Review passive voice

<span class='text_page_counter'>(1)</span>Passive – Exercises EX 1: Change into passive. 1. In future, perhaps they won’t bring letters to the houses, and we shall have to collect them from the Post Office. 2. People steal things from the supermarkets everyday, someone stole twenty bottles of whisky from this one last week. 3. Normally, man sweep this street everyday, but nobody swept it last week. 4. The postman clears this box three times a day. He last cleared it at 2.30. 5. Women clear this office in the evening after the staff have left: they clean the upstairs offices between seven and eight in the morning. 6. We never saw him in the dining room. A maid took all his meals up to him. 7. Someone left this purse in a classroom yesterday: The cleaner found it. 8. We kill and injure people on the roads everyday. Can’t we do something about this? 9. Dogs guards the warehouse. The other day a thief tried to get in and a dog saw him and chased him. 10. The court tried the man, found him guilty and send him to prison. 11. They were carrying the injured player off the field. 12. It is impossible to do this. 13. Why don’t you get someone to post the letter for me? 14. They always make fun of me and I hate it. 15. I remember their taking me to the zoo. 16. Who wrote this letter? 17. He saw her pick up the wallet. 18. You’d better get someone to redecorate your house. 19. She wanted nothing except for people left in peace. 20. We suggested banning smoking in the meeting this afternoon. EX2. Choose one mistake and correct it. 1. A lot of houses in the area have been being broken into. 2. As I drove south, I could see that the old road was rebuilding. 3. I suppose the letter will have delivered by now. 4. There is nothing more annoying than been interrupted when you are speaking. 5. Jim was been given the sack from his new job. 6. Somehow without my noticing my wallet had been disappeared. 7. The new shopping center opened by the local MP. 8. Harry is been questioned by the police about the accident. 9. A lot of meetings have been held, but nothing has been decided yet. 10. Last week it is decided not to have an office party after all. EX3 . Rewrite these sentences. 1. We understand the Minister is on the way to the airport.=> The Minister…….. 2. It is said that many people are homeless after the flood. => Many…. 3. It is known that the Prime Minister is in favour of the new law.=> The Prime Minister…. 4. It is thought that the prisoner escaped by climbing over the wall.=> The prisoner…………… 5. It is believed that the thieves got in through the kitchen window.=> The thieves………… 6. No one has ever told my fortune. => I’ve never………… 7. They are going to pierce my ears this afternoon. => I am going to ……………. 8. She hates people staring at her. => She hates……….. 9. Someone should have told us.=> We…… 10. I was sure someone was following me. => I was sure……… 11. It is believed that the man escaped in a stolen car.=> The man……. 12. Someone is going to tune my piano tomorrow. => I’m………...

<span class='text_page_counter'>(2)</span> 13. Their attitude caused us great disappointment.=> We were…………. 14. Her performance made a considerable impression on the critics.=> The critics……….. 15. Oil was slowly coating the edge of the shore. => The edge of the shore…… 16. The company presents a gold watch to each of its retiring employees.=> Each……… 17. They couldn’t chase who had supplied the information in the first place.=> The source…….. 18. What particularly impressed me was her excellent command of English. => I…. 19. They never made us do anything we didn’t want to.=> We……. 20. My parents let me go abroad alone for the first time last year. => I………….. EX 4. Correct form of the verbs. 1. The boxes( not pack)…………yet. 2. Your food ( still prepare )……… 3. The new ship ( launch )………next week. 4. Luckily by the time we got there the painting ( not sell)……… 5. We had to go on holiday because our house ( decorate)…….. 6. I’m afraid that next week’s meeting ( cancel)…………….. 7. If we don’t hurry , all the tickets ( sell )………. by the time we get there. 8. All main courses ( serve)………….with vegetables or salad. 9. The second goal ( score ) ………. by Hong Son in the 41st minutes. 10. The cathedral ( build) …….. in the 14th century. 11. Oil – lamps ( use )……years ago. 12. When that hospital ( open ) ………? 13. The motorway ( close )…………. because it ( repair ) …………. 14. He ( not use ) ………..anywhere this week. 15. According to our history teacher, England ( invade ) …………by the Normans in 1006.. KEY . EX 1: Change into passive. 1. In future, perhaps they won’t bring letters to the houses, and we shall have to collect them from the Post Office. => In future, letters won’t be brought to the house and they will have to be collected from…. 2. People steal things from the supermarkets everyday, someone stole twenty bottles of whisky from this one last week. => Things are stolen from supermarket everyday, 3. Normally, man sweep this street everyday, but nobody swept it last week. 4. The postman clears this box three times a day. He last cleared it at 2.30. 5. Women clear this office in the evening after the staff have left: they clean the upstairs offices between seven and eight in the morning..

<span class='text_page_counter'>(3)</span> 6. 7. 8. 9.. We never saw him in the dining room. A maid took all his meals up to him. Someone left this purse in a classroom yesterday: The cleaner found it. We kill and injure people on the roads everyday. Can’t we do something about this? Dogs guards the warehouse. The other day a thief tried to get in and a dog saw him and chased him. 10. The court tried the man, found him guilty and send him to prison. 11. They were carrying the injured player off the field. 12. It is impossible to do this.=> This can’t be done. 13. Why don’t you get someone to post the letter for me?=> Why don’t you get the letter posted for me. 14. They always make fun of me and I hate it.=> I hate to be made fun. 15. I remember their taking me to the zoo.=> I remember being taken to the zoo. 16. Who wrote this letter?=> Who was this letter written by? 17. He saw her pick up the wallet.=> She was seen to pick up the wallet by him. 18. You’d better get someone to redecorate your house.=> You’d better get your house redecorated. 19. She wanted nothing except for people left in peace.=> She wanted nothing except for being left… 20. We suggested banning smoking in the meeting this afternoon.=> We suggested that smoking should be banned…. EX2. Choose one mistake and correct it. 1. A lot of houses in the area have been being broken into. 2. As I drove south, I could see that the old road was rebuilding. 3. I suppose the letter will have delivered by now. 4. There is nothing more annoying than been interrupted when you are speaking.=> being 5. Jim was been given the sack from his new job. 6. Somehow without my noticing my wallet had been disappeared. => Dung 7. The new shopping center ……opened by the local MP. = > Was / is/ will be 8. Harry is been questioned by the police about the accident. 9. A lot of meetings have been held, but nothing has been decided yet. 10. Last week it is decided not to have an office party after all. EX3 . Rewrite these sentences. 1. We understand the Minister is on the way to the airport.=> The Minister is understood to be on.. 2. It is said that many people are homeless after the flood. => Many people are said to be homeless… 3. It is known that the Prime Minister is in favour of the new law. => The Prime Minister is known to be in favour….. 4. It is thought that the prisoner escaped by climbing over the wall. => The prisoner is thought to have escaped…… 5. It is believed that the thieves got in through the kitchen window. => The thieves are believed to have got in ….. 6. No one has ever told my fortune. => I’ve never had my fortune told …… 7. They are going to pierce my ears this afternoon. => I am going to have my ears pierce….. 8. She hates people staring at her. => She hates being stared….. 9. Someone should have told us.=> We should have been told. 10. I was sure someone was following me. => I was sure I was being followed. 11. It is believed that the man escaped in a stolen car.=> The man is believed to have escaped… 12. Someone is going to tune my piano tomorrow. => I’m going to have my piano tuned tomwrrow. 13. Their attitude caused us great disappointment.=> We were disappointed greatly by their … 14. Her performance made a considerable impression on the critics. => The critics were considerably impressed by her performance..

<span class='text_page_counter'>(4)</span> 15. Oil was slowly coating the edge of the shore. => The edge of the shore was slowly being coated. 16. The company presents a gold watch to each of its retiring employees.=> Each of the company’s retiring employees is presented with s gold watch. 17. They couldn’t chase who had supplied the information in the first place.=> The source of supplying information couldn’t be traced/ The source of information supply couldn’t be traced. 18. What particularly impressed me was her excellent command of English. => I was particularly impressed by her. 19. They never made us do anything we didn’t want to.=> We was never made to do anything we didn’t want to . 20. My parents let me go abroad alone for the first time last year. => I was let go abroad…….. EX 4. Correct form of the verbs. 1. The boxes( not pack)…………yet.=> haven’t been packed 2. Your food ( still prepare )………=> is still being prepared 3. The new ship ( launch )………next week. => Will be launched 4. Luckily by the time we got there the painting ( not sell)………=> hadn’t been sold 5. We had to go on holiday because our house ( decorate)……..=> is being decorated 6. I’m afraid that next week’s meeting ( cancel)…………….. => will be cancelled 7. If we don’t hurry , all the tickets ( sell )………. by the time we get there.=> will have been sold 8. All main courses ( serve)………….with vegetables or salad.=> are served 9. The second goal ( score ) ………. by Hong Son in the 41st minutes.=> was scored 10. The cathedral ( build) …….. in the 14th century.=> was built 11. Oil – lamps ( use )……years ago.=> was used 12. When that hospital ( open ) ………? => was …opened 13. The motorway ( close )…………. because it ( repair ) ………….=> is closed 14. He ( not see………..anywhere this week.=> hasn’t been seen 15. According to our history teacher, England ( invade ) …………by the Normans in 1006. => was invaded.

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