Exercise on Passive Voice - Simple Present

Rewrite the sentences in passive voice.

1.

He opens the door.

2.

We set the table.

3.

She pays a lot of money.

4.

I draw a picture.

5.

They wear blue shoes.

6.

They don't help you.

7.

He doesn't open the book.

8.

You do not write the letter.

9.

Does your mum pick you up?

10.

Does the police officer catch the thief?

Active and passive voice exercise

Sentences are given in the active voice. Change them into the passive voice.
1. He teaches English
2. The child is eating bananas.
3. She is writing a letter.
4. The master punished the servant.
5. He was writing a book.
6. Who wrote this letter?
7. Somebody cooks meal every day.
8. He wore a blue shirt.
9. May God bless you with happiness!
10. They are building a house.
11. I have finished the job.
12. I sent the report yesterday.
13. She bought a diamond necklace.
14. Somebody had stolen my purse.

Passive 5 (mixed tenses)

Change these active sentences to passive. Choose if you need
the agent or not.
1) People speak Portuguese in Brazil

2) The Government is planning a new road near my house

3) My grandfather built this house in 1943
4) Picasso was painting Guernica at that time
5) The cleaner has cleaned the office
6) He had written three books before 1867
7) John will tell you later
8) By this time tomorrow we will have signed the deal
9) Somebody should do the work
10) The traffic might have delayed Jimmy
11) Everybody loves Mr Brown
12) They are building a new stadium near the station
13) The wolf ate the princess
14) At six oclock someone was telling a story
5) Somebody has drunk all the milk!
16) I had cleaned all the windows before the storm
17) A workman will repair the computer tomorrow
18) By next year the students will have studied the passive
19) James might cook dinner
20) Somebody must have taken my wallet

Active and passive voice exercise

Sentences are given in the active voice. Change them into the passive voice.
1. He teaches English.
2. The child is eating bananas.
3. She is writing a letter.
4. The master punished the servant.
5. He was writing a book.
6. Who wrote this letter?
7. Somebody cooks meal every day.
8. He wore a blue shirt.
9. May God bless you with happiness!
10. They are building a house.
11. I have finished the job.
12. I sent the report yesterday.
13. She bought a diamond necklace.
14. Somebody had stolen my purse.

Passive
1. Letters

by the postman at 8 every day. (deliver)

2. This bag

in the bus yesterday. (find)

3. The dress

4.

in hot water. (cannot wash)

your motorbike

yet? (repair)

5. The message

tomorrow. (send)

6. These offices

now. (clean)

7. This report

8. Why

9. This building

10. Bags

11. The engine

12. The last umbrellas

in time if you didn't help me. (not finish)

the TV

? (turn on)

since the 1930's. (not reconstruct)

in the cloakroom. (must leave)

just

when the manager saw it. (test)

in the morning. (sell)

13. You

to arrive so late if you worked for me. (not allow)

14. The plan

15. All the halls

in two days. (announce)

at the moment. (paint)

16. What were we doing at 11 o'clock? We

17. After the window pane

. (interview)

someone smashed the window again. (replace)

Active and Passive Voice Exercise

Rewrite the following sentences so that the verbs will be in the

active voice.
1.

We are taught grammar by Ms Sullivan.

2.

He was praised by the teacher.

3. The injured were taken to the hospital by the

firemen.
4.

The town was destroyed by an earthquake.

5.

The teacher was pleased with the boys work.

6.

The building was damaged by the fire.

7.

By whom were you taught French?

8.

You will be given a ticket by the manager.

9.

The streets were thronged with spectators.

10.

We will be blamed by everyone.

11.

The trees were blown down by the wind.

12.

The thieves were caught by the police.

13.

The letter was posted by Alice.

14.

We were received by the hostess.

15.

The snake was killed with a stick.

16.

The minister was welcomed by the people.

17.

He was found guilty of murder.

18.

This house was built by John Mathews in 1991.

Active or passive voice

The police
just
(announce) that the
Portnoy's Bank
(rob) yesterday. Two men
(enter) the bank at 4.30 with guns in their hands. Customers and
bank clerks
(ask) to lie down on the floor and one of
the bank clerks
(make) to fill the robbers' bags with
money. After that the two men
(leave) the bank
quickly. The police officer Jason Gregson says that more than
200,000 pounds
(steal) yesterday, but nobody
(injure). Jason Gregson believes that the robbers
(find) soon. The bank
(close) since yesterday.

A: What time
B: At 4.30.

the two men

the bank? (enter)

A: What
the customers and bank clerks
(ask)
B: They were asked to lie down on the floor.

A: What
one of the clerks
B: To fill the robbers' bags with money.

A: How much money

B: More than 200,000 pounds.

A:
? (injure)
B: No, nobody has been injured.

to do?

? (make to do)

by the robbers? (steal)

A: How long
the bank
B: It will be closed for two days.

Rewrite the sentences in the more natural form of passive voice.

1. A postcard has been sent to Jill.

2. A new chance will be given to me.

3. Bad news was told her.

4. Millions of books are bought for students each year.

5. His place will be offered to Alan.

6. This information must be sent to Ann.

7. Such a present had been given to my mum.

8. The garden was sold to the Simpsons.

9. A letter has been shown to his parents.

10. Higher wages will be promised to workers.

? (close)

2. Michelangelo

(paint) the Sistine Chapel.

3. Michael Schumacher

(drive) for Ferrari in 2003.

4. In the UK, everyone

(drive) on the left.

5. Inter-city trains

(usually/drive) by men.

6. The 'La Stampa' newspaper

(read) by two million

people in Italy.
7. My car

(steal)! Call the police!!!!

8. The thieves

(steal) the gold last week.

9. The Queen

(open) the bridge tomorrow.

10. The bridge

(destroy) by the storm last night.

11. I

(learn) Japanese when I was in Tokyo.

12. I

(teach) by an old Japanese man.

13. This letter

14. The new secretary

(should/type), not handwritten!

(type) at 100 wpm.

Passive voice - present /past simple

1. Rose

by the snake. (scare-past)

2. Many cars
3. The cinema
4. The work
5. The pictures
6. The cheese
7. These knives
8. They

in Japan. (make-present)
by the police. (close-past)
three times a day. (do-present)
by Picasso. (paint-past)
by the mice. (eat-past)
to cut up food. (use-present)
the question two times. (ask-past)

9. Our house

in 1902. (build-past)

10.

Computers

all over the world. (use-present)

11.

An ovation

to the actors. (give-present)

12.

A bicycle

from her. (steal-past)

Questions in Passive
1. The thieves / caught / were

2. Are / the tests / always / in the language lab / written

3. Will / accepted / my apology / be
4. Eagles / found / in Alaska / are
5. Was / built / the Eiffel Tower / for the World Exhibition / in
1889
6. Together / beans and carrots / cooked / be / can
7. The accident / seen / yesterday / by the police / was
8. Replaced / by computers / will / be / the workers
9. Where / the first underground railway / opened / was
10.

Be / the books / are to the school / returned / going to

11.

cars / are / in Hong Kong / made

12.

to hospital / been / has / taken / she

13.

in five minutes / roasted / the potatoes / can / be

14.

wil /l the students / be / for the exam / prepared

15.

will / served / tea / when / be

16.

lunch / today / is / being / provided

17.

were / laptops / to them / given / last week

18.

may / be / broadcasted / the videos

19.

been / closed / for repairs / has / the road

20.

was / yesterday / asked / he / by the teacher

Passive Sentences Exercise

1. The students handed in the reports.
2. The girls had lost the match.
3. Sue puts the rucksack on the floor.
4. Julia rescued three cats.
5. Alex learned the poem.
6. They play handball.
7. Steven has forgotten the book.
8. Maria crashed into the blue car.
9. The mechanic has not repaired the DVD recorder.
10. The teacher is not going to open the window.
11.

I take photos.

12.

We play volleyball.

13. The policemen help the children.

14. Mr Jones watches films.
15. He reads comics.
16. They sing the song.
17. The people speak English.
18. Mother waters the flowers.

19. She does the housework.

20. He writes poems.
21. She gives him a box.

22. Somebody broke into our bungalow last Friday.

23. They will meet Doris at the station.
24. Somebody built the house last year.
25. Michael has not sent me the file.
26. Max will look after him.
27. Kevin asked Dennis a question.
28. They don't speak English in this shop.
29. The teacher told us a joke.
30. The waiter brought Fred a big steak.

Fill the gaps with the correct tenses (active or passive voice).
1.

In the year 122 AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian (visit)

in Britain.
2.
On his visit, the Roman soldiers (tell)
Britain's north (attack)
3.

him that Pictish tribes from

them.

So Hadrian (give)

the order to build a protective wall across one of

the narrowest parts of the country.

4.
After 6 years of hard work, the Wall (finish)
5.

It (be)

6.

The Wall (guard)

7.

Every 8 kilometres there (be)

soldiers (find)

8.

in 128.

117 kilometres long and about 4 metres high.

by 15,000 Roman soldiers.
a large fort in which up to 1,000

shelter.

The soldiers (watch)

and (check)

his provinces

over the frontier to the north

the people who (want)

to enter or leave Roman

Britain.
9.
In order to pass through the Wall, people (must go)
small forts that (serve)
10.

Those forts (call)

another (be)

11.

as gateways.
milecastles because the distance from one fort to
one Roman mile (about 1,500 metres).

Between the milecastles there (be)

soldiers (guard)

to one of the

the Wall.

two turrets from which the

12.

If the Wall (attack)

turrets (run)

by enemies, the soldiers at the

to the nearest milecastle for help or (light)

that (can / see)

by the soldiers in the milecastle.

13.

In 383 Hadrian's Wall (abandon)

14.

Today Hadrian's Wall (be)

northern England.
15.
In 1987, it (become)

a fire

.
the most popular tourist attraction in

a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Passive Tenses Exercise

1.

The words

Present)
2.
We
Simple Past)
3.
This car
4.

This street

Present Perfect)
5.
A new restaurant
6.

He

7.

The blue box

8.

9.

Past)
The dishes

10.

Perfect)
I

by the teacher today. (to explain - Simple

a letter the day before yesterday. (to send -

. It's too old. (not/to steal - will-future)

because of snow. (already/to close -

next week. (to open - will-future)

to the party yesterday. (to invite - Simple Past)
. (can/not/to see - Simple Present)
the book by my friend last Sunday. (to give - Simple

by my little brother. (not/to wash - Present

by Robert. (not/to ask - will-future)

Exercise on Passive Voice - Past Perfect

Rewrite the sentences in passive voice.
1.

I had worn blue shoes. Blue shoes

2.

Joe had cleaned the tables. -

3.

We had lost the key. -

4.

They had started a fight. -

5.

I had been reading an article. -

6.

I had not closed the window. -

7.

They had not bought the paper. -

8.

She had not noticed me. -

9.

Had she solved the problem? -

10.

Had he recorded that song? -