English tenses in the Passive Voice
to be + Ved(3)
| Simple | Progressive | Perfect | ||||
| Present | am is Ved (3) are | am is being Ved (3) are | have has | been Ved (3) | ||
| Past | was were | Ved (3) | was were | being Ved (3) | had been Ved (3) | |
| Future | will be Ved (3) | ___ | will have been Ved (3) | |||
Exercise 1. Match the parts.
| 1. Petrol prices… 2. This jacket… 3. Competition! 5000 prizes… 4. Five people… 5. The telephone… 6. It appears the phone bill… 7. Further information… 8. Before the storm everyone… 9. Smoking… 10. The old town theatre… | a) …to be won. b) …have been increased. c) …has been disconnected. d) …will be sent to candidates. e) …was made in Hong Kong. f) … were killed in the rally. g) …is not permitted anywhere on this station. h) …had not been paid. i) …is currently being rebuilt. j) …was told to stay inside their homes. |
Now look at these sentences again. Underline the past participle and note the form of the verb ‘to be’. How many refer to the past and how many to the future?
Exercise 2. Choose the correct answer.
1. ‘Was Tom pleased with the newspaper article about him?’
‘No. He was angry because his name ________ wrong.’
a) spelt; b) had been spelt; c) is spelt
2. ‘Did you buy that picture?’
‘No, it ________ to me for my birthday.’
a) was given; b) gave; c) is given
3. ‘Are you going to buy a wedding dress?’
‘No. My dress ________ by my mother.’
a) is being made; b) is made; c) made
4. ‘Have you arranged the party yet?’
‘Yes. All the invitations ________.’
a) are sent; b) have been sent; c) sent
5. ‘So, have you had your book published?’
‘Yes. It ________ in all bookshops from June 1st.’
a) will be; b) is; c) is being
6. ‘Do your cats eat a lot?’
‘No. They _________ once a day, that’s all.’
a) is fed; b) are fed; c) fed
7. ‘Paul is taking me to a ball this weekend.’
‘I would love ________ to a ball!’
a) take; b) to take; c) to be taken
8. ‘Did you hear about the burglary last week?’
‘Yes. The thieves _________ now, haven’t they?’
a) have been caught; b) caught; c) are caught
9. ‘Can you swim?’
‘Oh yes. I _________ how to swim when I was five.’
a) taught; b) am taught; c) was taught
10. ‘Doctors have to do a lot of work.’
‘Yes, but they ________ well.’
a) be paid; b) are paid; c) pay
11. ‘Where does that lady keep her jewellery?’
‘It ________ in a safe somewhere in her house.’
a) is kept; b) are kept; c) was kept
12. ‘What is happening over there?’
‘Oh, a new cinema ________.’
a) is being built; b) is built; c) was built
13. ‘How is Kevin?’
‘Well, his car ________ last night, so he’s upset today.’
a) is stolen; b) has been stolen; c) was stolen
14. ‘What should you do if you are lost?’
‘You should stay where you are and wait ________.’
a) was found; b) to find; c) to be found
15. ‘Have you got Claire’s phone number?’
‘Yes. It _________ on this piece of paper.’
a) is written; b) written; c) be written
Exercise 3. You are moving house today. Complete each comment using a passive form of the verb in brackets.
e.g. The kitchen things (put) in boxes yesterday? (past simple / present perfect) – Were the kitchen things put in boxes yesterday? past simple
1. The car (service) today! How are we going to get there? In the van? [present simple/present continuous]
2. The removal men (tell) to be here at 8.00am – late! Here at 9.00! [present simple/present perfect simple/past simple]
3. I’m sure those vases (break). Tell the men to be careful. [present simple/future/present perfect]
4. My books (pack) yet? I want them to go in these boxes. [past simple/ present perfect/future]
5. The removal company say that things always (pack) carefully. [present simple/past simple/present perfect]
6. The electricity not (cut off) yet, so we can make some tea. [present continuous/present perfect/past simple]
7. Our letters (send on) to the new address from now on, according to the postman. [future/present perfect/past simple]
8. If anything (leave behind), we can always go and pick it up later. [present simple/past simple/present perfect]
9. The gas (cut off) yesterday morning, so that’s not a worry. [present continuous/present perfect/past simple]
10. The men (pay) by the hour, so let’s get the job done quickly! [present simple/past simple/present perfect]
Exercise 4. Complete the sentences with passive verbs. You will need to use the Present Simple, Past Simple or Present Perfect.
The rock star, Sonia Thorne, (1) _________ (arrest) at Heathrow Airport last night. She (2) _________ (stop) by customs officers after arriving on a flight from Amsterdam. Almost two kilos of cocaine (3) __________ (find) in her luggage. This is the second time that Ms. Thorne (4) __________ (arrest) on drugs charges. However, she (5) __________ (never/convict). Ms. Thorne (6) __________ (keep) overnight in police cells. Because of the arrest, her concert at Wembley Arena (7) _________ (cancel). It (8) _________ (believe) that she will appear in court later today.
Exercise 5. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct passive tense.
| A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: A: | Do you still work at Brown and Co? Yes. I do. I (1) _________ (employ) by Mr Brown for five years now, you know. Oh. Do you still enjoy it? Oh yes! I (2) _________ (give) a promotion last year and I’m very happy. A promotion? So, what’s your job now? I (3) _________ (make) Head of European Sales. So, what do you do? Well, sometimes I (4) _________ (send) to other countries on business. I see. Do they pay you well? Well, I (5) __________ (pay) quite well and I expect (6) _________ (give) a pay rise soon. Good for you! |
Exercise 6. Fill in the gaps with the correct passive tense of the verbs in brackets.
| 1. | A: B: | Those flowers are great. They were sent (send) to me yesterday by one of my fans. |
| 2. | A: B: | Have you ever appeared on TV? Actually, I ________ (recently/ask) to take part in a show. |
| 3. | A: B: | When will I have my car? It ________ (deliver) to your house the day after tomorrow. |
| 4. | A: B: | So, when did they tell you about the robbery? I _________ (inform) by the police as soon as they found out. |
| 5. | A: B: | Why can’t we go over the bridge? Because it _________ (repair) at the moment. |
| 6. | A: B: | I’m tired. So am I. But these reports must _____ (type) before we leave. |
| 7. | A: B: | Who looks after your baby when you’re at work? Well, he _________ (look after) by my mother. |
| 8. | A: B: | Those pictures are beautiful. They ________ (paint) by my father while he was on holiday last summer. |
| 9. | A: B: | Who does the washing-up in your house? The dishes _________ (wash) by my brother and then they ________ (dry) by my sister. |
| 10. | A: B: | Why can’t I use your car? Because it __________ (service) at the moment. You can take Mum’s car if you want. |
| 11. | A: B: | Did you post the letters? No, they _________ (already/post) by the time I came in. |
| 12. | A: B: | What will happen to the criminals? They _________ (punish) for their crimes. |
| 13. | A: B: | That’s a very pretty tablecloth. It ________ (give) to me last year for my birthday. |
| 14. | A: B: | Have you moved house yet? Yes. The last boxes __________ (just/move). |
| 15. | A: B: | Have you heard about Jack? Yes, he _________ (promote) to senior manager. |
Exercise 7. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct from.
| 1. | A: B: | I think it’s dangerous when cyclists don’t wear helmets. I know. They _________ (should/fine) if they don’t. |
| 2. | A: B: | Let’s play basketball. I can’t. My teacher told us that our science projects ________ (must/hand in) by Friday and I haven’t even started mine yet. |
| 3. | A: B: | Have you ordered your wedding invitations? I didn’t have to. They _________ (make) by my cousin who is an artist. |
| 4. | A: B: | Where did you get that beautiful jumper? It _________ (knit) by my grandmother years ago. |
| 5. | A: B: | Your house is a mess! It _________ (clean) tomorrow by the cleaning lady. |
| 6. | A: B: | Have the police found the person who broke into your shop? A young man _________ (see) running down the street after the alarm went off but he __________ (not/find) yet. |
| 7. | A: B: | You look very tired. What happened? I went to bed late last night. My students’ tests __________ (have to/correct) so I went to bed at 2 am. |
| 8. | A: B: | _________ (contract/type) yet, Fiona? It ________ (type) right now, sir. |
| 9. | A: B: | The new public library _________ (already/open) to the public. Yes, I heard. It _________ (open) by the mayor yesterday. |
| 10. | A: B: | I have to buy a birthday present for my wife. Go to the jewellery shop on Lexington Avenue. The pieces of jewellery that _________ (design) there are unique. |
| 11. | A: B: | Did you make the coffee when you got to work this morning? No, it _________ (already/make) by the time I got there. |
| 12. | A: B: | Are you going to pick up the children today? No, they _________ (pick up) by Roger. I’ve already arranged it. |
| 13. | A: B: | Where is your watch? I broke it. It __________ (repair) at the moment. |
| 14. | A: B: | Has the new furniture for my bedroom arrived? No, it _________ (not/deliver) yet. |
Exercise 8. Trevor Cole is a newsreader for a national television station. Every day, he is given notes on all of the stories in the news bulletin. Look at the prompts and make full sentences using the passive, as in the example.
e.g. Japan was hit by a big earthquake during the night…
| 1 Japan / hit a big earthquake during the night – a few people / hurt – help / already send / Red Cross |
| 2 Burley’s Bank / rob / this morning - $500,000 / steal – two suspects / question / the police |
| 3 Edinburgh / visit / the Queen tomorrow – a new bridge / open – a dinner party / give / to honour the Royal party |
| 4 A diamond ring / find / Mrs Mary Silver / in a garden yesterday – it / lose / for twenty years |
| 5 Another gold medal / win / British athlete, Terry Black, yesterday – he / award / the medal for breaking the world record in the 100m race |
| 6 Tonight’s charity football match / cancel – half the players / take / to hospital suffering from food poisoning – a new date for the match / set / tomorrow |
Exercise 9. Rewrite the newspaper headlines below using the correct passive form. Add words and use your own ideas to make complete sentences.
1 PENSIONER RUN OVER
A PENSIONER WAS RUN OVER IN BANBURY ROAD YESTERDAY.
2 MAN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING IN FOREST
3 NEW SCHOOL TO BE OPENED BY MAYOR
4 WORLD RECORD BROKEN IN 100 METRES
5 WOMAN MURDERED IN WOODS ON EVENING STROLL
6 HOSPITAL TO CLOSE - LACK OF FUNDS
7 ‘CURE FOR CANCER IN FIVE YEARS,’ SAYS RESEARCHER
8 TESTS MADE MORE DIFFICULT TO RAISE FALLING STANDARDS
9 ENGLISH SPOKEN BY ONE BILLION, CLAIMS REPORT
10 FIVE-DAY STRIKE TO BE HELD BY CUSTOMS OFFICERS
11 MONEY BEING RAISED FOR CHILD’S OPERATION IN AMERICA
12 DECISION MADE ABOUT NEW EXAMS
13 ESCAPED PRISONER STILL NOT CAUGHT
14 FAMILY RESCUED FROM BURNING
Exercise 10. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct passive tense.
1. I’m going to a party tonight. I was invited (invite) by my friend.
2. Tom didn’t go to the meeting yesterday. It ________ (cancel).
3. After _________ (rescue) from the river, the boys went to hospital.
4. They _________ (take) to hospital by ambulance.
5. I have a beautiful jumper which _________ (knit) by my grandmother.
6. The new bridge _________ (build) already.
7. The tables _________ (set) before the restaurant opens tonight.
8. Breakfast ________ (serve) every day from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
9. This secret must not _________ (reveal) to anyone.
10. He _________ (consider) to be a very talented musician.
11. Tickets ________ (sell) until the day of the concert.
12. The instructions must _________ (follow) very carefully.
Exercise 11. Fill in each space using the correct form of the verb in brackets.
e.g. The police report that the missing person has been found (find)
1. The news ________ (broadcast) every day from 6 a.m. to midnight. 2. At this very moment the suspect ________ (interview) by the police. 3. And now a newsflash. The President ________ (charge) with committing perjury. 4. A new security system ________ (install) in all our offices in the next few weeks. 5. By November 30 a new government _________ (elect). 6. There must be a mistake: the hotel bill ________ (pay) by my wife. 7. When we got home, we realised the house _________ (burgle). 8. The building ________ (evacuate) when a second bomb went off. 9. The Government says tax reforms _________ (introduce) in the new year. 10. Newspapers in some countries _________ (sell) in kiosks as well as shops.
Exercise 12. Complete the sentences. If possible, use a tense of the verb get. Otherwise use the verbbe.
Get + past participle
is sometimes used instead of be in the passive. This is usually informal. Often the action is unexpected or happens by chance.
e.g. Four people got hurt in the car crash. = Four people were hurt in the car crash.
In other types of situations get is not usually possible.
e.g. George is liked by everyone (not gets liked).
Be can be used in all situations.
1. I never found that book we were looking for. It _______ lost when we moved house. 2. After the way he behaved last time he went to their house it’s unlikely he ________ asked there again. 3. Naturally this vase is expensive. After all, it ________ believed to be over three hundred years old. 4. I phoned to explain what had happened but I ________ cut off before I could finish. 5. There isn’t any cheese left; I’m afraid, it ________ eaten by the children. 6. He was a well-known expert on animal diseases and his opinions _________ greatly respected. 7. The competition is stiff and she’ll be thrilled if her design ________ chosen. 8. The book ________ torn when the children started fighting over who should read it first. 9. Please don’t touch anything on my desk. You ________ employed to answer the telephone, not to tidy the office. 10. She was quite friendly at first, then she ________ promoted and now she doesn’t care about us any more.
Exercise 13. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.
1. I’ve collected all the documents that ________ (need) for the house sale. Can you take them to the lawyer’s office to _________ (sign)?
2. Look, this is a secret. Come into the garden where we __________ (not / overhear).
3. If you hadn’t been so late for work, you _________ (sack).
4. This office is very inefficient. The telephone _________ (never / answer) promptly, no proper records _________ (keep), and, worst of all, no reports ________ (written) for weeks.
5. I was so worried about my garden while I was in hospital, but I have very good neighbours. When I got home I could see that the vegetables _________ (water) every day and the grass _________ (cut) regularly.
6. Can you come to the police station? The man who _________ (suspect) of stealing your wallet _________ (arrest), and _________ (question) at the moment. The police hope he _________ (identify), either by you or another witness.
7. We had hoped to see several famous paintings, but the gallery ________ (re-organised) at the time of our visit and most of the really valuable works _________ (move) for safe keeping.
Exercise 14. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.
The Academy Awards Presentation (1) was first organized (first/organize) in 1929 and since then, it (2)_______ (hold) every year. The presentation (3)_______ (attend) by those at the top of the film industry and (4)_______ (watch) on TV by millions of viewers who want to see who (5)_______ (present) with the golden statue which (6)_______ (desire) by everyone in the motion picture world.
The voting for the Academy Awards (7)_______ (conduct) secretly and the results (8)_______ (not/reveal) to anyone until the envelope (9)________ (open) on stage in front of the audience. Awards (10)_______ (give) for the best individual or collective work and (11)________ (separate) into different categories.
Up to five nominations (12)________ (make) in each category. The awards, which (13)________ (know) as Oscars, (14)______ (consider) to be the highest honour anyone in the film industry can (15)_______ (give).
* Exercise 15. Fill in the spaces in this text. Use a verb in the list and an appropriate form of the passive. The first is given as an example.
 produce interview (2) design renovate award base build consider (2) show equip provide close visit |
A REPORT
This report has been produced at the request of the Hotel and Catering Association. The survey on which the report (1) _________ was carried out between March 25 and March 30, 2002. Twenty hotel managers (2) _________ for the purposes of this report. The majority of the hotels which (3) __________ (all in the Brighton area) (4) __________ in the last twenty years and (5) __________ to meet the needs of the modern tourist. One hotel which (6) __________ unacceptable by the Association (7) __________ at the end of the tourist season. Some of the older ones (8) __________ recently and also meet the highest standards. This (9) __________ by the fact that all the hotels (10) __________ with modern facilities, from swimming pools to satellite TV. In addition, the usual services (11) __________ (room service, laundry service) and the restaurant and bar service (12) __________ satisfactory in most cases. Most of the hotel staff who (13) __________ were highly qualified or experienced. Seventy-five per cent of the hotels in this report (14) __________ a three or four star rating by the tourist board.
Exercise 16. Complete this text using the correct passive form of one of the verbs below in each space. Use two of the verbs more than once.
| refer use bring give invent write call beat build |
WHY DOES NOTHING EXIST?
Did nothing always exist or (1) was it invented ? ‘Nothing’ is zero or nought (0). It is a very useful idea and it (2)________ by many different names. In football, 0 (3)_________ to as ‘nil’. So we say: ‘Liverpool (4)________ two-nil (2-0) at home by Manchester United.’ When you (5)_________ marks in a test, you hope you will never get ‘nought’ out of ten or twenty. When we talk about the temperature, ‘zero’ (6) ________ . We say: ‘It is freezing today; the temperature has dropped to five below zero.’ The most unusual name for 0 must be that which (7)__________ in tennis, ‘love’; where the scoring goes 15-love, 30-love and so on. Not many people realize that 0 did not always exist but is something that had (8)_________ . Until the sixteenth century, the number system used in Europe was the Roman system, which was invented about two thousand years ago. The Roman system is not simple, for example the mark ‘X’ stands for ten and ‘C’ refers to a hundred. A much better number system (9)_________ by the Hindus much earlier. The Hindu system (10)_________ to Europe in AD 900 by the Arabs and is sometimes referred to as the ‘Arabic system’. This system (11)________ on a base of ten and all numbers (12)_________ with the digits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0. So as all schoolchildren know, 10 means ‘ten’ and 40 means ‘four times ten’.
Exercise 17. Correct the mistakes.
1. The dishes has been washed. 2. The letters are being opened every morning in the office. 3. Your homework must finished by Monday. 4. The woman seen taking the children to school. 5. Mike has been tell about the new job. 6. The cars stole from the car park. 7. The house is been redecorated recently. 8. The center will visit by the King next month.