The Tense Forms of the Verb in the Passive

Simple   Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous

Present It is written   It is being written   It has been written     —

Past   It was written   It was being written   It had been written     —

Future   It will be written   —   It will have been written   —

Transform the sentences into the passive voice and ask questions to the underlined words in the Passive Voice.

a) Example: They grow rice in China.

Rice is grown in China. What is grown in China?

We don't drink tea very often.

Vegetarians don't eat meat.

Liz reads a newspaper every day.

We pay the bill before leaving the restaurants.

I buy bread every morning.

John usually meets her on his way home.

He changes cars once a year.

Somebody cleans the room every day.

People don't use this road very often.

How do people learn languages?

b) Example: They cancelled all flights because of the fog.

All flights were cancelled because of the fog. Why were all flights cancelled?

Somebody accused me of stealing money.

People advised us not to go out alone.

I cooked fish soup for dinner.

Ann broke her leg in an accident.

Did you beat out the carpets?

John took my diary.

The dressmaker spoiled my dress.

We did not see him last year.

c) Example: She will open the jar.

The jar will be opened. What will be opened?

They will cut down the tree soon.

We will wash the dishes after dinner.

Don't go there! Bees will sting you.

The police will arrest the criminal.

Jane will alter her elder sister's dress for the party.

They will air the classroom in the interval.

How will you lengthen this dress?

Dick will invite us to the party.

d) Example: Somebody is using the computer at the moment.

The computer is being used at the moment. When is the computer being used?

Jane ismaking up her face in the bedroom.

Is he writing a new book now?

They are building a concert hall near our house.

The committee is considering several new proposals.

John is calling the other members.

e) Example: I didn't realise that somebody was recording our conversation.

I didn’t realise that our conversation was being recorded. Whose conversation was being recorded?

Mary was scolding her daughter when I entered the room.

I was watching the "Romeo and Juliet" at that moment.

While the man was reading the newspaper, Diana approached him.

What were you cooking when I rang you up?

Martha was delivering the documents to the department.

f) Example: Somebody has washed the floor.

The floor has been washed. What has been washed?

They have postponed the concert.

They have built a new hospital near the airport.

They have cooked vegetables too long.

I haven't dusted the furniture yet.

Somebody has taken my umbrella by mistake.

The police have found the people they were looking for.

They have redecorated the house lately.

She has just locked the door.

Tom gets a high salary now, they have promoted him.

g) Example: By noon they had cleaned the flat.

The flat had been cleaned by noon. By what time had the flat been cleaned?

He had bought a Volvo, before he sold his old car.

As Mary had left her bag behind she had to return home.

The car was three years old but they hadn't used it very much.

Mike went to hospital as a dog had bitten him in the street.

Who had sewn clothes for you before you learned sewing?

When we got to the stadium we found that they had cancelled the game.

The company had ordered some new equipment before the strike began.

The delegates had received the information before the recess.

h) Example: John will have received the papers by tomorrow.

The papers will have been received by tomorrow. By what time will the papers have been received?

They will have provided the refreshments before the party begins.

They will have informed Janis about their plans before they leave for Paris.

They will have completed the research by next month.

They will have begun the programme by next year.

Maurice will have fixed the car by 6 o'clock.