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English Course · Level 3 (B1) · Week 6 of 12

Customs and Traditions

Grammar: The passive · present simple and past simple (is made / was built)

This week's plan

DayLearnListen / WatchPractise
Day 1Words: Celebrations · Sentences 1–2BBC 6 Minute Grammar: “Present and past passives” (podcast)Exercise 1
Day 2Words: Traditions · Sentences 3–4BBC 6 Minute English: “Preserving traditional recipes” (podcast)Exercise 2
Day 3Words: Food and crafts · Sentences 5–6British Council: “Passives” (grammar)
+ VOA Everyday Grammar: “When Passive Is Better than Active” (audio)		Exercise 3
Day 4Words: Monuments and history · Sentences 7–8BBC 6 Minute English: “What's the point of museums?” (podcast)Exercise 4
Day 5Words: Useful passive phrases · Sentences 9–10BBC 6 Minute English: “Learning a new food culture” (podcast)Write & Speak
Day 6Review all 30 words + 10 sentencesBritish Council: “The legend of fairies” (reading)Redo mistakes
Day 7Free day ☺BBC 6 Minute English: “The stories behind our names” (podcast)Tick your tracker

30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.

30 words to learn

Set 1 · Celebrations

  • festivalمهرجان / عيد
  • celebrateيحتفل بـ
  • engagementخطوبة
  • feastوليمة / عزومة كبيرة
  • fireworksألعاب نارية / صواريخ
  • decorationsزينة

Set 2 · Traditions

  • customعادة / عُرف
  • heritageتراث
  • generationجيل
  • pass downيُورِّث / ينقل من جيل إلى جيل
  • ancestorsالأجداد / الأسلاف
  • beliefمعتقَد

Set 3 · Food and crafts

  • handmadeمصنوع يدويًا / شغل إيد
  • potteryالفخّار
  • carpetسجّادة
  • recipeوصفة (طبخ)
  • ingredientsمكوّنات
  • spicesتوابل / بهارات

Set 4 · Monuments and history

  • ancientقديم / أثري
  • templeمعبد
  • tombمقبرة
  • statueتمثال
  • discoverيكتشف
  • build – built – builtيبني

Set 5 · Useful passive phrases

  • be made ofمصنوع من (مادة تظل كما هي)
  • be made fromمصنوع من (مادة تتغيّر)
  • be known asيُعرف باسم / بأنه
  • be servedيُقدَّم (طعام)
  • be celebratedيُحتفل به
  • be followedيُتَّبع

10 sentences to memorise

  1. 1Koshari is made with rice, lentils and pasta.يُصنع الكشري من الأرز والعدس والمكرونة.
  2. 2The pyramids of Giza were built more than 4,500 years ago.بُنيت أهرامات الجيزة قبل أكثر من ٤٥٠٠ عام.
  3. 3Sham El-Nessim is celebrated every spring.يُحتفل بشم النسيم كل ربيع.
  4. 4Fattah is usually served on the first day of Eid al-Adha.تُقدَّم الفتة عادةً في أول أيام عيد الأضحى.
  5. 5This carpet was made by hand in a village near Fayoum.صُنعت هذه السجادة يدويًا في قرية قرب الفيوم.
  6. 6Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in 1922.اكتُشفت مقبرة توت عنخ آمون عام ١٩٢٢.
  7. 7Many old customs are still followed in Upper Egypt.ما زالت عادات قديمة كثيرة متَّبعة في صعيد مصر.
  8. 8Luxor is known as the world's greatest open-air museum.تُعرف الأقصر بأنها أعظم متحف مفتوح في العالم.
  9. 9Ramadan lanterns are sold in almost every street.تُباع فوانيس رمضان في كل شارع تقريبًا.
  10. 10The temples of Abu Simbel were built by Ramses II.بُنيت معابد أبو سمبل على يد رمسيس الثاني.

Grammar: The passive · present simple and past simple (is made / was built)

Passive = be + past participle (made, built, celebrated). We use it when the action is more important than the person who does it, or when we don't know who did it.

Present: am / is / are + past participle · Past: was / were + past participle · by + the doer (only if it is important).

المبني للمجهول في العربية (بُني، يُصنع، اكتُشف) = be + التصريف الثالث. أشهر خطأين: حذف الفعل be (✗ The pyramids built 4,500 years ago) أو استخدام التصريف الثاني (✗ It was wrote / ✗ It was builded). تذكّر: is / are للمضارع، و was / were للماضي، ثم التصريف الثالث دائمًا.

ActivePassive
People make koshari with rice.Koshari is made with rice.
They speak Arabic in Egypt.Arabic is spoken in Egypt.
Howard Carter discovered the tomb in 1922.The tomb was discovered (by Howard Carter) in 1922.
Present simple passivePast simple passive
PositiveIt is made. They are sold.It was built. They were found.
NegativeIt isn't made. They aren't sold.It wasn't built. They weren't found.
QuestionIs it made…? Where are they sold?When was it built? Were they found…?

✗ The museum opened by the president. ✓ The museum was opened by the president.

made of = you can still see the material (made of wood) · made from = the material changes (cheese is made from milk).

Use by only when the doer is important: This novel was written by Naguib Mahfouz.

Exercises

Exercise 1 · Complete with the present simple passive.

  1. 1) Arabic ___ (speak) in 22 countries.
  2. 2) Feteer ___ (bake) in a very hot oven.
  3. 3) These carpets ___ (make) by hand.
  4. 4) Coffee ___ (not grow) in Egypt.
  5. 5) How ___ this word ___ (pronounce)?
  6. 6) Lanterns ___ (sell) before Ramadan.
Show the answers
1) is spoken 2) is baked 3) are made 4) isn't grown 5) is … pronounced 6) are sold

Exercise 2 · Complete with the past simple passive.

  1. 1) The High Dam in Aswan ___ (build) in the 1960s.
  2. 2) The Rosetta Stone ___ (find) in 1799.
  3. 3) We ___ (invite) to an engagement party.
  4. 4) The match ___ (not cancel).
  5. 5) When ___ the Suez Canal ___ (open)?
  6. 6) Their wedding photos ___ (take) on a boat on the Nile.
Show the answers
1) was built 2) was found 3) were invited 4) wasn't cancelled 5) was … opened 6) were taken

Exercise 3 · Rewrite in the passive.

  1. 1) People celebrate Sham El-Nessim in spring.
  2. 2) They serve tea after dinner.
  3. 3) Someone stole my bag.
  4. 4) Workers built the bridge in 2019.
  5. 5) Naguib Mahfouz wrote this novel.
Show the answers
1) Sham El-Nessim is celebrated in spring. 2) Tea is served after dinner. 3) My bag was stolen. / My bag was stolen by someone. 4) The bridge was built in 2019. / The bridge was built by workers in 2019. 5) This novel was written by Naguib Mahfouz.

Exercise 4 · Translate into English.

  1. 1) يُصنع هذا الطبق من الأرز واللحم.
  2. 2) بُني هذا المسجد منذ مئتي عام.
  3. 3) يُحتفل بالعيد مع العائلة.
  4. 4) سُرقت سيارته الأسبوع الماضي.
Show the answers
1) This dish is made with rice and meat. / This dish is made from rice and meat. 2) This mosque was built two hundred years ago. / This mosque was built 200 years ago. 3) Eid is celebrated with the family. / Eid is celebrated with family. 4) His car was stolen last week.

Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.

Write & Speak

Write & Speak — Write 120–150 words: a short guide to an Egyptian tradition or celebration for a foreign visitor. Use at least five passive verbs (is celebrated, is made, are sold, was started…). Then record it as if you were a tour guide.

Example: Ramadan is one of the most special times of the year in Egypt. It is celebrated by millions of people across the country. During the holy month, Muslims don't eat or drink from dawn until sunset. The streets are decorated with colourful lights, and traditional lanterns, called fawanees, are sold everywhere. They are often given to children as presents. The fast is broken at sunset with dates and water, and then a big family meal is served. Popular dishes like stuffed vine leaves and kunafa are made at home or bought from famous shops. In the past, people were woken up for suhoor by a man called the mesaharaty, who walked through the streets with a drum. This custom is still followed in some neighbourhoods today. If you visit Egypt in Ramadan, you will probably be invited to iftar by people you have just met!