1st Term

2024 | 2025
English Worksheet

Passive Voice
We form the passive with the verb to be and the past participle of the main verb.

Active Passive

Present Simple He delivers the parcels. The parcels are delivered.

Present Continuous He is delivering the parcels. The parcels are being delivered.
Past Simple He delivered the parcels. The parcels were delivered.
Past Continuous He was delivering the parcels. The parcels were being delivered.
Future with “will” He will deliver the parcels. The parcels will be delivered.
Present Perfect He has delivered the parcels. The parcels have been delivered.
Past Perfect He had delivered the parcels. The parcels had been delivered.
Future Perfect He will have delivered the parcels. The parcels will have been delivered.
Future with “Going to” He is going to deliver the parcels. The parcels are going to be delivered.
Modal Verbs He should deliver the parcels. The parcels should be delivered.

▪ The present perfect continuous, the future continuous, the past perfect
continuous and the future perfect continuous are not normally used in the
passive.

▪ We can use the verb to get instead of the verb to be in everyday speech when
we talk about things that happen by accident or unexpectedly.
e.g. Four people got hurt in the car crash. (= Four people were hurt ...)

USE
We use the passive:

a) when the person who carries out the action is unknown, unimportant or obvious
from the context.
e.g.
a) My flat was broken into last week. (We do not know who broke into the flat.)
b) Coffee beans are grown in Brazil. (It is not important to know who grows the
coffee.)
c) My car was serviced yesterday. (It is obvious that a mechanic serviced it.)
b) when the action itself is more important than the person who carries it out, as in
news headlines, newspaper articles, formal notices, instructions, advertisements,
processes, etc.
e.g.
a) The new hospital will be opened by the Queen on May 15th. (formal notice)
b) Then, the milk is taken to a factory where it is pasteurised. (process)

c) when we refer to an unpleasant event and we do not want to say who or what is
to blame.
e.g. A lot of mistakes have been made. (instead of 'You have made a lot of
mistakes.’)

CHANGING FROM ACTIVE INTO PASSIVE

To change a sentence from the active into the passive:

a) the object of the active sentence becomes the subject in the passive sentence.
b) the active verb remains in the same tense but changes into a passive form.
c) the subject of the active sentence becomes the agent and is either introduced
with the preposition by or omitted.

subject verb object

active Tom invited me

subject verb agent

passive I was invited by Tom

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

e.g. active: Grandma knitted my jumper. (transitive verb)

passive: My jumper was knitted by Grandma.

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

▪ Some transitive verbs such as have, fit, suit, resemble, etc., cannot be changed
into the passive.
e.g. I have a shower every morning. (NOT: A shower is had by me ...)
▪ We use by + agent to say who or what carries out the action.
▪ We use with + instrument/material/ ingredient to say what the agent used.

e.g. The pancakes were made by Claire. They were made with eggs, flour and
milk.

▪ The agent is often omitted in the passive sentence when the subject of the active
sentence is one of the following words: people, one, someone/somebody,
they, he, etc.

e.g. active: Somebody has rearranged the furniture.

passive: The furniture has been rearranged.

But: The agent is not omitted when it is a specific or important person or when
it is essential to the meaning of the sentence.
e.g. a) The 'Mona Lisa' was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
b) A new law has been passed by the government.

▪ Object pronouns (me, you, him; etc:) become subject pronouns (I, you, he,
etc.) in the passive.
e.g. active: They arrested him.
passive: He was arrested.

▪ With verbs which take two objects such as bring, tell, send, show, teach,
promise, buy, throw, write, award, hand, sell, owe, grant, allow, feed,
pass, post, read, take, offer, give, pay and lend we can make two different
passive sentences.
active: Patrick gave Emily some flowers.
passive: a) Emily was given some flowers by Patrick. (more usual)
b) Some flowers were given to Emily by Patrick. (less usual)

▪ When the verb of the active sentence is followed by a preposition, the preposition
is kept in the passive sentence as well.
e.g. active: They presented him with a medal.
passive: He was presented with a medal.
PRACTICE

A Complete with the passive voice. Use the tense given.

0 This film was directed (direct) by Sam Britton. (past simple)
1 English_____________________ (speak) all over the world. (present simple)
2 A new school ________________ (build) in West Street. (present continuous)
3 Dinner_________________________(serve) at 8.00.(will)
4 The rules______________(must / obey) by all the students. (present simple)
5 The match _________________________(cancel). (past perfect)
6 My car______________________(steal)! (present perfect)
7 The room____________________(clean) when I arrived. (past continuous)

B Complete with the passive voice.

0 A space probe was sent (send) to Mars two months ago.
1 Roller skates_________________________ (invent) in 1949.
2 She ________________________(might / interview) by a famous journalists.
3 The classrooms ____________________ (clean) every day.
4 We can’t use my office at the moment. It ______________________(clean).
5 I think a hospital ____________________(build) here next year.
6 Mrs Smith was waiting while her car _____________________(repair).
7 We can’t go to the concert. All the tickets _______________________(sell).
8 I ______________________ (can / contact) in an emergency.
9 By the time the police arrived, all the money ___________________(steal).

C Form the negative and question.

0 A: This book was written in 1955.
B: You’re wrong. It wasn’t written in 1955.
A: Really? When was it written?
1 A: The house is being redecorated next week.
B: You’re wrong.__________________________________________________
A: Really? When___________________________________________________
2 A: Our new carpet will be delivered on Monday.
B: You’re wrong. __________________________________________________
A: Really? When __________________________________________________
3 A: The meeting is going to be held on Friday.
B: You’re wrong.__________________________________________________
A: Really? When __________________________________________________
4 A: The tourists have been taken to the museum.
B: You’re wrong.__________________________________________________
A: Really? Where _________________________________________________
D Rewrite the sentences in the passive voice.
0 Millions of people use the Internet every day.
The Internet is used by millions of people every day.
1 Mrs Richards will mark your tests. _____________________________________

2 A neighbour had reported the murder. _________________________________

3 An old lady saw the thief. ___________________________________________

4 Mr Jones locks the office every evening. ________________________________

5 Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur. _____________________

6 Isabella will write the article for next week’s issue.________________________

7 The ancient Greeks built the Parthenon. ________________________________

E Rewrite the sentences in the passive voice.

0 Anyone can answer this question.

This question can be answered by anyone.

1 An old man was following the girls. __________________________________

2 Detective Roberts is interviewing the robbers. _________________________

3 Jean Pierre is going to design her wedding dress. ______________________

4 A vet was examining the sick cat. ___________________________________

5 A doctor should treat that wound.___________________________________

6 The new reporter can write that article. ______________________________

7 Kate Woods might sing this song. ___________________________________

F Say if these sentences are active (A) or passive (P). Then rewrite each

sentence in the active or passive voice.

0 Someone is watching us. (A) We are being watched.

0 Horror films shouldn’t be watched by children. (P) Children shouldn’t watch

horror films.

1 She is being examined by Doctor Simms._____________________________

______________________________________________________________

2 An old man found her purse._______________________________________

______________________________________________________________
3 ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was written by Shakespeare. _______________________

______________________________________________________________

4 This river has been polluted by poisonous chemicals. ____________________

______________________________________________________________

5 She was assisted by two young men.________________________________

______________________________________________________________

6 The prime minister will make an announcement. _______________________

______________________________________________________________

G Rewrite the sentences in the passive voice. Include the agent only where
necessary.
0 They are restoring the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is
being restored.
1 Steven Spielberg directed these films.
______________________________________________________________
2 Someone was following me on my way home.
______________________________________________________________
3 The police haven’t questioned the suspects yet.
______________________________________________________________
4 Mr Neon is teaching the Geography class at the moment.
______________________________________________________________
5 He told the students to keep quiet.
______________________________________________________________
6 They invited a hundred people to the wedding.
______________________________________________________________
7 Charlotte Brontë wrote ‘Jane Eyre’.
______________________________________________________________

H Complete with by or with.

0 This picture was painted ___by___ a famous British artist.
1 These pictures were taken ______________a very good camera.
2 My notes were blown away ______________the wind.
3 He got stung __________________a bee.
4 The room was filled _________________smoke.
5 These pictures were taken ________________a professional photographer.
6 Her desk was covered ___________________ books.
7 The Statue of Liberty was designed______________________ F. Bartholdi.
MAKE and LET
See how these verbs form the passive voice.
Active voice Passive voice
make somebody do something be made to do something
My parents make me tidy my room I am made to tidy my room every my
every weekend. weekend.
let somebody do something be allowed to do something
They let me stay up late. I am allowed to stay up late.

I Rewrite the sentences in the passive voice.

0 Our teachers make us work hard at school.
We are made to work hard at school.
1 She lets the children pick fruit from her trees.
The children ____________________________________________________
2 He made the boy apologise.
The boy ________________________________________________________
3 They don’t let people touch the exhibits in the museum.
People _________________________________________________________
4 Mother will make you wear that dress!
You ____________________________________________________________
5 The teacher will let us leave school early today.
We _____________________________________________________________
6 She has never made me do anything like that!
________________________________________________________________
7 They let us use the equipment.
________________________________________________________________

Double object verbs

There are some verbs that can have two objects (e.g. give, send, bring, show, offer
etc.).
These verbs (double object verbs) form the passive voice in two ways, ie we can form
two different sentences with the same meaning.
Active voice: They sent Tom a letter.
Passive voice: A letter was sent to Tom.
Passive voice: Tom was sent a letter.
J Rewrite the sentences in the passive voice.
0 The prime minister will give a medal to John.
A medal will be given to John by the prime minister.

1 He gave Tim some money.

Tim _________________________________________________________
2 They’ve offered Sally a job.
Sally_________________________________________________________
3 She is telling the children a story.
The children___________________________________________________
4 They gave Bob a CD player for his birthday.
Bob__________________________________________________________
5 He must give the message to the right person.
The message__________________________________________________
6 We teach our students English and French.
Our students__________________________________________________
7 Someone brought flowers for the bride.
Flowers_______________________________________________________
8 They showed the tourists the sights of Athens.
The tourists___________________________________________________
9 They pay her an excellent salary.
She__________________________________________________________

K Rewrite the sentences using the word given.

0 They paid the artist £1,000 for this painting. to

£ 1,000 ___was paid to____ the artist for this painting.

1 They have sent a brochure to all the members of the club. been

All the members of the club ____________________________a brochure.

2 Someone delivered an important message to Mr Wilson this morning. was

An important message ______________________________ this morning.

3 She will offer tea and cakes to her guests. be

Her guests ___________________________ tea and cakes.

4 He showed the new computer room to the students. was

The new computer room ______________________________the students.

It is said that… / He is said to be…

Some verbs such as say, think, believe, expect, estimate, know, understand,
report, etc. form the passive voice in two ways:
▪ It + passive verb (+ that) + clause
▪ Subject + passive verb + infinitive

Active: Many people think (that) her new film is excellent.

Passive: It is thought (that) her new film is excellent.
Her new film is thought to be excellent.

Active: They say (that) he has won the lottery.

Passive: It is said (that) he has won the lottery.
He is said to have won the lottery.

Active: Some people believe (that) Mary left the country years ago.
Passive: It is believed (that) Mary left the country years ago.
Mary is believed to have left the country years ago.

L Rewrite the sentences in the passive voice. Use the correct construction.

0 It is said that a black cat brings bad luck.

A black cat is said to bring bad luck.
1 It is known that dogs are colour blind.
Dogs are known __________________________________________________
2 It is believed that he has moved to Brazil.
He is believed_____________________________________________________
3 The thieves are reported to have escaped.
It is reported _____________________________________________________
4 It is said that five people died in the accident yesterday.
Five people are said _______________________________________________
5 The plane is reported to have landed safely last night.
It is reported _____________________________________________________
6 The new restaurant is thought to be very good.
It is thought _____________________________________________________
7 The actor is said to be seriously ill.
It is said ________________________________________________________
8 It is thought that people came here three thousand years ago.
People __________________________________________________________
9 She is believed to have bought the painting for over a million pounds.
It is believed _____________________________________________________
M Rewrite the sentences in the passive voice. Use two constructions for
each sentence.

0 They say that he’s the richest man in Britain.

It is said that he’s the richest man in Britain.
He is said to be the richest man in Britain.
1 They believe that she stole the jewellery.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2 People say that he has written a book about ancient Greece.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3 Everyone knows that this is the oldest building in town.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
4 People say that she was a genius.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
5 They say that he robbed a bank when he was young.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

6 They believe that she has discovered the secret.

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
7 People say that dolphins are very intelligent.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
 N Read and circle the correct answer.

STATUS: ENDANGERED
The Giant Panda

One of the world’s largest mammals, the giant panda. (1)

B to be one of the most critically endangered species in the world. Giant pandas (2)

________ be found in only six small areas of central China. It (3)

________
estimated that there are fewer than 1000 pandas left in the wild.
Endangered? Why?
The giant panda (which is also (4)
________ as the panda bear or bamboo bear) is
being threatened because the bamboo forests, where it lives, (5)
________
destroyed. For years, pandas (6)
________ illegally and unfortunately, some are still
being killed.
What is being (7)
________?
Recently, a very strict set of laws (8)
________ introduced (9) ________ the Chinese
government in order to protect these beautiful animals. The protection of the giant
panda is (10)
________ by many environmental organisations around the world.

1 A is thinking B is thought C thinks D thought

2 A can B have C are D do

3 A is B has C is being D had

4 A know B knew C known D knowing

5 A have B are C must D are being

6 A have hunted B have been hunted C have been hunting D been hunted

7 A do B doing C did D done

8 A did B was C has D had

9 A by B with C from D for

10 A support B supported C supporting D supports

O Rewrite the sentences using the word given.

0 Thousands of people attended the concert. by

The concert was attended by thousands of people
1 You must read this paragraph carefully. read
This paragraph ____________________________________________carefully.
2 They’re going to restore that old building next month. restored
That old building ________________________________________next month.
3 They didn’t pay me last month. get
I _____________________________________________________last month.
4 They will give £500 to the winner. given
The winner _________________________________________________ £500.
5 The storm caused a lot of damage. was
A lot of damage __________________________________________the storm.
6 They are cleaning the garage at the moment. is
The garage __________________________________________at the moment.
7 They will not let you into the building. be
You _______________________________________________into the building.
8 His colleagues are organising a surprise party. being
A surprise party _______________________________________his colleagues.
9 A ball broke the window. by
The window _________________________________________________a ball.
10 We should tell her about the party. be
She _______________________________________________about the party.
11 They were fixing the roof when I left. was
The roof _______________________________________________ when I left.

P Rewrite the sentences using the word given.

0 People think that this jewellery was made in Mexico. thought

It is thought that this jewellery was made in Mexico.
1 It is expected that they will win the game. are
They ___________________________________________________the game.
2 He offered her a rose. was
She_______________________________________________________ a rose.
3 It is said that this play was written in the seventeenth century. have
This play ____________________________written in the seventeenth century.
4 We don’t know how many people were injured in the accident. known
It ________________________how many people were injured in the accident.
5 This report must be sent to Mr Allan immediately. sent
Mr Allan _____________________________________this report immediately.
6 It is reported that the missing girl was found in the park. to
The missing girl is _______________________________________in the park.
7 They gave her a new sports car for Christmas. given
She ___________________________________a new sports car for Christmas.
8 The bus driver is believed to have caused the accident. is
It __________________________________ the bus driver caused the accident.
9 She told the students a joke. were
The students _________________________________________a joke.
10 She is said to be very good at painting. said
It ____________________________________________ very good at painting.
11 George Newton might be given a Nobel prize. to
A Nobel prize ___________________________ George Newton.