Passive voice
- Grammar rules with examples
- Online exercises with answers
- PDF worksheets with keys
Passive voice - grammar rules with examples
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Passive voice online exercises
There are two voices in English: active and passive. The passive is more formal than the active and is typical of impersonal written texts.
The passive voice is used in the following tenses.
Present simple and continuous passive: The car is repaired. The car is being repaired.
Past simple and continuous passive: The car was repaired. The car was being repaired.
Present perfect passive: The car has just been repaired.
Past perfect passive: The car had been repaired.
Future simple passive: The car will be repaired.
Future perfect passive: The car will have been repaired.
Present and perfect conditional passive: The car would be repaired. The car would have been repaired.
Form
The passive voice in English is formed with the verb to be and the past participle, which is different for regular verbs (translated, mended) and irregular
verbs (taken, thrown).
Statement: The letter is written. This shop has been opened. It will be done in time.
Question: Is the letter written? Has the shop been opened? Will it be done in time?
Negative: The letter is not written. The shop has not been opened. It will not be done in time.
The continuous is as follows. (Other continuous tenses are normally used in the active voice, not in the passive.)
Present: A new house is being built in our street.
Past: A new house was being built in our street.
In all the examples above the agent is not mentioned. We do not know who has written the letter or opened the shop.
Similarly: Flowers were planted in the garden. (We do not know who did it).
If we want to say who planted the flowers we mention the agent at the end of the sentence and use the preposition by.
The flowers were planted by my mother.
But: The window was smashed with a stone. (The stone is not the agent. We do not know who smashed the window. We only know how he or she did it).
Direct and indirect objects
If there are both direct and indirect objects in the active voice (My friend sent me a letter), the indirect object (my friend), not the direct object (a letter), usually becomes the subject in the passive voice.
Active: My friend sent me a letter.
Passive: I was sent a letter by my friend. (This form is more natural in English than A letter was sent to me by my friend.)
Similarly: They offer Trevor a place. - Trevor is offered a place.
The infinitive without to
In the active voice some verbs are followed by the bare infinitive (infinitive without to). In the passive form we use most such verbs with the infinitive with to.
Active: We saw them come. She made him do it.
Passive: They were seen to come. He was made to do it.
But: They let us go. - We were let go.
Use
The passive is used:
1. If the action is more important then the agent.
A demonstration has been held. This theatre was built in 1868.
The important thing is what happened, not who did it.
2. If the agent is not known.
He was offered a job. (Someone offered him the job.)
They are supposed to be good students. (Some teachers suppose that.)
The difference in meaning between the simple and continuous
A new house is built in our street. (The house is finished.)
A new house is being built in our street. (They are building it these days, it is not finished.)
I was being introduced to Mrs. Jones when her husband arrived. (Her husband arrived in the middle of the introduction.)
When her husband arrived I was introduced to Mrs. Jones. (Her husband arrived first and then she introduced me.)
Notes
This form is typical of an impersonal and formal style, that is why you can often find it in public notices, announcements, instructions or scientific articles.
English is spoken in this shop. Visitors are not allowed to smoke. The seal must be removed.
In a less formal style the active voice is more usual.
English is spoken in this shop. - We speak English in this shop.
He was seen in Dover. - They saw him in Dover.
The seal must be removed. - You must remove the seal.
In the English language this form is more frequent than in many other languages. Moreover, you can find some stuctures in English which are not possible in some languages.
I am told that you are going to have a baby. It is thought that the crises will end soon.
Present simple passive
Present simple passive exercises + PDF
The present simple passive is made with the present simple form of the verb to be (am, are, is) + the past participle of a verb (washed, cooked / seen, taken).
I am bitten by an insect.
Potatoes are boiled for about twenty minutes.
This TV show is watched by millions of fans.
Questions
We make questions in the present simple passive by changing the word order of a statement.
Are you bitten by an insect?
Are potatoes boiled for about twenty minutes?
Is this TV show watched by anyone?
Negative
The negative forms are made by adding 'not' after the verb to be.
I am not bitten by an insect.
Potatoes are not boiled for more than twenty minutes.
This TV show is not watched by anyone.
Present continuous passive
Present continuous passive exercises + PDF
The present continuous passive is made with the present simple form of the verb to be (am, are, is) + being + the past participle of a verb (washed, cooked / seen, taken).
I am being interviewed just now.
Two problem-solving meetings are being held at the moment.
Your car is being serviced at the back of the garage.
Questions
We make questions in the present continuous passive by changing the word order of a statement.
Are you being interviewed just now?
Excuse me, where are the meetings being held?
Is my car being serviced at the back of the garage?
Negative
The negative forms are made by adding 'not' after the verb to be.
I am not being interviewed just now.
The problem-solving meetings are not being held today.
Your car is not being serviced at the back of the garage.
Past simple passive
Past simple passive exercises + PDF
The past simple passive is made with the past simple form of the verb to be (was, were) + the past participle of a verb (reconstructed, cleaned / written, done).
I was taken to hospital by ambulance.
These windows were cleaned yesterday.
Your homework was done by someone else.
Questions
We make questions in the past simple passive by changing the word order of a statement.
Were you taken to hospital by ambulance?
When were these windows cleaned?
Was your homework done by anyone else?
Negative
The negative forms are made by adding 'not' after the verb to be.
I was not taken to hospital by ambulance.
These windows were not cleaned yesterday.
Your homework was not done by anyone else.
Past continuous passive
Past continuous passive exercises + PDF
The past continuous passive is made with the past simple form of the verb to be (was, were) + being + the past participle of a verb (asked, replaced / beaten, thrown).
I didn't understand why I was being asked.
The wheels on my car were just being replaced when I arrived at the tire service.
The Red Lions were being beaten at the beginning of the match.
Questions
We make questions in the past continuous passive by changing the word order of a statement.
Why was I being asked? I didn't understand that.
When were the wheels on your car being replaced?
Were the Red Lions being beaten at the beginning of the match?
Negative
The negative forms are made by adding 'not' after the verb to be.
I didn't understand why I was not being asked.
The wheels on my car were not being replaced when I arrived at the tire service.
The Red Lions were not being beaten at the beginning of the match.
Future simple passive
Future simple passive exercises + PDF
The future simple passive is made with will + be + the past participle of a verb (invited, delivered / forbidden, made).
I hope I will be invited to Sharon's birthday party.
Your message will be delivered immediately.
Cigarettes will be forbidden in public places sooner or later.
Questions
We make questions in the future simple passive by changing the word order of a statement.
Will you be invited to Sharon's party?
When will the message be delivered?
Will cigarettes be forbidden in public places?
Negative
The negative forms are made by adding 'not' after 'will'.
I am afraid I will not be invited to the party.
Your message will not be delivered immediatelly.
Cigarettes will not be forbidden in all public places.
Note
The future simple passive is the only passive form of the future tense. The future continuous tense is not normally used in the passive voice.
Present perfect passive
Present perfect passive exercises + PDF
The present perfect passive is made with have/has + been + the past participle of a verb (removed, repaired / written, sunk).
The dirt has been removed from the road.
Sir, all the windows have been repaired.
This ship has been sunk by torpedo.
Questions
We make questions in the present perfect passive by changing the word order of a statement.
Has the dirt been removed from the road?
Have all the windows been repaired?
Has this ship been sunk by torpedo?
Negative
The negative forms are made by adding 'not' after 'have/has'.
The dirt has not been removed from the road.
The windows have not been repaired.
The ship has not been sunk by torpedo.
Note
The present perfect simple passive is the only passive form of the present perfect tense. The present perfect continuous is not normally used in the passive voice.
Past perfect passive
Past perfect passive exercises + PDF
The past perfect passive is made with had + been + the past participle of a verb (finished, flooded / chosen, hit).
The paintwork on my car had been finished before I arrived.
The house had to be pulled down after it had been flooded.
Jim cried because ha had been hit with a ball.
Questions
We make questions in the past perfect passive by changing the word order of a statement.
Had the paintwork been finished before I arrived?
The house was pulled down. Had it been flooded?
Why did Jim cry? Had he been hit with a ball?
Negative
The negative forms are made by adding 'not' after 'had'.
The paintwork had not been finished before I arrived.
Our house was not pulled down because it had not been flooded.
I don't know why Jim cried. He had not been hit with the ball.
Note
The past perfect simple passive is the only passive form of the past perfect tense. The past perfect continuous is not normally used in the passive voice.
Future perfect passive
The future perfect passive is made with will + have + been + the past participle of a verb (finished, flooded / chosen, hit).
The reconstruction will have been finished by the end if this month.
The dinner will have been made by the time you'll come back.
Your car will have been repaired before noon.
Questions
We make questions in the future perfect passive by changing the word order of a statement.
Will the reconstruction have been finished by the end if this month?
Will the dinner have been made by the time I'll come back!
Negative
The negative forms are made by adding 'not' after 'will'.
The reconstruction will not have been finished by the end if this month.
The dinner won't have been made by the time you'll come back.
Note
The future perfect simple passive is the only passive form of the future perfect tense. The future perfect continuous is not normally used in the passive voice.