Active and Passive Voice Exercise . 1. Ms Sullivan teaches us grammar. 2. The teacher praised him. 3. The firemen took the injured to the hospital. 4. An earthquake destroyed the town. 5. The boy’s work pleased the teacher. 6. The fire damaged the building. 7. Who taught you French? 8. The manager will give you a ticket. 9. Spectators thronged the streets. 10. Everyone will blame us. 11. The wind blew down the trees. 12. The police caught the thieves. 13. Alice posted the letter. 14. The hostess received us. 15. They/somebody killed the snake with a stick. 16. The people welcomed the minister. 17. They found him guilty of murder. 18. John Mathews built this house in 1991. Answers 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 boy’s 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
Transcript
Active and Passive Voice Exercise .
1. Ms Sullivan teaches us grammar.2. The teacher praised him.3. The firemen took the injured to the hospital.4. An earthquake destroyed the town.5. The boy’s work pleased the teacher.6. The fire damaged the building.7. Who taught you French?8. The manager will give you a ticket.9. Spectators thronged the streets.10. Everyone will blame us.11. The wind blew down the trees.12. The police caught the thieves.13. Alice posted the letter.14. The hostess received us.15. They/somebody killed the snake with a stick.16. The people welcomed the minister.17. They found him guilty of murder.18. John Mathews built this house in 1991.
Answers
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 boy’s 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 and passive voice exercise Complete the following sentences using appropriate active or passive verb forms. Choose your answers from the given options.
1. The problem …………………. to the children. (explained / was explained)
2. Those pyramids ……………………. around 400 AD. (built / were built)
3. All the trouble ……………………….. by your mother. (has caused / was caused)
4. The visitors ……………………. (were shown / have shown) a collection of oldmanuscripts.
5. I …………………. him ten thousand pounds last year. (lend / lent / was lent)
6. She …………………… of spiders. (frightened / is frightened)
7. That picture …………………. by my grandmother. (painted / was painted)
8. I ………………….. by his attitude. (shocked / have shocked / was shocked)
9. Excuse the mess. The house ………………… (is painting / is being painted / has painted)
10. I knew why I …………………. (had chosen / had been chosen)
Answers
1. The problem was explained to the children.
2. Those pyramids were built around 400 AD.
3. All the trouble was caused by your mother.
4. The visitors were shown a collection of old manuscripts.
5. I lent him ten thousand pounds last year.
6. She is frightened of spiders.
7. That picture was painted by my grandmother.
8. I was shocked by his attitude.
9. Excuse the mess. The house is being painted.
10. I knew why I had been chosen.
Active and passive voice exercise Verbs like allow, advise, permit and forbid can be followed by either an –ing form or an infinitive. These sentences can be changed into the passive, but the structures are different.
Change the following sentences into passive voice.
1. The principal has forbidden smoking on the campus.
2. The principal has forbidden students to smoke on the campus.
3. I advise consulting a good doctor.
4. I advise you to consult a good doctor.
5. They don’t allow parking in front of their gate.
6. They don’t allow people to park in front of their gate.
7. We advise early booking.
8. We advise passengers to book their tickets early.
9. They made her repeat the whole story.
10. We don’t advise pregnant women to go on a diet.
Answers
1. Smoking has been forbidden on the campus.
2. Students have been forbidden to smoke on the campus.
3. Consulting a good doctor is advised.
4. You are advised to consult a good doctor.
5. Parking in front of their gate is not allowed.
6. People are not allowed to park in front of their gate.
7. Early booking is advised.
8. Passengers are advised to book their tickets early.
9. She was made to repeat the whole story.
10. Pregnant women are not advised to go on a diet.
Active and passive voice exercise Change the following active sentences into passive voice.
1. I did not beat her.
2. I will never forget this experience.
3. Mother made a cake yesterday.
4. The boy teased the girl.
5. Did she do her duty?
6. The tiger was chasing the deer.
7. She has written a novel.
8. She has learned her lessons.
9. Have you finished the report?
10. The police have caught the thief.
11. My brother has completed the work.
12. Somebody stole my pen yesterday.
13. Our team may win the match.
14. Nurses look after patients.
Answers
1. She was not beaten by me.
2. This experience will never be forgotten by me.
3. A cake was made by mother yesterday.
4. The girl was teased by the boy.
5. Was her duty done by her?
6. The deer was being chased by the tiger.
7. A novel has been written by her.
8. Her lessons have been learned by her.
9. Has the report been finished by you?
10. The thief has been caught by the police.
11. The work has been completed by my brother.
12. My pen was stolen by somebody yesterday.
13. The match may be won by our team.
14. Patients are looked after by nurses.
Active and passive voice exercise Change the following sentences so that the verbs will be in the passive voice.
1. The boy killed the spider.
2. The police caught the thief.
3. The boy made a kite.
4. The sudden noise frightened the dog.
5. Edison invented the light bulb.
6. He made a very remarkable discovery.
7. His own brother betrayed him.
8. I have sold my old car.
9. They opened the store only last month.
10. We do not permit smoking in the kitchen.
11. The cat chased the mouse.
12. Your behavior disgusts me.
13. The cat drank all the milk.
14. A stone struck me on the head.
Answers
1. The spider was killed by the boy.
2. The thief was caught by the police.
3. A kite was made by the boy.
4. The dog was frightened by the sudden noise.
5. The light bulb was invented by Edison.
6. A very remarkable discovery was made by him.
7. He was betrayed by his own brother.
8. My old car has been sold.
9. The store was opened only last month.
10. Smoking in the kitchen isn’t permitted.
11. The mouse was chased by the cat.
12. I am disgusted by your behavior.
13. All the milk was drunk by the cat.
14. I was struck by a stone on the forehead
Active and passive voice worksheetTest your knowledge of active and passive voice with this grammar exercise. Each sentence given below is in the active voice. Change it into passive voice.
1. He sings a song.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
2. The boy killed the spider.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. Help him.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. Farmers sow maize in the rainy season.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
5. Are you writing a letter?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
6. The workers were digging a canal.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
7. I will finish the job by the end of this week.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
8. Have you finished your job?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
9. They have informed him of his mother’s death.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
10. They took all the necessary precautions.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Answers
1. A song is sung by him. (Active verb – sings; passive verb – is sung)
2. The spider was killed by the boy. (Active verb – killed; passive verb – was killed)
3. Let him be helped. (Imperative sentences in the passive voice begin with let.)
4. Maize is sown in the rainy season. (Active verb – sow; passive verb – is/are sown)
5. Is a letter being written by you? (Active verb – is/are writing; passive verb – is/are beingwritten)
6. A canal was being dug by the workers. (Active verb – was/were digging; passive verb –was/were being dug)
7. The job will be finished (by me) by the end of this week. (Active verb – will finish;passive verb –will be finished)
8. Has your job been finished by you? (Active verb – has/have finished; passive verb –has/have been finished)
9. He has been informed of his mother’s death. (Active verb – has/have informed; passiveverb – has/have been informed)
10. All the necessary precautions were taken by them. (Active verb – took; passive verb –was/were taken)
Passive voice - Test 1
A - Are the sentences written in Active or Passive?
1) Steven likes to play baseball.a) Activeb) Passive
2) Bingo is played in Britain.a) Activeb) Passive
3) He lost his keys yesterday.a) Activeb) Passive
4) A letter was written.a) Activeb) Passive
5) They are listening to their music.a) Activeb) Passive
6) They often read e-mails.a) Activeb) Passive
7) These cars are produced in Italy.a) Activeb) Passive
8) French is spoken in Niger.a) Activeb) Passive
9) Lots of houses were destroyed.a) Activeb) Passive
10) The bus driver was hurt.a) Activeb) Passive
B - Make Passive forms from the given phrases. Mind the tenses in brackets.
1) English - to speak (Simple Present) ______________________________________
2) films - to watch (Simple Present) ______________________________________
3) posters - to make (Simple Present) ______________________________________
4) stories - to tell (Simple Present) ______________________________________
5) computer games - to buy (Simple Present) ______________________________________
6) books - to write (Simple Past) ______________________________________
7) volleyball - to play (Simple Past) ______________________________________
8) songs - to sing (Simple Past) ______________________________________
9) skateboards - to ride (Simple Past) ______________________________________
10) a prize - to win (Simple Past) ______________________________________
1. They grow coffee in Brazil___________________________ 2. He examines patients on the second floor_______________________________ 3. She feeds the animal twice a day._______________________________ 4. They deliver the newspaper in the morning.______________________________ 5. We lend books only to students.______________________________ 6. They serve lunch at 12.00______________________________ 7. England makes the best computers.________________________________
1. He doesn’t spend money on magazines._______________________________ 2. I don’t make lunch on Sundays.______________________________ 3. They don’t pay salaries during the
weekend.______________________________ 4. She doesn’t teach French in all schools.______________________________ 5. We don’t keep coins in the cash.______________________________ 6. They don’t make watches in South Africa.______________________________ 7. People don’t speak Spanish in Italy_________________________________
1. He found the child in the park.________________________________ 2. They broke the glasses with a stone.________________________________ 3. She saw the mouse in the kitchen._________________________________ 4. I poished the furniture in the afternoon._________________________________ 5. He made the dress.__________________________________ 6. Somebody pushed Mary into the water.__________________________________ 7. People from all over the world visited the
museum.__________________________________
1. He didn’t grow tomatoes in his garden._________________________________ 2. They didn’t fly the planes in the morning._________________________________ 3. She didn’t sing the song after the
ceremony._________________________________ 4. Some readers didn’t like the book._________________________________ 5. We didn’t translate the book into English.__________________________________ 6. The guards didn’t lock the back door.__________________________________ 7. I didn’t take the photographs at the
beach._________________________________
1. ________________________________________________________?The car was driven by Mark 2. ________________________________________________________?The plane was flown over the airfield 3. ________________________________________________________?Two bottles of coke are drunk by him every day 4. _________________________________________________________?
No, flowers aren’t picked by secretaries. 5. ___________________________________________________________?Yes, “Material Girl” was sung by Madonna.
1. We should clean these windows before tomorrow.
2. The workers gave the boss some flowers.
3. The police followed the thieves into a building.
4. The mechanic can’t fix my car.
5. The neighbour has told us the news.
6. The students painted the walls last year.
7. The old woman feeds the pigeons every day.
8. They will pick up John at this office.
9. She showed the visitors the new house.
10. You shouldn’t throw litter on the ground.
11. The teacher asked the students a very difficult question at theoral exam.
12. First, we have to read the text and then, we have to do theexercises.
13. His parents promised Tom a hundred Euros if he passed the test.
14. Did they repair all the windows?
15. The news surprised us all.
16. Is the teacher correcting the exams right now?
17. Someone has sent John a mysterious letter.
18. Where did they find the book?
19. The taxi driver drove us to the airport.
20. Many people have seen a UFO in this area.
21. Have they watered the plants?
22. Someone stole my purse while I was doing the shopping.
23. The secretary has already sent all the documents to Mr. Smith.
24. They have offered Michael an excellent job in a British company.
25. The police could arrest the bank robbers when they were crossingthe border.
26. Someone has used the computer without permission.
27. My grandmother is baking a delicious cake.
28. The maid was cleaning my hotel room when I came in.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR The Passive Voice
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THE PASSIVE VOICE INTRODUCTION The passive of an active tense is formed by putting the verb to be into the same tense as the active verb and adding the past participle of the active verb. The subject of the active verb becomes the ‘agent’ of the passive verb. The agent is very often not mentioned. When it is mentioned it is preceded by by and placed at the end of the clause.
Active: My grandfather planted this tree. Passive: This tree was planted by my grandfather.
PASSIVE VERB TENSES
ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE
Present Simple He delivers the letters. The letters are delivered.
Past Simple He delivered the letters. The letters were delivered.
Future Simple He will deliver the letters. The letters will be delivered.
Present Continuous He is delivering the letters. The letters are being delivered.
Past Continuous He was delivering the letters. The letters were being delivered.
Going to He is going to deliver the letters. The letters are going to be delivered.
Present Perfect He has delivered the letters. The letters have been delivered.
Past Perfect He had delivered the letters. The letters had been delivered.
Infinitive He has to deliver the letters. The letters have to be delivered.
Modals He must deliver the letters. The letters must be delivered.
SIMPLE CONTINUOUS PERFECT
+ S + am/is/are + Ptp S + am/is/are + being + Ptp S + have/has + been + Ptp
PRESENT - S + am/is/are + not + Ptp S + am/is/are + not +being + Ptp S + have/has + not + been + Ptp
? Am/Is/Are + S + Ptp ? Am/Is/Are) + S + being + Ptp ? Have/Has) + S + been + Ptp ?
+ S + was/were + Ptp S + was/were + being + Ptp S + had + been + Ptp
PAST - S + was/were + not + Ptp S + was/were + not + being + Ptp S + had + not + been + Ptp
? Was/Were + S +PtpV ? Was/Were + S + being + Ptp? Had + S + been + Ptp
+ S + will + be + Ptp
FUTURE - S + will + not + be + Ptp
? Will + S + be + Ptp ?
+ S + V to be (am/is/are) + going to +
be + Ptp
GOING TO - S + V to be (am/is/are) + not + going
to + be + Ptp
? V to be (am/is/are) + S + going to +
be + Ptp ?
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Short answers To make short answers:
we use the verb to be (am/is/are/was/were) for Present Simple, Past Simple, PresentContinuous, Past Continuous and Going To questions.
we use the verb have (have/has/had) for Present Perfect and Past Perfect questions.
we use will for Future Simple questions.
USE The Passive is used:
1. when the agent (=the person who does the action) is unknown, unimportant or obvious from thecontext.
Jane was shot. (We don’t know who shot her.) This church was built in 1815. (Unimportant agent) He has been arrested. (Obviously by the police)
2. to make more polite or formal statements.The car hasn’t been cleaned. (more polite) (You haven’t cleaned the car. – less polite)
3. when the action is more important than the agent, as in processes, instructions, events, reports,headlines, new items, and advertisements.
30 people were killed in the earthquake. 4. to put emphasis on the agent.
The new library will be opened by the Queen.
AGENT To say who did the action that we are talking about, ie. to refer to the agent, we use the preposition by and the name (by Peter) , noun (by the teacher) or pronoun (by him) at the end of the sentence. We usually only refer to the agent when it gives us some important information which otherwise would be missing from the sentence.
Our house was designed by a famous architect. We don’t mention the agent:
1. if we don’t know who has done what we are talking about.Our car was stolen last night. (We don’t know who stole it)
2. if we are not interested in who has done what we are talking about or it is not important tomention it.
He has been taken to hospital. (What we are interested in is the fact that he has been taken to hospital and not who has taken him.)
3. if it is easy to understand who did something without it being mentioned.The murderer was arrested last night. (It is not necessary to mention that he has been arrested by the police because it is self-evident.)
4. if the subject of the active voice sentence is something like somebody, people, they, you, etc.Someone broke the window. → The window was broken.
ACTIVE TO PASSIVE To change a sentence from the active voice to the passive voice:
the object of the active voice sentence becomes the subject of the passive voice sentence.Agatha Christie wrote this book. This book was written by Agatha Christie.
we change the main verb of the active voice sentence into the passive voice. The tense remainsunchanged.
the subject of the active voice sentence becomes the agent of the passive sentence. It is placedafter the past participle and it is preceded by the preposition by.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR The Passive Voice
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Agatha Christie wrote this book. This book was written by Agatha Christie.
Leslie took this photograph yesterday. SUBJECT ACTIVE VERB OBJECT TIME COMPLEMENT
This photograph was taken by Leslie yesterday. SUBJECT PASSIVE VERB AGENT TIME COMPLEMENT
BY OR WITH? In the passive voice, we use:
by with the agent to refer to by whom the action is being done.The door was opened by Mr Black. (Mr Blak = agent)
with to refer to the instrument, object or material that was used for something to be done.The door was opened with a key. (a key = the object that was used) The omelette was made with eggs, cheese and peppers. (eggs, cheese and peppers = the material that was used)
DOUBLE OBJECT VERBS When we have verbs that take two objects like, for example, give somebody something, we can convert the active sentence into a passive one in two ways:
a. by making the indirect (animate) object the subject of the passive voice sentence, which is also theway that we usually prefer.
b. By making the direct (inanimate) object the subject of the passive voice.Rick gave me (indirect object) this book (direct object). I was given this book by Rick. This book was given to me by Rick.
Some of the verbs that take two objects are: give, tell, send, show, bring, write, offer, pay, etc. When the indirect object is alone after the verb in the passive voice sentence, it needs the preposition to. If the indirect object of the active voice sentence is a personal pronoun it has to be changed into a subject pronoun to be the subject of the passive voice sentence.
SUBJECT OBJECT
I ←→ me SUBJECT OBJECT
You ←→ you We ←→ us
He ←→ him You ←→ you
She ←→ her They ←→ them
It ←→ it
BIBLIOGRAPHY - A. J. Thomson and A.V. Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, Oxford University Press, 1986 - V. Evans, Round-Up (English Grammar Practice), Longman, 1995 - M. Carling and S. Jervis, Grammar Time 4, Longman, 2003 - S. Jervis, Grammar Time 5, Longman, 2003 - M. Carling, Grammar Time 6, Longman, 2003
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EXERCISES
1. Complete the sentences with the correct passive form of the verbs in brackets. Use the PresentSimple.a. English ____________________ (speak) in many countries.b. The post ______________________ (deliver) at about 7 o’clock every morning.c. ______________________________ (the building/use) any more?d. How often ______________________________ (the Olympic Games(hold)?e. How _______________________ (your name/spell)?f. My salary _____________________ (pay) every month.g. These cars _________________________ (not make) in Japan.h. The name of the people who committed the crime _____________________ (not know).i. His travel expenses ________________________ (not pay) by his company.
2. Complete the sentences with the correct passive form of the verbs in brackets. Use the Past Simple.a. My car ______________________ (repair) last week.b. This song ________________________ (not write) by John Lennon.c. ________________________________ (the phone/answer) by a young girl?d. The film ________________________ (make) ten years ago.e. When ______________________________ (tennis/invent)?f. The car ________________________ (not damaged) in the accident.g. The original building _________________________ (pull) down in 1965.h. Where ______________________________ (this pot/make)?i. When _______________________________ (this bridge/build)?
3. Choose the correct form of the verbs in brackets.FIATFiat 0 was started (started/was started) by a group of Italian businessmen in 1899. In 1903, Fiat, 1_________________ (produced/was produced) 132 cars. Some of these cars 2_____________________ (exported/were exported) by the company to the United States and Britain. In 1920, Fiat 3_________________ (started/was started) making cars at a new factory at Lingotto, near Turin. There was a track on the roof where the cars 4____________________ (tested/were tested) by technicians. In 1936, Fiat launched the Fiat 500. This car 5____________________ (called/was called) the Topolino – the Italian name for Mickey Mouse. The company grew, and in 1963 Fiat 6_____________________ (exported/was exported) more than 300,000 vehicles. Today, Fiat is based in Turin, and its cars 7_________________ (sold/are sold) all over the world.
4. Change the following sentences into passive sentences using the words in brackets.a. We sell tickets for all shows at the Box Office. (Tickets for all shows/sell/at the Box Office)
_________________________________________________________________________________b. Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb. (The electric light bulb/invent/by Thomas Edison)
_________________________________________________________________________________c. Someone painted the office last week. (The office/paint/last week)
_________________________________________________________________________________d. Several people saw the accident. (The accident/see/by several people)
_________________________________________________________________________________e. Where do they make these video recorders? (Where/these video recorders/make)
a. This programme _______________________ (watch) by millions of people.
b. Paper __________________________ (make) from wood.
c. Hundreds of people _______________________ (kill) in accidents every year.
d. London __________________________ (visit) by thousands of tourists every year.
e. The biology class _________________________ (teach) by Mr Green.
f. English _____________________ (speak) all over the world.
g. Lunch _____________________ (serve) at twelve o’clock.
h. Books _____________________ (write) by authors.
10. Put the verbs in brackets into Past Simple Passive.
Two men _________________________ (see) breaking into a house in my street last night. The police
_____________________ (call) and they arrived very quickly. One man _____________________
(catch) immediately. The other escaped, but he ______________________ (find) very soon. Both men
_____________________ (take) to the police station where they _________________________
(question) separately by a police officer. The two men ________________________ (charge) with
burglary.
11. Rewrite the following passage in the Passive.Somebody has stolen a bus from outside the school. Some children saw the thief. The police aresearching for the bus now. They will use the children’s descriptions to catch the thief.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ENGLISH GRAMMAR The Passive Voice
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12. Rewrite the following passage in the Passive.Some people saw a UFO in the sky above London last night. They reported it to the police. The armysent a helicopter to look at it more closer. The UFO shot the helicopter down and killed both men in it.People have given photographs of the UFO to the police. Experts are looking at them now.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13. Rewrite the following passage in the Passive.Someone broke into a local jewellery shop yesterday. The owner had just locked up the shop when arobber with a gun threatened him. The robber told him to unlock the shop and give him all thediamonds in the safe. Then the robber tied him up. The police have organized a search for the robber.They hope they will find him in a few days. Doctors are treating the owner of the shop for shock.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14. Rewrite the following passage in the Passive.My uncle painted this picture. Someone has offered him a lot of money for it. He will deliver thepainting tomorrow. When they give him the money, he will tell them the truth. He painted it one nightwhile he was sleepwalking!________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15. Rewrite the following passage in the Passive.Our school is organizing a contest. The teachers will choose the best project about the environment.The students must include pictures and drawings in their projects. The students will also have to do allthe writing themselves. The school will give the winner a set of encyclopaedias.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
16. Turn from Active to Passive in two ways.a. He gave me a present. ______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________b. The waiter will bring us the bill. _______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________c. Her mother bought Mary some sweets. _________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________d. Bob has sold Ted a second-hand car. ___________________________________________________
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_________________________________________________________________________________ e. Larry is going to send a letter to Tom. __________________________________________________
c. My friend sent me an invitation._________________________________________________________________________________
d. The secretary has given Mrs Jones some letters._________________________________________________________________________________
e. The traffic warden had already given him a ticket for illegal parking._________________________________________________________________________________
f. John gave Elizabeth that beautiful ring._________________________________________________________________________________
g. Her students have sent her flowers._________________________________________________________________________________
h. He must give the message to the right person._________________________________________________________________________________
i. We teach our students English and French._________________________________________________________________________________
j. Someone bought flowers for the bride._________________________________________________________________________________
k. They showed the tourists the sights of Athens._________________________________________________________________________________
l. They pay her an excellent salary._________________________________________________________________________________
m. They paid the artist £1,000 for his painting._________________________________________________________________________________
18. Rewrite these sentences in the passive voice.1. They sell oysters in the shop next door.
_________________________________________________________________________________2. They haven’t delivered the food yet.
_________________________________________________________________________________3. Shakespeare wrote King Lear.
_________________________________________________________________________________4. They have to answer the questions on this sheet.
_________________________________________________________________________________5. Has anybody put the cases upstairs?
_________________________________________________________________________________6. Someone should take this rubbish away.
_________________________________________________________________________________7. They’ll ask you a lot of questions.
_________________________________________________________________________________8. Someone’s going to send her some flowers.
9. They didn’t pay me much for that job._________________________________________________________________________________
10. Have they offered him a better job?_________________________________________________________________________________
11. They told us a secret._________________________________________________________________________________
12. Would they lend me their car?_________________________________________________________________________________
13. People should send their complaints to the head office._________________________________________________________________________________
14. They had to postpone the meeting because of illness._________________________________________________________________________________
15. They are going to hold next year’s congress in San Francisco._________________________________________________________________________________
16. The bill includes service._________________________________________________________________________________
17. People don’t use this road very often._________________________________________________________________________________
18. They cancelled all the flights because of fog._________________________________________________________________________________
19. Somebody accused me of stealing the money._________________________________________________________________________________
20. They are building a new ring-road round the city._________________________________________________________________________________
21. I didn’t realize that someone was recording our conversation._________________________________________________________________________________
22. They have changed the date of the meeting._________________________________________________________________________________
23. Brian told me that somebody had attacked and robbed him in the street._________________________________________________________________________________
24. You should open the wine about three hours before you use it._________________________________________________________________________________
25. Somebody had cleaned my shoes and brushed my suit._________________________________________________________________________________
26. We use this room only on special occasions._________________________________________________________________________________
27. In some districts farmers use pigs to find truffles._________________________________________________________________________________
28. John gave Elizabeth that beautiful ring._________________________________________________________________________________
29. They have offered Sarah a very good job._________________________________________________________________________________
30. The estate agent showed the house to the young people._________________________________________________________________________________
31. We will pay the gardener a lot of money._________________________________________________________________________________
32. Someone is going to repair the roof next week._________________________________________________________________________________
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33. They can’t find Joanna. _________________________________________________________________________________
34. They should decorate the room with flowers. _________________________________________________________________________________
35. Archaeologists have discovered an ancient temple. _________________________________________________________________________________
36. We will put all these things into boxes. _________________________________________________________________________________
37. The firefighters rescued the teenagers from the burning building. _________________________________________________________________________________
38. The youngest student in the class has written the best composition. _________________________________________________________________________________
39. The children send me messages every day. _________________________________________________________________________________
40. The villagers gave the travellers food and water. _________________________________________________________________________________
41. A very talented young girl wrote the story. _________________________________________________________________________________
42. They are going to finish the new road in a few days. _________________________________________________________________________________
43. They cancelled the match because of the rain. _________________________________________________________________________________
44. You must not cross this line. _________________________________________________________________________________
45. They had picked the oranges before the storm. _________________________________________________________________________________
46. Professor Smith should write the book. _________________________________________________________________________________
47. Mr Elliot will pay the workers. _________________________________________________________________________________
48. Two men were following Tom. _________________________________________________________________________________
49. Millions of people use the Internet every day. _________________________________________________________________________________
50. They gave Bob a CD player for his birthday. _________________________________________________________________________________
51. The prime minister will give a medal to the winners. _________________________________________________________________________________
52. She is telling the children a story. _________________________________________________________________________________
53. They’ve offered Sally a job. _________________________________________________________________________________
54. Poisonous chemicals have polluted the river. _________________________________________________________________________________
55. Doctor Simms is examining her. _________________________________________________________________________________
56. You must stop him now. _________________________________________________________________________________
57. Someone gave them free tickets for the concert. _________________________________________________________________________________
