Grammar Time: Passive Voice

Let’s revise how to use passive voice with different tenses.

Exam in Mind Level B1

We can use passive voice with most tenses.

To change the tense of a passive sentence, you change the form of the verb ‘be‘. The main verb in a passive sentence is always in the past participle form (V3).

Using the Passive Voice with Different Tenses

Tense Active Voice Passive Voice
Present Simple James writes the letters. The letters are written by James.
Past Simple James wrote the letters. The letters were written by James.
Present Continuous James is writing the letters. The letters are being written by James.
Present Perfect James has written the letters. The letters have been written by James.
going to James is going to write the letters. The letters are going to be written by James.
Future Simple  James will write the letters. The letters will be written by James.
Past Continuous James was writing the letters. The letters were being written by James.
Past Perfect The scientists had found the cure, but it was too late. The cure had been found, but it was too late.
Future Perfect The scientists will have found a cure by then. A cure will have been found by then.

It is uncommon to use the passive voice with the following tenses:

Have Practice Using Passive Voice with Different Tenses

Task 1. Make passive sentences using the word parts and the given tense.

  1. The window – open (present perfect simple)
  2. Her room – paint (past continuous)
  3. He – take – to the airport. (present perfect simple)
  4. The bike – repair – at the moment (present continuous)
  5. The cows – feed – every morning (present simple)
  6. The novel – write – a hundred years ago (past simple)
  7. The food – must put – in the fridge (present simple)
  8. A press conference – hold – tomorrow afternoon (future simple)
  9. Our new house – just – finish (present perfect simple)
  10. The thief – see – by the policeman (past perfect simple)
  11. The story – often tell – by grandmother (present simple)
  12. The package – send – by a good friend (past simple)
  13. He – not see – for ages (present perfect simple)
  14. My dad – off – a new job – later this week (future simple)
  15. The church – not renovate – for two hundred years (present perfect simple)
  16. Breakfast – serve – from 7 to 10 (present simple)

Task 2. Change sentences from active into passive voice. 

  1. Sheila is drinking a cup of tea.
  2. My father is washing the car.
  3. Farmer Joe is milking the cows.
  4. She is taking a picture of him.
  5. I am writing a poem.
  6. We are not playing football.
  7. He is not wearing a tie.
  8. Is she preparing the party?
  9. Are they talking about the meeting?
  10. Is she watering the flowers?

Task 3. Choose the one option a-d which best fits the space.

1. Concert tickets … at the box office.

a. being sold
b. are being sold
c. are be sold
d. are being selling

2. Following yesterday’s accident, three people are still … for minor injuries.

a. treated
b. being treating
c. treating
d. being treated

3. Your suit is not ready yet. It … right now.

a. is being cleaned
b. is being cleaning
c. is been cleaned
d. is cleaning

4. I could not use my car yesterday because it …

a. was being serviced
b. were being serviced
c. was being service
d. was been serviced

5. He left the room while the money …

a. has being collected
b. was been collected
c. was being collected
d. was being collecting

6. We couldn’t use the bathroom while it …

a. was been refitted
b. was being refitted
c. is being refitted
d. was refitting

Task 4. Use the passive voice to rewrite these sentences.

  1. We haven’t checked your car yet. – Your car …
  2. They have not done anything about it so far. – Nothing …
  3. Someone has cut this tree with this saw.
  4. Too many people have used the same methods.
  5. My classmates have decorated our classroom.
  6. Children have eaten all the biscuits.
  7. Property developers have bought this land.
  8. They haven’t asked us to give them a hand.
  9. Charities in this country have done a lot of good work.
  10. They haven’t built the new bridge yet.

Task 5.  Active or passive? Choose the correct form.

  1. Paul has been bit / has been bitten by a dog.
  2. Turn it off. Sue and Jill has been scared / have been scared to death.
  3. I’m afraid we have been stopped / have stopped by a a traffic warden.
  4. My sister has annoyed / has been annoyed with me since I was born.
  5. We have already given / have already been given it to Liz.
  6. I’ll work in Dover. I have been offered / have offered a job by Derek.
  7. There’s nothing left. All the goods has been sold / have been sold.
  8. Look at that. The horse has been hit by / with a stick.
  9. The new scyscraper has grown / has been grown taller than the old one.
  10. Our teacher has been ordered / has ordered us to come on time.
  11. It’s OK. The dinner has been paid by / with Matt.
  12. Oh, no! I have been woken up / have woken up by your alarm-clock.

Task 6. Rewrite the sentences and make them passive. Use passive voice with different tenses.

  1. They will send you the boxes next week.
  2. Coca Cola has sponsored this programme.
  3. The manager has locked the door.
  4. After they had shut the doors nobody could get in.
  5. The organizers of the event welcomed the president.
  6. They are inviting hundreds of guests to the opening of the new theatre.
  7. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic Games.
  8. The farmer milks the cows twice a day.
  9. Everyone went to bed after they had switched off the lights.
  10. Stephen Spielberg is directing a major action film at the moment.
  11. The local authorities have cut down three trees in our street.
  12. They serve lunch from 12 to 2.
  13. When I got there, they were paving the road.
  14. The referee will stop the match if the weather gets worse.
  15. Mom hasn’t washed my jeans since October.

Task 7. Make the sentences passive. Use passive voice with different tenses.

  1. They don’t expect you to win the match.
  2. He will finish the puzzle by tomorrow.
  3. The judge has sentenced many criminals in his career.
  4. Millions of people around the world love football.
  5. They are tearing down the old bridge at the moment.
  6. Has anyone opened these letters?
  7. The boys pushed Tom into the river.
  8. They say he is an excellent pianist.
  9. They gave him a new outfit for the performance.
  10. What are they going to ask him?
  11. We will have to do this work by next Monday.
  12. They could not reach the crash site in time.
  13. Mom is ironing your shirt.
  14. The headmaster did not allow students to smoke.
  15. The police should bring him to the station.

Task 8. Rewrite the sentences making them passive. Use passive voice with different tenses.

  1. Families in poor countries often force their children to work.
  2. They have offered him a good job.
  3. They should have redecorated the house before Christmas.
  4. They will repair my car by next week.
  5. People say that he is a good surfer.
  6. They have treated the prisoners badly for years.
  7. You haven’t answered to my question yet.
  8. We had to call the ambulance.
  9. In Asia children do a lot of the work.
  10. You cannot reach this village by train.
  11. Settlers built this town in 1802.
  12. Committee members handed out invitations for the meeting.
  13. You must park your car in the garage.
  14. They showed us the most important paintings in the gallery.
  15. They speak Spanish here.

Task 9. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb. Use active or passive voice with different tenses.

  1. A lot of old songs ____________________ on the radio last week. (PLAY)
  2. The President ____________________________ about the coup in Central America. (JUST INFORM)
  3. If I ____________________ you I wouldn’t go to the meeting. (BE)
  4. The bank manager told me that the house ________________________ for. (NOT PAY)
  5. I _________________________ the guitar since I was in nursery school. (PLAY)
  6. Margie is very happy because she __________________________ an engagement ring from her boyfriend. (JUST RECEIVE)
  7. I _______________________ after the children while the garage ________________________ .(LOOK , REPAIR)
  8. When Jane came to the office, she found out that her boss ________________________ . (ALREADY LEAVE)
  9. Please don’t interrupt us. We ____________________ an important conversation. (HAVE)
  10. I reported to the police that my stamp collection _______________________ the week before. (STEAL)
  11. A short time after the pedestrian _______________________ by the car the ambulance ____________________ . (HIT, ARRIVE)
  12. When Mr Kennel entered the room, emails ________________________ by his assistants. (TYPE)
  13. Dad ________________________ for over three weeks. (NOT SMOKE)
  14. He normally ____________________ up on his own but yesterday he ____________________ by his mom. (WAKE, WAKE)
  15. They usually ____________________ visitors at the hospital. (NOT ALLOW)
  16. All the houses in our street _______________________ every year during the Christmas season. (DECORATE)
  17. India _______________________ independence in 1947. (GRANT)
  18. They _______________________ in southern Italy since the end of the war. (LIVE)
  19. I ______________________ a car by the garage so that I could drive home. (GIVE)
  20. Tom’s father is an excellent athlete. He ____________________ some sort of sport every day. (DO)

Task 10. Rewrite the sentences making them passive. Use passive voice with different tenses.

  1. Someone will attend to you later.
  2. I don’t remember Jack giving me the tickets.
  3. We must do something before the situation gets out of control.
  4. You can hear the music in all sections of the stadium.
  5. The company employs 5 people.
  6. They are going to buy a new TV set next week.
  7. My great grandfather built this house 60 years ago
  8. My sister gave me the key so I could get in.
  9. Nobody said anything.
  10. A loud noise woke me up last night.
  11. How do you prepare such a dish?
  12. I don’t like someone lying to me.
  13. She solved all her problems.
  14. After a while she found out they hadn’t told her the truth.
  15. The outstanding performance impressed her.
  16. You mustn’t put the leftovers back in the fridge.

Source:

https://www.theenglishspace.com/grammar/passive-voice/passive-voice-and-tense
https://www.english-practice.at/b1/grammar/passive-voice/b1-passive-voice-index