Passive Voice

-exercises-

1. Rewrite each sentence so that it does not contain the words underlined and so that it contains a passive form.
a) Someone left the phone off the hook all night.  The phone was left off the hook all night.
b) The government has announced that petrol prices will rise tomorrow.
c) A burglar broke into our house last week.
d) People asked me the way three times.
e) The fruit-pickers pick apples early in the morning.
f) It’s time the authorities did something about this problem.
g) Lots of people had parked their cars on the pavement.
h) The government agreed with the report and so they changed the law.
i) You have to fill in an application form.
j) They don’t know what happened to the ship.

2. Put each verb in brackets into the passive in an appropriate tense.

a) The boxes have not been packed (not pack) yet.
b) Your food …………………………..………………………….. (still prepare).
c) The new ship ……………………….………………………….. (launch) next week.
d) Luckily by the time we got there the painting …………..………………………….. (not sell).
e) We had to go on holiday because our house …………..………………………….. (decorate).
f) I’m afraid that next week’s meeting …………………………………………….. (cancel).
g) If we don’t hurry, all the tickets …………………………………….. (sell) by the time we get there.
h) All main courses ………………………………………….. (serve) with vegetables or salad.
i) The second goal ………………………………………….. (score) by Hughes in the 41st minute.
j) The cathedral ………………….………………………….. (build) in the fourteenth century.

3. Rewrite each sentence beginning and ending as shown. Do not change the meaning.
a) Someone stole Bob’s bike.  Bob had his bike stolen.
b) John lent me this book.
This book ………………………………………..………….John.
c) The dentist took out one of my teeth yesterday.
Yesterday I ……………………………………..……………… out.
d) Cairo is my place of birth.
I ……………………………………………..…………… in Cairo.
e) A rock concert ticket was sold to me by a friend.
I was ……………………………………..…………………… by a friend.
f) Someone broke into Tom’s house last week.
Tom had ………………………………..………………………last week.
g) When is your date of birth?
When exactly …………………………………..…………….. born?
h) My parents gave me this ring.
I ………………………………………..………………. parents.
i) I’m keeping this bottle of wine for a special occasion.
This bottle of wine ………………………………..…………………… for a special occasion.
j) We will send you a letter with your exam results.
A letter …………………………………………..….. to you with your exam results.

4. Rewrite each sentence so that it ends with the word underlined.

a) Another company had taken over our company.  Our company has been taken over.
b) We are dealing with your complaint.

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c) We have not accounted for all the missing passengers.
d) Someone had tampered with the lock of the front door.
e) We don’t know how they disposed of the body.
f) I must insist that you keep to the rules.
g) We are looking into this allegation.
h) We will frown upon any attempt to cheat in the exam.
i) The youngest complained that people were picking on him.
j) Ann as well provided for her in her husband’s will.

5. Choose the most appropriate word underlined.

a) The busy shopping street was thronged by/with people.
b) The emergency exit was concealed by/from a red curtain.
c) The price of excursions is included in/with the cost of the holiday.
d) All through January, the fields were covered by/from snow.
e) The room was crammed by/with furniture of all descriptions.
f) Two of the climbers were injured by/with falling rocks.
g) The island is inhabited by/from people of mainly Chinese origin.
h) The bank was quickly surrounded from/with armed police.
i) The window had been smashed from/with a hammer taken from the tool-shed.
j) The stadium was packed from/with cheering fans.

6. Complete the text with a passive or active form of the verb in brackets, in a suitable tense according to the context.
Local cheeses
Traditional cheeses (a) (produce) ………are produce….. in many regions of the UK and (b) (name)
…………………………..…… after the area in which they (c) (first develop) …………………………..…… Cheddar, a hard
cheese with a strong, nutty taste, is the most popular and (d) (now make) …………………………..…… all over the world. A
‘true’ Cheddar must come from the counties of Somerset, Dorset or Devon in southwest England or specifically from the Somerset
village from which it (e) (take) …………………………..…… its name. Wensleydale (f) (come) …………………………..……
from the Yorkshire Dales (valleys) in northern England. Originally made from sheep’s milk, it (g) (base)
…………………………..…… on a recipe introduced by the Cistercian monks in the 11th century and has a mild refreshing
flavour. Traditional Lancashire, from northwest England, has a light, salty flavour. During the Industrial R-evolution (around
1760-1830), Lancashire cheese (h) (become) …………………………..…… the staple food of the mill workers. Caerphilly, a
crumbly cheese, (i) (first produce) …………………………..…… in the welsh town of the name in about 1831. The cheese (j)
(soak) …………………………..…… overnight in salt water to seal in the moisture. It was popular with the local coalminers who
(k) (lose) …………………………..…… a lot of salt during their work underground. Blue Stilton, made only in the counties of
Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, (l) (prize) …………………………..…… as the ‘king’ of British cheeses.

7. Complete the text with a suitable passive form of the verb in brackets.
Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai (a) (award) …………………………..…… the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She (b) (praise)
…………………………..…… by the Nobel committee as ‘a source of inspiration for everyone in Africa fighting for sustainable
development, democracy and peace’. When she started her Green Belt movement in 1977, Kenya was suffering from deforestation
and desertification. Thousands of trees (c) (cut down) …………………………..…… and many families (d) (leave)
…………………………..…… in poverty as a result. Since then, her successful campaign to mobilize women to plant some 30
million trees (e) (copy) …………………………..…… by other countries. During that time the movement (f) (transform)
…………………………..…… into a campaign on education, nutrition and other issues. Her campaign has not always been
popular. Mrs. Maathai (g) (arrest) …………………………..…… several times for campaigning against deforestation in Africa,
and once she (h) (beat) …………………………..…… unconscious by heavy handed police. But in elections in 2002, she (i)
(elect) …………………………..…… as an MP as part of an opposition coalition which swept to power, and she (j) (appoint)
…………………………..…… as a deputy environment minister in 2003.

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8. Rewrite each sentence using appreciate, deny, enjoy, like or remember and the word in capitals.
a) Thanks for taking me to the station. (TAKEN)  I appreciate being taken to the station.
b) I was shown around the school, and I enjoyed it. (BEING)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..………………………….……
c) I don’t remember when they arrested me! (BEING)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………..….……......
d) He said he liked it when people took him seriously. (TAKEN)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..………………………….……
e) Tina said she hadn’t been paid to appear I the play. (HAVING)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..………..…….…..……………
f) I don’t remember when they gave me the anaesthetic. (BEING)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………..……………
g) Thanks for giving me another chance. (GIVEN)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………..…………………………..……………

9. Rewrite each sentence so that it is a hearsay report, using a form of the verb in capitals.
a) Two suspects have been arrested. (THINK)  Two suspects are thought to have been arrested.
b) The plane crashed into the sea near a small island. (BELIEVE)
…………………..…………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………..……………
c) The minister is considering changing the laws on smoking in public. (SAY)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..……
d) Yesterday the situation had improved. (REPORT)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..……
e) Whales have been seen in the area for the first time. (SAY)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..……
f) The fire broke out at 3 a.m. (BELIEVE)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..……
g) Last year the company recorded rising profits. (REPORT)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..……
h. The number of unemployed has fallen by 10%. (THINK)
…………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..…………………………..……

10. Complete the text with one word in each gap.

A few weeks ago, while we were out at the cinema, we (a) ........had.......... our house broken into. We’d been meaning to (b)
..................... locks fitted on the windows, but we hadn’t (c) ..................... the work (d) ....................., and so the burglars found it
easy to get in. Luckily we (e) ..................... have many things taken. When the police arrived, they (f) ..................... us to go
through the house and check what was missing. We were actually (g) ..................... a new kitchen fitted at that time, and some
power tools had been stolen. One of the burglars was seen acting suspiciously near another house a few days later, and (h)
..................... himself arrested. When he had (i) ..................... his fingertips taken at the police station, the police were able to prove
he was the one who had burgled us. Since then we (j) ..................... had new locks fitted and a new alarm installed. Next week
we’re (k) ..................... bars put on the ground floor windows, so we’re hoping not to (l) ..................... burgled again.