
   Surely fits
3. Reject the other choices. The other word gives a different degree of possibility or advice.
   Perhaps do not fit
4. Write the answer.
   Surely

Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓

Watch out. Modal verbs show how sure the speaker is, or what should happen.

Method. Use has or have with the past participle.

1. Find the subject. The subject is They, so use have.
   have
2. Add the past participle. The past participle of eat is eaten.
   eaten
3. Write the perfect form. have eaten shows a link between the past and now.
   have eaten
4. Write the answer.
   have eaten

Check. They have eaten their dinner. ✓

Watch out. The perfect form uses has or have, then the past participle, not the simple past.

Method. Use has or have with the past participle.

1. Find the subject. The subject is She, so use has.
   has
2. Add the past participle. The past participle of write is written.
   written
3. Write the perfect form. has written shows a link between the past and now.
   has written
4. Write the answer.
   has written

Check. She has written a poem. ✓

Watch out. The perfect form uses has or have, then the past participle, not the simple past.

Method. Find the verb, then ask who or what does the action.

1. Find the verb. The verb shows the action in the sentence.
   mouse.
2. Ask who or what. The cat does the chasing.
   The cat
3. Write the answer.
   The cat

Check. The cat does the action. ✓

Watch out. The subject is the person or thing that does the action, and it comes before the verb.

Method. Find the verb, then ask who or what receives the action.

1. Find the verb. The verb shows the action in the sentence.
   verb
2. Ask who or what is affected. The door is painted.
   the door
3. Write the answer.
   the door

Check. the door receives the action. ✓

Watch out. The object receives the action. It comes after the verb.

Method. Move the object to the front, use was or were with the past participle, then add by and the agent.

1. Find the object. The object is the roof.
   the roof
2. Move it to the front, and use was or were with the past participle. The passive uses was or were, then the past participle.
   The roof was damaged
3. Add by and the agent. The agent, the doer of the action, comes after by: by the storm.
   The roof was damaged by the storm.
4. Write the answer.
   The roof was damaged by the storm.

Check. The object is now the subject of the passive. ✓

Watch out. The passive uses by to name the doer, and the object moves to the front.

Method. Find the doer after by, then move it to the front.

1. Find the doer. The doer, after by, is Lena.
   Lena
2. Move it to the front. The doer becomes the subject, and the key becomes the object.
   Lena found the key.
3. Write the answer.
   Lena found the key.

Check. The doer is now the subject. ✓

Watch out. In the active, the doer is the subject, and the verb has no was or were.

Method. Use the past participle, not the simple past.

1. Find the verb. The verb is begin.
   begin
2. Find the participle. The past participle of begin is begun.
   begun
3. Write the answer.
   begun

Check. begun is the past participle. ✓

Method. Think about the focus, and the doer.

1. Think about the focus. The passive can put the object first.
   the object
2. Think about the doer. The doer can be left out when unknown.
   unknown
3. Write the answer.
   To focus on the object, or when the doer is unknown or not important.

Check. The passive changes the focus. ✓

Method. Look at the evidence, then choose the modal for certainty.

1. Find the evidence. The lights are on.
   the lights are on
2. Choose the modal. Must shows a strong certainty.
   must
3. Write the answer.
   must

Check. must shows a strong certainty. ✓

Method. Use has with he, then the past participle.

1. Find the subject. He is singular, so use has.
   has
2. Add the participle. The past participle of break is broken.
   has broken
3. Write the answer.
   has broken

Check. He has broken the window. ✓

Method. Find the doer and the receiver of the action.

1. Find the subject. Ravi does the kicking.
   Ravi
2. Find the object. The ball receives the kicking.
   the ball
3. Write the answer.
   Ravi, the ball

Check. Ravi does the action, and the ball receives it. ✓

Method. Move the object to the front, and use was with the past participle.

1. Find the object. The list is the object.
   the list
2. Write the passive. The list was written by the teacher.
   was written by the teacher
3. Write the answer.
   The list was written by the teacher.

Check. The list is the subject of the passive. ✓

Method. Find the doer after by, and move it to the front.

1. Find the doer. Workers is the doer after by.
   workers
2. Write the active. Workers becomes the subject, and built the house is the verb and object.
   Workers built the house
3. Write the answer.
   Workers built the house.

Check. Workers is the subject. ✓

Method. The speaker is not certain, so choose the adverb of possibility.

1. Decide the degree. The speaker is not certain about the cancellation.
   not certain
2. Choose the adverb. Perhaps shows a possibility.
   Perhaps
3. Write the answer.
   Perhaps

Check. perhaps shows a possibility. ✓

Method. Think about the focus and the doer.

1. Look at the focus. The passive puts the window first.
   the window
2. Look at the doer. The doer is not named, because it is unknown.
   not named
3. Write the answer.
   The passive puts the window first, and the doer is not known.

Check. The passive focuses on the window. ✓

Method. Use have with we, then the past participle taken.

1. Find the subject. We is the subject.
   We
2. Add the perfect form. Have taken is the perfect form of take.
   have taken
3. Write the answer.
   We have taken many photographs on our holiday.

Check. have taken is the perfect form. ✓

Method. Some verbs have an irregular past participle.

1. Find the verb. The verb is choose.
   choose
2. Find the participle. The past participle of choose is chosen.
   chosen
3. Write the answer.
   chosen

Check. chosen is the past participle of choose. ✓

Method. Compare the degree of certainty.

1. Look at might. Might shows a possibility.
   possibility
2. Look at must. Must shows a strong certainty.
   certainty
3. Write the answer.
   Might shows a possibility, but must shows that the speaker is very sure.

Check. The two modals show different degrees. ✓