Changing from active into passive

Only transitive verbs (verbs followed by an object) can be changed into the Passive.

ACTIVE	subject	verb	object
Tom	invited	me
PASSIVE	subject	verb	agent
I	was invited	by Tom

But: They travelled to London last summer. (intransitive verb)

Note: Some transitive verbs such as have, fit, suit, resemble, let, look like, etc. cannot be changed into the Passive.

e.g. I have a shower every morning. (NOT: A shower is had by me.)

Study the table:

Verb Tense/Form	Active	Passive
Present Simple	They mend watches here.	Watches are mended here.
Present Continuous	They are mending my watch.	My watch is being mended.
Past Simple	They mended my watch yesterday.	My watch was mended yesterday.
Past Continuous	They were mending my watch when I arrived.	My watch was being mended when I arrived.
Future Simple	They will mend my watch tomorrow.	My watch will be mended tomorrow.
Present Perfect	They have mended my watch.	My watch has been mended.
Past Perfect	They had mended my watch by six o’clock.	My watch had been mended by six o’clock.
Future Perfect	They will have mended my watch by Tuesday.	My watch will have been mended by Tuesday.
Present Infinitive	They can mend my watch.	My watch can be mended.
Perfect Infinitive	They must have mended my watch by now.	My watch must have been mended by now.
-ing form	I insisted on them mending my watch.	I insist on my watch being mended.
Modals + be + pp	They should mend my watch immediately.	My watch should be mended immediately.

MENTIONING THE AGENT

The agent is mentioned only when this information is important.

Preposition	Use	Example
by	when we mention who or what carries out the action	The car had been driven by my brother.
with	when we mention the instrument / material / ingredient used	1.The victim was killed with a knife. 2.The walls were covered with posters. 3.The dish was made with eggs, onions and mayonnaise.
Some verbs can be followed by with or by Verbs such as covercan be followed bywith, by, in	The airport was surrounded by / with soldiers. Its body was covered by / in / with flies.

Exercise 1. Match a first part (1-10) with a second part (a-j). Use all the parts.

1. A decision to strike was taken 2. This church was designed 3. I was shocked 4. He was shot 5. He had been stabbed 6. His trousers were completely covered 7. The house was surrounded 8. Her bedroom wall was covered 9. They were married 10. He used to be beaten

a) with a penknife. b) by beautiful grounds. c) by a hunter with a rifle. d) by some of the workers. e) by Christopher Wren. f) with a stick. g) by her rude behaviour. h) by a priest in a tiny little church. i) with posters of her favouirite singers. j) in oil.

Exercise 2. Fill in the blanks with byorwith.

1. This sauce was made ______ fresh tomatoes. 2. Tommy was bitten ______ a mosquito during the night. 3. The old table was covered ______ a tablecloth. 4. The hall was decorated _____ pink and purple balloons. 5. His suit was made _____ his mother. 6. I was frightened ______ a strange noise coming from the attic. 7. The beautiful poem was written ______ my best friend. 8. This pie is made ______ spinach and cheese. 9. She was woken up _____ a loud noise. 10. The parcel was tied up _____ string. 11. John was told off ______ his mother. 12. This picture was painted ______ a famous artist. 13. The lock was broken _____ a hammer. 14. Claire was shouted at ______ her teacher. 15. He was taught all the Spanish he knows _____ Carmen.

Exercise 3. Make passive sentences using the prompts below. You can use any tense but you should introduce the agent wherever necessary.

1 trousers / wear

2 bills / pay

3 computer / use

4 thieves / arrest

5 car / damage

6 gift / offer

7 TV programme / show

8 curtains / clean

9 cake / decorate

10 I / tell off

NOT MENTIONING THE AGENT

Exercise 1. Rewrite each comment about the media beginning as shown.

e.g. Television gives us all the same opinions.

One danger of television is that we...

One advantage of radio is that we are all given the same opinions.

1. Radio entertains us wherever we are.

One advantage of radio is that we...

2. Television fills our minds with pictures of violence.

The worst thing about television is that our...

3. Newspapers give us information about other parts of the world.

One good thing about newspapers is that we...

4. Television keeps us up to date on the political situation.

Thanks to television, we...

5. Television prevents us from thinking for ourselves.

A possible danger of television is that we ...

6. The news on the radio doesn't allow us to forget our problems.

If we listen to the news on the radio, we...

7. Newspapers give us different points of view about what is happening.

When we read newspapers, we...

8. Local radio makes us aware of what is happening in our area.

A great advantage of local radio is that we...

9. Going to the cinema gives us the chance to meet other people.

An advantage of going to the cinema is that we...

10. Television forces us to sit down and do nothing else.

A disadvantage of television is that we…

* Exercise 2. Rewrite the sentences beginning in the way shown. Do not use by unless it is important to the meaning.

1. The company has cut all salaries. All salaries have been cut. 2. The bank manager kept me waiting for half an hour. I _______. 3. Employers must pay all travel expenses for this training course. All travel expenses for this training course_______. 4. Do you suppose your brother could have written such a letter? Do you suppose such a letter ________. 5. They use a computer to do that job nowadays. A computer _______. 6. During the recession, the firm was making people redundant almost every week. During the recession people _______. 7. Nobody informed the police that there had been a mistake. The police _______. 8. Where will your company send you next year? Where will you _______. 9. The news about the famine distressed Josephine. Josephine _______. 10. I’ve still got the camera because no one has claimed it. I’ve still got the camera because it _______. 11. Has anyone ever asked you for your opinion? Have you ________. 12. The children shouldn't have opened that parcel. That parcel _______. 13. All visitors must wear identity badges. Identity badges ________.

Exercise 3. Rewrite the sentences in the passive. Omit the agent where possible.

1. They will not deliver the new sofa on Friday. 2. You can use this saucepan for cooking spaghetti. 3. I have to finish my homework tonight. 4. You must tidy your bedroom. 5. You ought to put these clothes away. 6. The boss gave the secretary some letters to type. 7. We should eat this cake immediately. 8. Sally sent Peter a birthday card. 9. Do they produce oil in Spain? 10. Did a dog bite him? 11. Edward has not recorded a new song. 12. The pop star sang a song. 13. The chef hasn’t made dinner. 14. They won’t take him home after the party. 15. The public has listened to the speaker very attentively. 16. John is driving his car to the garage now. 17. Somebody calls me every evening. 18. All the town will have learnt the news by tomorrow morning. 19. I’ll answer your questions later. 20. A heated discussion followed his lecture. 21. They were waiting for the guest yesterday evening. 22. I’ve sent for the police. 23. His brother taught him to drive. 24. Many people speak English. 25 The author is writing a new book.

Exercise 4. Rewrite the sentences in the passive. Omit the agent where possible.

1. They publish the news journal every month. 2. Clare faxed me the report this morning. 3. People must protect the environment at all costs. 4. Someone has turned the heating off. 5. A famous designer is going to make her wedding dress. 6. Someone is cleaning the windows. 7. The teacher will mark the essays. 8. Clive hasn’t cut the grass yet. 9. They may not repair the car this week. 10. They will have built the new bridge by the end of the year. 11. People ask Eve questions about her job all the time. 12. The detective had collected all the information before he handed in his report. 13. Emma is showing them the photographs. 14. He has to tidy his bedroom. 15. They awarded him a prize for his competition entry. 16. Jean hadn’t cleaned the house by the time her husband arrived. 17. We cook all the meals.

Exercise 5. Rewrite these sentences in the passive.

1. We do not add any preservatives to our products. 2. The Government is now building a lot of new schools in the provinces. 3. The police have just arrested him on suspicion of murder. 4. Will they publish her new book next month? 5. They will have completed the new motorway by Christmas. 6. We haven’t cleaned the house for weeks. 7. The company cut the water off because Mr and Mrs Dixon hadn’t paid their bill. 8. They are going to open the new supermarket next week. 9. They couldn’t use the car because the garage was servicing it. 10. They publish a lot of books on information technology. 11. I wondered where they had hidden the key. 12. My boss has promised me a four-day holiday. 13. Why did they build the house so close to the station? 14. They will do nothing till they have reached a decision. 15. One can’t do such things without long and careful preparation. 16. You can’t change anything now. They have approved the plan. 17. What should I do about it? 18. They were taking more effective measures at the time. 19. They will give the job to his candidate.

Exercise 6. Change the following active constructions into passive omitting all mention of the agent of the action.

1. What do you call it? 2. One expects him to obey the regulations. 3. They are discussing the possibility of new negotiations. 4. He knew that they had sent the invitations out two weeks earlier. 5. They can arrange all things. 6. They have always passed his telephone calls through to the manager without questions. 7. They never took any major decision without his knowledge or advice. 8. The trouble started when they told me to change the way we were running this department. 9. They promised the workers higher wages. 10. We must look into the matter.

* Exercise 7. Rewrite the sentences in the passive.

1. I insist on David writing the report. 2. She made me tell her the news. 3. People saw him steal the woman’s bag. 4. I don’t like people shouting at me. 5. People spend a lot of money on food. 6. They made him confess to the robbery. 7. Sam remembers his friend telling him about the party. 8. They heard him calling for help. 9. I made this omelette with onions and cheese. 10. Everyone considers her to be the best student in the class. 11. Mary wants someone to help her when she paints the house. 12. Do people expect Jane to get a promotion this year? 13. Frank doesn’t like people telling him what to do. 14. Mr Jones hates people giving him orders. 15. People hope that the President will take control of the situation. 16. We hope they will send us an invitation too. 17. They say that Richard has inherited a lot of money. 18. I can’t stand people laughing at me. 19. Someone should tell Mary to stop being rude to people. 20. Amanda hates people staring at her. 21. She expects her boss to offer her a promotion. 22. Tom doesn’t like people asking him personal questions.

Exercise 8. Write questions in the passive to which the words in bold are the answers, as in the example.

Note: When we want to find out who or what did something, then the passive is formed as follows: Who/What …by?

e.g. Captain Cookdiscovered Australia. Who was Australia discovered by?

1. A dog was chasing Paul. 2. Simonis going to organize the party. 3. A bee stung him. 4. Fiona cooked this delicious turkey. 5. An international company publishes these books. 6. A bomb killed the soldier. 7. Picassopainted Guernica. 8. They will open the new sports center soon. 9. Liz showed him some holiday pictures. 10. Sue is washing the car. 11.The repairman is fixing the washing machine.

Exercise 9. Turn the following questions into the passive.

e.g. Do they make bread in this factory? Is bread made in this factory?

1. Will Susan decorate the bedroom tomorrow? 2. Did they find the ring in the garden? 3. Is Tom drawing the picture? 4. Has Simon sent the invitations yet? 5. Had Paul repaired the door before he left for work? 6. Do they sell clothes in this shop? 7. Who broke the mug? 8. Did they show the fire on the news? 9. When did the wind blow down the tree? 10. Will you have completed the task by Friday evening? 11. Who teaches traditional dance at this school? 12.Will they play the tennis match on an indoor court? 13. Who is going to welcome the guests? 14. Had Stuart washed the car before he went to the cinema? 15. Who invented the telephone? 16. Who has written this poem? 17. When will they hold the annual dance? 18. Did you give the parcel to Susie? 19. Has Victoria sent out the invitations? 20. Will she redecorate her flat in May? 21. Who made this delicious chocolate cheesecake? 22. Who is repairing John’s car? 23. Who has to sign these papers? 24. Who will make the speech tomorrow? 25. What did they decorate the streets with? 26. Who made this mess?

Exercise 10. Rewrite the following passages in the passive.

a) Somebody sent me a bunch of flowers. The man from the flower shop delivered them to my house. He told me that they were a present. A young man had ordered them. He had put no card in the flowers. I still don’t know who sent them.

b) Someone started a fire in the Courtney National Park early yesterday morning. They had used a match and some petrol to start the fire. The fire had burnt a lot of trees before someone called the fire brigade. The police have arrested a man. They are still questioning him.

c) Someone broke into the National Gallery late last night. The thieves had broken the alarm system before they climbed through a window. They stole some priceless works of art. They used a getaway car to escape. The police have questioned some suspects. They have not caught the thieves yet.

d) Yesterday afternoon, a volcanic eruption destroyed an entire village. Mount Sirius, which experts thought was dormant, erupted at 3 p.m. Tourists had seen smoke rising from the mouth of the volcano two days before. The police moved the villagers away from the area for their own safety. Tons of lava and rock came out of the volcano and wrecked houses, roads and trees. Although the blast physically injured only a few people, doctors are treating many for shock. The authorities are keep­ing the area surrounding Mount Sirius clear in case of further activity.

e) Yesterday afternoon, the school held a sports day. John’s teacher entered him for the 100m race because people thought John was the fastest runner in the school. John’s teacher blew the whistle and the race started. Loud cheers filled the air as John’s friends cheered him on. John overtook all the other runners and, as people had expected, John won the race. The headmaster gave him a trophy as a prize.

f) Do you think that people will ever use electric cars? Someone has already invented the electric car, but at the moment they are too expensive for most people to buy. Also, you have to recharge their batteries frequently. However, if people drove electric cars instead of the cars we use today, the air we breathe would be cleaner, as they would not pump exhaust fumes into the atmosphere.

g) Last week, the Prime Minister visited Dawston. The Mayor of the town greeted him when he arrived and gave him a tour. He introduced the Prime Minister to some important businessmen and took him to lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, the Mayor held a meeting and the Prime Minister addressed the citizens of Dawston. He told them that he had enjoyed his visit very much.

Exercise 11. Rewrite each sentence, starting with the words given, so that it means the same as the preceding sentence.

e.g. The corporation’s sales and service organization covers the country. The country is covered by the corporation’s sales and service organization.

1. We enclose payment together with our order. Payment______. 2. The customer should receive the delivery by Friday. The delivery _______. 3. They may have notified him before the invoice arrived. He ________. 4. FCS are only marketing their new dental equipment in Europe. FCS’s new dental equipment _______. 5. They have enlarged the premises since my last visit. The premises ________. 6. According to a recent report the group is making similar investments in other parts of the world. Similar investments _________. 7. The temporary clerk finally found the notes under the filing cabinet. The notes ________. 8. We will produce the components at our Sâo Paolo factory. The components _________. 9. We would reduce costs if we used less paper. Costs ________.

Exercise 12. Rewrite these passive sentences in the active form. Begin with the word(s) given.

e.g. The first fax machines were installed in 1988. The firm installed its first fax machine in 1988.

1. Further modifications will be made to this service to other customers. The suppliers _____. 2. The systems can easily be operated by ordinary office staff. Ordinary office staff ______. 3. The new software can be mastered easily in a couple of days. You ______. 4. Increased productivity has been achieved by using better trained staff. Using better trained staff ______. 5. The invoices are now sent out a week earlier. The department ______. 6. Better results can only be achieved if you work harder. You ______. 7. The new note-taking method will be introduced in our office. We ______. 8. You should be warned about the dangers of not co-operating with the personnel manager. I ______. 9. All relevant information about the meeting will be supplied in advance. The organizers ______.

Exercise 13. Rewrite the sentences in the active.

e.g. The actor was paid $10,000 to make the commercial. They paid the actor $10,000 to make the commercial.

a) 1. A new cinema is being built in the city center. 2. Breakfast will be served at eight in the morning. 3. All her best jewellery had been stolen by the burglars. 4. A lot of food was eaten at the party. 5. An old shipwreck has been discovered by drivers. 6. She is going to be sent to Germany on business. 7. The band’s latest video was made in Prague. 8. Designer clothes are sold in this shop. 9. The exam had been taken by all the children. 10. The experiment was being done by the scientists. 11. The exhibition will be opened by the mayor. 12. The Statue of Liberty was given to America by the French. 13. Chinese is spoken by more than one billion people.

b) 1. Her excuse may not be believed by her parents. 2. The painting has been valued by an expert. 3. He likes being given presents. 4. The bill must be paid immediately. 5. Hot water is provided by the hotel 24 hours a day. 6. Our newspaper is delivered by a boy every morning. 7. Her wedding dress will be made by a designer in Paris. 8. The meeting was attended by several important art critics. 9. Preparations are being made by the event organizers. 10. An interesting book has been published by the company.

Exercise 14. There are seven unnecessary words in the text below. Cross them out.

St Patrick’s Hospital, which was been completed last week, is to be opened this afternoon by the Minister of Health. The hospital it was built on the site of the old Opera House and is then the largest hospital in the county. The wards they are modern and spacious, and the building is filled by with the most up-to-date equipment. The money for the hospital was been raised by charity organizations and the Minister did congratulated them on their hard work.

VERBS WITH TWO OBJECTS

Verbs that have two objects (object + object or object + prepositional object) in active clauses can have two corresponding passive forms.

Bring

Buy

Owe

Read

Tell

Throw

Grant

Take

Send

Write

Allow

Offer

Show

Award

Feed

Give

Teach

Hand

Pass

Pay

Promise

Sell

Post

Lend

Active	Passive
She handed me the plate.	I was handed the plate.
She handed the plate to me.	The plate was handed to me.

Verbs that can’t be followed by object + object in the active have only one of these passive forms.

Describe

Introduce

Demonstrate

Mention

Suggest

Explain

Report

Active	Passive
He described the situation to me.	The situation was described to me.
He described me the situation.	I was described the situation.

Exercise 1. Find another way to write the sentences.

e.g. I was shown their letters of appointment. – Their letters of appointment were shown to me.

1. I was sent full details of the job. 2. They were all presented with signed certificates. 3. A free sightseeing trip is offered to all passengers. 4. Drinks and snacks have been given to everyone in this group. 5. He was brought the news of their success yesterday evening.

Exercise 2. Rewrite the sentences in the passive in both ways, as in the example.

e.g. His father gave Billy a new bicycle. – Billy was given a new bicycle by his father. A new bicycle was given to Billy by his father.

1. Fred has offered Mary a watch. 2. Lisa is sending Tim an invitation. 3. She brought me some oranges. 4. Sonia is going to lend me some money. 5. Jack will show me his new car. 6. They paid him a lot of money for the job.

Exercise 3. Rewrite the following active sentences using two passive forms, making the underlined words the subject. Omit the agent if it is not necessary.

e.g. The company sent him a letter. – He was sent a letter by the company. A letter was sent to him by the company.

They’ve just sent me a whole lot of junk mail. 2. The Credit Bank lent me two thousand pounds in 1999. 3. They gave each of the children a bottle of milk every day. 4. They showed us the sights of the city. 5. They will pay the workers $50 every Friday. 6. Someone had promised the children more food. 7. The magician told them the secret. 8. They offered her the job. 9. One of his uncles had taught him maths. 10. Someone gave the animal charity a lot of money.

Exercise 4. Make the following sentences passive, as in the example. Give two variants where possible.

e.g. They showed me a very interesting book. – I was shown a very interesting book. A very interesting book was shown to me.

1. My mother told me the news yesterday. 2. Their friends sent them their photographs last week. 3. Did they recommend you any good hotels? 4. The librarian showed the students how to find necessary books. 5. They allowed the children to go to the zoo. 6. They gave us a lot of money. 7. Her parents gave her a computer for her birthday. 8. They lent us some money. 9. My friend offered me a challenging job. 10. They pay him twice a month. 11. My mother teaches them English at school. 12. He promised me this book. 13. Did they show you that new Oxford Dictionary? 14. They sent presents to their relatives and friends. 15. The secretary gave the letter to her boss.

Exercise 5. Make one passive sentence or two, if possible.

e.g. Someone threw a lifebelt to me.

I was thrown a lifebelt. A lifebelt was thrown to me.

1. Someone mentioned the problem to me. 2. Someone had reported the theft to the police. 3. Someone told the story to me. 4. Someone has given $1,000 to the charity. 5. Someone will demonstrate the game to the children. 6. Someone was offering drinks to the guests. 7. Someone explained the procedure to me. 8. Someone sold the car to Tom.