UNIVERSIDAD ECCI, SEDE MEDELLÍN

PASSIVE AND ACTIVE VOICE

NAME:___________________________________________ DATE:_______________
1. Rephrase the following sentences by means of the passive.

1. Everybody wears practical clothes.

_______________________________________________________

2. Designers have followed the trends.

_______________________________________________________

3. You may hurt someone with that hammer.

_______________________________________________________

4. He told the children a beautiful story.

_______________________________________________________

5. We have proved our point.

_______________________________________________________

6. Will you read this book?

_______________________________________________________

2. Rephrase the sentences in two ways.

1. He gave Celia a bouquet of 25 roses.

_______________________________________________________

2. John will send his curriculum vitae to several banks.

_______________________________________________________

3. She has written him beautiful love letters.

_______________________________________________________

4. They showed me the new computer.

_______________________________________________________

5. They have paid him $300 up to now.

_______________________________________________________

6. He had told the children a beautiful story.

 PASSIVE VOICE – EXERCISES:
Put these sentence into the passive!
1) Penguin readers published this book in 1990.
_____________________________________________________________________
2) Susan informs Mary about the test results.
_____________________________________________________________________
3) They could not do the exercises on their own.
_____________________________________________________________________
4) The Smiths are going to invite the Taylors on Christmas Eve.
_____________________________________________________________________
5) The Burglars have stolen the paintings by Picasso.
_____________________________________________________________________
6) We will not treat the dogs badly.
_____________________________________________________________________
7) Susan brushes her teeth before having breakfast.
_____________________________________________________________________
8) Rachel sews skirts for her children.
_____________________________________________________________________
9) Tim mowed the lawn for his dad.
_____________________________________________________________________
10) Mothers hopefully will not do the home-exercises for their children.
_____________________________________________________________________
11) They had founded a company on their own.
_____________________________________________________________________
12) Unfortunately, she has disappointed her boyfriend.
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13) My uncle bought a house in Scotland.
_____________________________________________________________________
14) Zoe always does her home-exercise immediately after school.
_____________________________________________________________________
15) Paula had studied the map of London carefully.
_____________________________________________________________________
______
KEY:
1) This book was published by Penguin Readers in 1990.
2) Mary is informed about the test results (by Susan).
3) The exercises couldn’t be done by them on their own.
4) The Taylors are going to be invited (by the Smiths) on Christmas Eve.
5) The paintings by Picasso have been stolen (by the burglars).
6) The dogs will not be treated badly (by us).
7) Susan’s teeth are brushed before having breakfast.
8) Skirts are sewed by Rachel for her children.
9) The lawn was mowed by Tim for his dad.
10) The home-exercises hopefully will not be done for the children by their mothers.
11) A company had been founded by them on their own.
12) The boy has been disappointed by his girlfriend, unfortunately.
13) A house in Scotland was bought by my uncle.
14) The home-exercises are always immediately done after school by Zoe. (Zoe’s
home-exercises)
15) The map of London had been carefully studied by Paula.

Read the following article and fill the gaps with the active or passive form of the verbs in

brackets.
 Reuters News Agency

Martin Webb _______________(work) for the Reuters News Agency for ten years.

He describes the company. “Reuters is one of the world’s biggest news agencies.

It________________(supply) news and stock market prices to media and financial

institutions all over the world. It_______________(start) by Paul Reuter in

1849 - with pigeons!

Reuter ________(be) born in 1816 in Germany. During the 1840’s he ________

_______________ (employ) as a bank clerk in Berlin. German bankers _______

_______________(need) to know the price on the Paris stock exchange, but the

French telegraph system only went as far as Belgium. From there the

information _______________(send) to Germany by train. The journey_______

________(take) nine hours. The same information _______________(carry)

by Paul Reuter’s pigeons in only two hours!”

ANSWERS.

Reuters News Agency

Martin Webb _____has worked__________(work) for the Reuters News Agency for ten
years.

He describes the company. “Reuters is one of the world’s biggest news agencies.

It___supplies_____________(supply) news and stock market prices to media and financial

institutions all over the world. It___was started____________(start) by Paul Reuter in

1849 - with pigeons!

Reuter ___was_____(be) born in 1816 in Germany. During the 1840’s he ________

___was employed____________ (employ) as a bank clerk in Berlin. German bankers

______needed_______________(need) to know the price on the Paris stock exchange, but
the French telegraph system only went as far as Belgium. From there the

information ____was sent___________(send) to Germany by train. The journey_______

____took____(take) nine hours. The same information __was carried_____________(carry)

by Paul Reuter’s pigeons in only two hours!”

 MIXED ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE
1. Underline the best option:

1. The book was published/published in 2010.

2. My parents will lend/will be lent me some money to buy a new car.

3. It is said/says that some sports involve serious risks.

4. Lots of workers have been made/have made redundant as a result of the crisis.

5. My father was bought/ bought me a CD.

6. Fewer letters are written/write nowadays.

7. The TV presenter has been made/has made lots of mistakes today.

8. Where are you being lived/are you living?

9. My children are liked/like pasta.

10. Emails are sent/send more and more.

1. Underline the best option:

1. The book was published/ in 2010.

2. My parents will lend/ me some money to buy a new car.

3. It is said/ that some sports involve serious risks.

4. Lots of workers have been made/ redundant as a result of the crisis.

5. My father / bought me a CD.

6. Fewer letters are written/ nowadays.

7. The TV presenter /has made lots of mistakes today.

8. Where /are you living?

9. My children like pasta.

10. Emails are sent/ more and more.

2. Change the sentences from active to passive & viceversa.

3. Peter has been given a promotion.

……………………………………………………………………

4. It’s believed that there is life in the afterlife.

…………………………………………………………………….

5. Will you send me a postcard from New Your?

……………………………………………………………………

7. People think that unemployment is increasing.

……………………………………………………………………

8. Popular TV series are broadcast on AXN.

2. Change the sentences from active to passive & viceversa.

3. Peter has been given a promotion.

…They have given Peter a promotion.

4. It’s believed that there is life in the afterlife.

People believe that there is life in the afterlife.

5. Will you send me a postcard from New Your?

Will I be sent a postcard from New York by you?

7. People think that unemployment is increasing.

Unemployment is thought to be increasing

It is thought that unemployment is increasing

8. Popular TV series are broadcast on AXN.

AXN broadcasts popular TV series.

3. Say if the sentences are Right or Wrong. Correct the mistakes.

1. It is believed that he to be a millionaire.

……………………………………………………………………

2. My father is worked in an office.

……………………………………………………………………

3. The actor’s contract has been expired.

……………………………………………………………………

4. Pam got her nails do yesterday.

……………………………………………………………………
6. Is lunch being cooked by he?

……………………………………………………………………

7. Candy can’t be teach. She never listens!

……………………………………………………………………

8. Will the children be invited to the birthday3. Say if the sentences are Right or Wrong.
Correct the mistakes.

1. It is believed that he to be a millionaire. that he is

……………………………………………………………………

2. My father is worked in an office. works

……………………………………………………………………

3. The actor’s contract has been expired. Has expired

……………………………………………………………………

4. Pam got her nails do yesterday. done

……………………………………………………………………

6. Is lunch being cooked by he? By him

……………………………………………………………………

7. Candy can’t be teach. She never listens! taught

……………………………………………………………………

4. Put the verb in bracket in the correct active/passive voice & tense.

1. The watch ………………. I’ll take it to the watchmaker (break).

2. Someone ……………… at you. Do you know him? (look)

3. The stain on my coat ……………… (remove).

4. The criminal ………………… (catch) yesterday.

5. REM …………… a compilation album (release)

6. This castle ………………… in 1639 (build).

7. Mary ………………me a nice birthday present last year (give).

8. These laptops ……………… in China (make).

9. The plane …………… (just/ land).

10. Something strange ……………… to Susan this morning (happen).

4. Put the verb in bracket in the correct active/passive voice & tense.

1. The watch …is broken……………. I’ll take it to the watchmaker (break).

2. Someone …is looking…………… at you. Do you know him? (look)

3. The stain on my coat ……has been removed………… (remove).

4. The criminal ………was caught………… (catch) yesterday.

5. REM …has released………… a compilation album (release)

6. This castle …was built……………… in 1639 (build).

7. Mary …gave ……………me a nice birthday present last year(give).

8. These laptops ……are nade………… in China (make).

9. The plane …has just landed………… (just/ land).

10. Something strange …happened…………… to Susan this morning (happen).