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Below you have the passive forms in the text highlighted and under the article you have the explanation of form.
Look at the actual article for the paragraph numbers. You´ll need them for ease of reference in class.
Mega Computing in a Speck of Dust
Imagine the power of 100 mainframe computers in a device no bigger than a grain of dust. Or a machine so small that it could be inserted into the seam of your shirt yet work at 100bn times the speed of the fastest of today´s PCs.
Such a futuristic vision of ultrafast, microscopic machines was opened up yesterday by the revelation that a team of American chemists and computer experts have created essential computing parts no bigger than a molecule.
The breakthrough could revolutionise the commercial uses of technology and open the way for the new superfast computers - or nanocomputers - to be made an integral part of every manmade object.
Researchers from the Hewlett-Packard company and the University of California at Los Angeles, who worked jointly on the project, claimed that the new computers would need much less power and could end the need to erase files constantly.
Their work, published in yesterday´s edition of Science magazine, also promises an end to computer viruses, because of the extra power.
Under existing technology, the circuits used for computers are created by directing beams of light onto silicon wafers. While such circuits have shrunk considerably over the past 30 years they are ultimately restricted by the size of each wavelength of light and it has become more difficult to etch increasingly complicated information on them.
The crystals used in the molecular study can absorb information in the form of an electrical charge and organise it more efficiently. The UCLA team created a new chemical compound called rotaxane which they hope will eventually replace chips.
The molecules at the heart of the research are so tiny that comparisons become meaningless, but they prompted futuristic visions.
One report spoke of a "Fantastic Voyage" style machine with tiny molecules travelling through a computer´s innards spotting problems. The Pentagon helped fund the research because of its potential use for defence equipment.
However, the use of molecular computing could still be some way off. "This is an important stepping stone, but we still have a long way to go," said a competing scientist yesterday.
1) could be inserted - modal passive infinitive
2) was opened up - past passive with a phrasal verb (don´t forget the 'up'!)
3) to be made - passive infinitive
4) published - short form of past passive. Has to be past because it´s followed by a past time marker ("yesterday´s"). Full form would be, "Their work, which was published in yesterday´s ..."
5) used - short form of present passive. You can see that it must be present because it´s followed by another present passive form and agreement rules require that the two match. Full form would be, " the circuits which are used for..."
NOTE: there is a difference between 4 and 5.
In 4 the past full form requires a comma after, "Their work,...". This is because the following phrase, "...which was published in yesterday´s edition of Science magazine,..." is a non-defining relative clause and as such must apear between two commas.
In 5 however, the present full form should NOT be preceded by a comma as the phrase, "...the circuits which are used for computers..." is a defining relative clause.
6) are created - present passive form.
7) are ultimately restricted - present passive form. Draw Ss attention to position of adverb.
8) used - short form of present passive identical to number 5.
I hope to put in links for you re relative clauses but I may not have done it before I put this up. Hassle me if I´m taking too long to get round to it.
Home Site Info Lesson Plans Glossary Article Links PERL Meet the Author Barcelona Tips Chat Message Board Contact Me Up
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