English for system administrators

Remember: we need to change subject and object. Plus, we need to change only the verb TO BE in grammar tenses. The main verb will always be in 3 form or with -ed ending.

We use Passive Voice:

– If a subject is a recipient of a verb’s action;

– If we don’t know who does an action or it doesn’t matter for us.

Passive Voice with modal verbs:

Active Voice: People can call the processor the brain of the computer.

Passive Voice: The processor can be called the brain of the computer by people.

6. Match the phrases in Active and Passive Voice:

7. Complete the description of the laptop with Passive Voice:

The model of the laptop is Titan GT77 – 12U. This laptop ______ (build) for gamers and creators. The main processing chip called Intel Core i9—12900HX processor that ______ (manufacture) by the Intel Corporation. It operates at a clock speed of 5.00 GHz and has 8 Performance-cores and 8 Efficient-cores. Electronics for driving the graphics output has a memory capacity of 8 GB. The laptop ______ (equip) with several sets of expansion memory slots for DDR5 memory. RAM ______ (can reach) up to 128 GB. A massive storage space ______ (can create) with the help of SSD slot – 8 TB. Lightning modes of keyboard and laptop ______ (switch) into various styles. A 17.3 inch, flat display screen ______ (make) with a resolution of 3840 by 2160.The operating system that ______ (use) to control the system – Windows 11.

8. Rewrite the sentences into Passive Voice:

1) John wrote this manual. (Past Simple)

2) I must check the installation process.

3) Do people make computers of steel?

4) They don’t open all programmes at once.

5) Our company doesn’t use this browser.

6) We turn on cameras for video conferences.

7) He didn’t change the battery. (Past Simple)

8) Do you upgrade it every week?

9) She shouldn’t mute him during meetings.

10) I buy a new phone once in two years.

9. Choose the correct grammar form (active or passive):

a. Simon chooses/is chosen a new motherboard.

b. The CPU cools/is cooled by a fan.

c. People usually use/are used the RAM to store data.

d. Special cases can protect/can be protected the internal components.

e. He invited/was invited to the teambuilding event by us.

f. Do you need to print/need to be printed images?

g. The power supply provides/is provided power to all of the computer components.

h. No, the hard drive doesn’t use/isn’t used to remove data. It stores/is stored it!

i. Cache should delete/should be deleted from time to time.

10. Match the following abbreviations with their meanings:

11. Suggest the appropriate types of computers for these people. Explain your choice and try to use Passive Voice constructions:

Example: I think that this laptop is suitable for a film lover because the laptop is connected with the TV, so it’s more comfortable to watch movies with the use of the bigger screen. Also, this laptop can be taken to any public places and transport due to its compact size. For watching films there is everything that is needed: display, keyboard, touchpad and a cable to connect the laptop to the TV.

– Systems administrator

– Designer

– Student

– Professional gamer/streamer

12. Study the information about the computer and describe it using the following questions:

– What is the memory size of the computer?

– How fast is the CPU?

– What is the capacity of the hard drive and SSD?

– Which operation system does it use?

– What multimedia features does it have?

– What can this computer be used for? Why?

Now you know:

– components of computer hardware;

– how to use Passive Voice.

Vocabulary:

Unit 3. Network hardware