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Lesson 6: Review of Passive Voice (Part 1)

A. Passive Voice - Simple, Continuous & Perfect Tenses
1. Complete the sentence. Use these verbs in the correct form, present or past.
cause damage find hold injure invite
make overtake own send show surround
1. Many accidents ……………………………... by careless driving.
2. Cheese ……………………………... from milk.
3. The roof of the building ……………………………... in a storm a few days ago.
4. A cinema is a place where films ……………………………...
5. You ……………………………... to the party. Why didn’t you go?
6. This plant is very rare. It ……………………………... in very few places.
7. Although we were driving fast, we ……………………………... by a lot of other cars.
8. In the US, elections for president ……………………………... every four years.
9. There was an accident last night, but fortunately nobody ……………………………...
10. You can’t see the house from the road. It ……………………………... by trees.
11. I never received the letter. It ……………………………... to the wrong address.
12. The company I work for ……………………………... by a much larger company.
2. Write questions using the passive. Some are present and some are past.
1. Ask about glass. (how / make?) ..............................................................................................
2. Ask about television. (when / invent?) ..............................................................................................
3. Ask about mountains. (how / form?) ..............................................................................................
4. Ask about DNA. (when / discover?) ..............................................................................................
5. Ask about silver. (what / use for?) ..............................................................................................
3. Instead of using somebody, they, people etc., write a passive sentence.
1. Somebody cleans the room every day. ........................................................................................
2. They cancelled all flights because of fog. ........................................................................................
3. Somebody accused me of stealing money. ........................................................................................
4. How do you use this word? ........................................................................................
5. The price includes all taxes. ........................................................................................
6. People warned us not to go out alone. ........................................................................................
7. We don’t use this office any more. ........................................................................................
8. They invited 500 people to the wedding. ........................................................................................
4. Put the verb into the correct form, present or past, active or passive.
1. a. Two hundred people (employ) ………………………………………………. by the company.
b. The company (employ) ………………………………………………. 200 people.
2. a. Water (cover) ………………………………………………. most of the Earth’s surface.
b. How much of the Earth’s surface (cover) ………………………………………………. by water?
3. a. While I was on holiday, my camera (steal) ………………………………………………. from my hotel room.
b. While I was on holiday, my camera (disappear) …………………………………………… from my hotel room.
4. a. Robert’s parents (die) ………………………………………………. when he was very young.
b. Robert and his sister (bring up) ………………………………………………. by their grandparents.
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5. a. The boat hit a rock and (sink) ………………………………………………. quickly.
b. Fortunately everybody (rescue) ……………………………………………….
6. a. Bill (fire) ………………………………………………. from his job. He wasn’t very good at it.
b. Sue (resign) ………………………………………………. from her job because she didn’t enjoy it any more.
7. a. It can be noisy living here, but it (not/bother) ………………………………………………. me.
b. It can be noisy living here, but I (not/bother) ………………………………………………. by it.
8. a. I haven’t seen these flowers before. What (they/call) ……………………………………………….?
b. I haven’t seen these flowers before. What (you/call) ………………………………………………. them?
5. Complete this short article about the ship ‘Mary Rose’. Put the verb into the correct simple
past form. Some verbs are active, and some are passive.
The warship Mary Rose (1. build) …….……….……………….. in the years 1509-10. In 1544 England (2. start)
…………………...……….….. a war against France, and in 1545 French ships (3. send) …………………...…………..
across the Channel towards England. Some English ships (4. go) …………….……….……………….. out from Ports-
mouth to meet them. One of these ships was the Mary Rose. It was carrying 91 guns and 700 men - twice
as many as normal. It (5. sink) …………….……….……………….. quickly to the bottom of the sea even before it
(6. attack) …………….……….……………….. by the French. About 650 men (7. die) …………….……….………………..
This terrible accident (8. see) …………….……….……………….. by the king of England himself.
The next month an attempt (9. make) …………….……….……………….. to raise the Mary Rose, but it (10. fail)
…………….……….……………….. The ship (11. forget) …………….……….……………….. for hundreds of years.
In the 1970s new plans (12. make) …………….……….….……………….. to raise to ship. Thousands of objects
(13. bring) …………….……….……...………….. up from the ship by divers. Then, on 1st October 1982, the Mary
Rose (14. lift) …………….……….……………….. out of the sea. Many people (15. see) …………….……….………………..
the raising of the ship on television. Finally the Mary Rose (16. take) …………….……….……………….. into Ports-
mouth dock 437 years after she had sunk.

6. Make sentences from the words in brackets. Sometimes the verb is active, sometimes
passive.
1. There’s somebody behind us. (We/follow) ...........................................................................................
2. This door is a different colour, isn’t it? (you/paint?) ............................................................................
3. My bike has disappeared. (It/steal) ......................................................................................................
4. My umbrella has disappeared. (Somebody/take) ................................................................................
5. A neighbour of mine disappeared six months ago. (He/not/see/since then) ......................................
...................................................................................................................................................................
6. I wonder how Jessica is these days. (I/not/see/for ages) .....................................................................
7. A friend of mine was stung by a bee recently. (you/ever/sting/bee?) .................................................
...................................................................................................................................................................
8. The bridge was damaged recently. (It/repair/at the moment) ............................................................
...................................................................................................................................................................
9. Tom’s car was stolen recently. (It/not/find/yet) ..................................................................................
10. I went into the room and saw that the table and chairs were not in the same place. (The furniture/
move) ........................................................................................................................................................

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7. Instead of using somebody, they etc., write a passive sentence.

1. Somebody has cleaned the room. ........................................................................................................
2. They are building a new road around the city. .....................................................................................
3. They have built two new hotels near the airport. ................................................................................
4. When I last visited, they were building some new houses here. .........................................................
5. The meeting is now on 15 April. They have changed the date. ............................................................
6. I didn’t know that somebody was recording our conversation. ...........................................................
7. Is anyone doing anything about the problem? .....................................................................................

B. Passive Voice - will, infinitives, -ing forms, modal verbs & other notes
1. Put the following sentences into the passive voice.
1. Will he pick up the kids tomorrow? ......................................................................................................
2. You need to tune your guitar. It sounds terrible. .................................................................................
3. The birds will eat those cookies. ...........................................................................................................
4. I’m not going to finish the report today. ..............................................................................................
5. My friends will visit him tomorrow. ......................................................................................................
6. The coach will throw a party on the weekend. ....................................................................................
7. The next earthquake will destroy the city. ...........................................................................................
8. They need to give him a long prison sentence because he is a very dangerous criminal.
...................................................................................................................................................................
2. Complete the sentences using being + the following verbs (in the correct form).

bite give invite knock down stick treat

1. We went to the wedding without ………………………………….

2. I like giving presents and I also like …………………………………. them.
3. It’s a busy road and I don’t like crossing it. I’m afraid of ………………………………….
4. How do you avoid …………………………………. by mosquitoes?
5. I’m an adult. I don’t like …………………………………. like a child.
6. You can’t do anything about …………………………………. in a traffic jam.

3. Complete these sentences. Use the following verbs in the passive. Sometimes you need have
(might have, would have etc.)

arrest carry cause delay do forget

keep knock know make repair send
1. The situation is serious. Something must …………………………….. before it’s too late.
2. I haven’t received the letter yet. It might …………………………….. to the wrong address.
3. A decision will not …………………………….. until the next meeting.
4. These documents are important. They should always …………………………….. in a safe place.
5. This road is in bad condition. It should …………………………….. a long time ago.
6. The injured man couldn’t walk and had to ……………………………..
7. If you hadn’t shouted at the policeman, you wouldn’t ……………………………..
8. I’m not sure what time I’ll arrive tomorrow. I may ……………………………..

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9. It’s not certain how the fire started. It might …………………………….. by an electrical fault.
10. A new school is being built. The old one is going to …………………………….. down.
11. The election is next Sunday. The full results will …………………………….. on Tuesday.
12. Last week they weren’t speaking to one another. Now they’re happy again. The problem seems to
……………………………..

4. Rewrite these historical facts, using passive forms. Begin with the underlined word.
1. The Spanish brought potatoes to Europe in the sixteenth century.
...................................................................................................................................................................
2. Neil Armstrong took an American flag to the moon in 1969.
...................................................................................................................................................................
3. Thomas Wolsey gave Hampton Court Palace to King Henry VIII in 1525.
...................................................................................................................................................................
4. The South African government sent Nelson Mandela to prison in 1962.
...................................................................................................................................................................
5. France sold Louisiana to the United States in 1803.
...................................................................................................................................................................

5. Complete the sentences using get or got + the following verbs (in the correct form).
1. There was a fight, but nobody ……………………………….
2. Alex ………………………………. by a bee while he was sitting in the garden.
3. These tennis courts don’t ………………………………. very often. Not many people want to play here.
4. I used to have a bike, but it ………………………………. a few months ago.
5. Rachel wors hard, but she doesn’t ………………………………. very much,
6. Please pack these things very carefully. I don’t want anything to ……………………………….
7. People often want to know what my job is. I ………………………………. that question a lot.
8. Last night I ………………………………. by the police as I was driving home. One of the lights on my car
wasn’t working.

6. Write the words in the correct order.

1. down / by the committee / our proposal / been / has / turned
...................................................................................................................................................................
2. left / was / by my grandfather / to me / that house
...................................................................................................................................................................
3. a pay rise / hasn’t / Geraldine / given / been
...................................................................................................................................................................
4. be / in the USA / can / this mobile phone / used ?
...................................................................................................................................................................
5. taken / couldn’t / that photo / been / at our wedding / have
...................................................................................................................................................................

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C. Mix
1. Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb.
1. I tried to contact Tom. I called his office but I (tell) ………………………….. that he was in a meeting.
2. Amy retired from her job recently. She (give) ………………………….. a present by her colleagues.
3. I didn’t know there was a meeting yesterday. I (not/tell) ………………………….. about it.
4. Sarah’s salary is very low. I don’t understand why she (pay) ………………………….. so little.
5. You will need to use this machine. Have you (show) ………………………….. how it works?
6. I had an interview for a job recently. It wasn’t easy. I (ask) ………………………….. some questions that
were very hard for me to answer.
7. They didn’t tell us much about the project. We (not/give) ………………………….. enough information.
8. I was surprised to get the job I applied for. I didn’t expect (offer) ………………………….. it.
2. Complete the second sentence so it means the same as the first, using passive forms.
1. We’ve turned off the lights. → The lights ............................................................................................
2. We will send you an email tomorrow. → You ......................................................................................
3. They aren’t making that model any more. → That model ...................................................................
4. Do I have to fill in this form? → Does this form ...................................................................................
5. They haven’t repaired your computer yet. → Your computer ............................................................
6. They’re going to close the road for 24 hours. → The road ..................................................................
3. Choose the best answer to complete the passage below about ‘How is paper made?’
Everyone enjoys reading fashion magazines and newspapers. But have you ever thought about how
the paper they are printed on is made?
Most paper is (1. made / making) from wood. First, (2. they cut the wood / the wood is cut) into small
pieces. These (3. mix / are mixed) with water and heated to produce a kind of thick paste. Then chemicals
(4. we add them / are added) to clean the paste and make it white. Next the paste is spread on a screen
and (5. dried / is dried). The water drains away or evaporates and (6. are left / leaves) a thick layer of pa-
per. (7. We then pass this / This is then passed) between two large rollers (circular machines) to make it
thinner and flatter.
(8. The paper can then be cut / They can then cut the paper) into correct sizes.

4. Use the information in the email ‘Wedding plans!’ to complete the sentences below.
Hi Hilary,
I’m so pleased that you can come to our wedding! Jake and I have planned everything over the last few
weeks. At the moment we’re sending out all the final invitations. (Don’t worry, I haven’t invited Jane An-
derson. I know you don’t get on with her!) I was a bit worried about the cost but last month Mum and Dad
agreed to pay for the reception. They paid the deposit last week. That was a relief!
Have you decided what to wear yet? I’ve bought my wedding dress (it’s a bit big so I have to alter it). The
shop had reduced the price so it was only a few hundred pounds.
Do you remember Aunt Terri? Apparently she’s got a fantastic new video camera, so she’s going to film
the ceremony. We’ve got a professional photographer as well. She’ll take the formal photos. And Antonio
from the Italian restaurant is doing the catering, so the food should be great!
I can’t wait to see you here. It’s going to be a great day!
Lucy :)

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1. The final invitations ……………………………………………. at the moment.
2. Jane Anderson ……………………………………………. to the wedding.
3. The deposit for the reception ……………………………………………. last week.
4. Lucy has bought her wedding dress but it has …………………………………………….
5. The price of the dress ……………………………………………. by the shop.
6. The ceremony ……………………………………………. by Lucy’s aunt.
7. The formal photos ……………………………………………. by a professional photographer.
8. The catering ……………………………………………. by Antonio.

5. Rewrite the second sentence of these paragraphs.

1. Philip Green bought the famous British clothes store, Moss Bros, in 2008. Because they ran out of
money, the original owners sold it.
...................................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................................
2. Live Aid was the most successful fund-rainsing event of the 1980s. A group of well-known British and
American musicians organised it in July 1985.
...................................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................................
3. The Laurentian Library in Florence is one of the greatest buildings of the Italian Renaissance. Michel-
angelo designed it in the 1520s.
...................................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................................
4. In recent years several high street stores have started selling copies of designer jeans. People who
can’t afford to buy real designer clothes often buy them.
...................................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................................

6. Below is the article ‘Computers then and now’. Put the verbs in brackets into the passive
voice. Choose the correct tense, or use the modal verb if one is given.
The world’s first electronic computer (1. build) ………………...…... at the University of Pennsylvania in
1946, although computer-like machines (2. build) ………………...…... in the 19th century. Computers (3. sell)
……………………...…... commercially for the first time in the 1950s, and a lot of progress (4. make)
……………………...... since then. Computers are now much smaller and more powerful and they (5. can/buy)
……………………...…... much more cheaply.
Computers (6. use) ……………………...... in many fields - in business, science, medicine and education, for
example. They (7. can/ use) ……………………..…... to forecast the weather or to control robots which make
cars. The computer’s memory is the place where information (8. keep) …………………...…... and calculations
(9. do) ……………………...…...
A computer cannot think for itself - it (10. must/ tell) ……………………...…... exactly what to do. A lot of
difficult calculations (11. can/do) ……………………...…... very quickly on a computer.

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And computers don’t make mistakes. Stories (12. hear) …………………...…... sometimes about computers
paying people too much money or sending them bills for things they didn’t buy. These mistakes (13.
make) ……………………...…... by programmers - the people who give the computer its instructions. Some
years ago, a computer-controlled rocket belonging to the USA went out of control and (14. have to/
destroy) ……………………...…... The accident (15. cause) ……………………...…... by a small mistake in one line of
the programme. This mistake cost the USA $18 million.
Criminals have found out that ‘computer crimes’ are often a lot easier than robbing banks. Hundreds of
millions of dollars (16. steal) ……………………...…... from American businesses every year by people changing
the information in computers.
Large numbers of home computers (17. sell) ……………………...…... recently, especially in the USA and
Britain. People know more about computers than they used to, and computers are playing a bigger part in
our lives. Progress (18. make) ……………………...…... all the time. Many people believe we can look forward
to the day when even our household jobs like cleaning (19. do) …………………...…... by computer-controlled
robots.

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