Gran Colombia University

Upper intermediate level

Review of the Passive Voice & Worksheet
Only sentences that contain the object of a verb can be changed to the passive voice.

Active voice: I invited John.

[subject] [verb] [object]

Passive voice: John was invited by me.

In a passive sentence, the object of the verb (in the active sentence) becomes the subject.

This is the structure for the passive voice:

John was invited (by me).

[subject] + [BE + Past Participle] (by actor)

The (by me) part of the sentence is optional.

Reminder #1

An active sentence that does not have an object cannot be made into the passive voice.

Active voice: She cried. (The verb has no object, so you cannot make a passive
sentence)

Active voice: An accident happened. (Again, you cannot form a passive sentence
without an object)

Intransitive verbs, verbs that never have an object, like be, die, happen, exist, appear can
never be made into the passive voice. Only transitive verbs (enjoy, kill, catch, show, etc) can
be used in the passive voice because they have an object. (Hint: They are called transitive
because you can transfer an object to them.)

Distinguishing between Passive and Active Voice

Guideline 1: If the sentence does not contain BE + Past Participle, then it cannot be a
passive sentence.

John was eating a snack. (= not passive – no BE + Past Participle)

Guideline 2: Look at the subject of the sentence and then the verb. Then ask yourself if the
subject is the actor of the verb (did John eat?) or was the subject the object of the verb (Did
someone eat John?). If the subject is the actor, then it’s an active sentence. If the subject is
the object of the verb, then it’s a passive sentence.

Intermediate Exercise #1 – Distinguishing between Active or

Passive Voice

Indicate if the below sentences are in the passive or active voice.

1. I have never been to Wichita.

ACTIVE

2. I have never been arrested.

PASSIVE

3. The tower was built in 1802 by a French Artist.

PASSIVE

4. Nothing happened.

ACTIVE

5. No one was injured by the fire.

PASSIVE

6. The award was given to the top student.

PASSIVE

7. We decided not to hire anyone.

ACTIVE

8. The pizza was delicious.

ACTIVE

9. The pizza was ordered.

PASSIVE

10. The pizza made me sick.

 ACTIVE

11. I was made sick by the pizza.

PASIVE

Intermediate Exercise #2 – Change Active sentences to Passive

(Present Simple and Past Simple)
1. I didn’t fix the problem.
THE PROBLEM WASN’T FIXED

2. Police protect the town.

THE TOWN IS PROTECTED

3. John’s mother raised him in a small town.

HE WAS RAISED IN A SMALL TOWN

4. Someone painted the building last year.

THE BUILDING WAS PAINTED LAST YEAR

5. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928.

PENICILIN WAS DISCOVERED IN 1928

6. Some students study grammar on the Internet.

GRAMMMAR IS STUDIED ON THE INTERNET

Intermediate Exercise #3 – Add the Appropriate Verb in the

Past Simple
Look at the subject and verb to determine if it is an active or passive sentence. Then add the
appropriate verb. Use the Past Simple tense for this exercise.

1. Many people ___BOUGHT____________ (buy) tickets for the concert last year. All the
tickets _____WERE SOLD__________ (sell).

2. The child ___WAS HELPED____________ (help) by his father. His toys _WERE PICKED UP__
(pick up) and put into a drawer.

4. Scientists ____DISCOVERED ___________ (discover) a new species of frog.

5. The students DID NOT RAISE_____________ (not/raise) their hands.

6. Last night’s dinner _WAS PREPARED_____________ (prepare) by my wife.

7. The safety rules __WERE NOT FOLLOWED_____________ (not/follow), so an accident

______HAPPENED_________ (happen).

8. Because the printer ____WAS DAMEGED___________ (damage), we couldn’t print.

9. The house _______HAD ________ (have) a swimming pool when I lived there.

10. I ______WAS NOT ALLOWED _________ (not/allow) to drink alcohol when I was young.
Advanced Exercise #1 – Distinguishing between Active or
Passive Voice

Mark if the sentence is in the active or passive voice. (Remember to look for the BE + Past
Participle structure.)

1. The company was shut down by the police.

PASSIVE

2. We had been given the wrong tickets.

PASSIVE

3. She wishes she had been there.

ACTIVE

4. He might not have been paying attention.

ACTIVE

5. He should not have been asked to pay.

PASSIVE

6. Chemicals can be toxic.

ACTIVE

7. New regulations will be introduced next spring.

PASSIVE

Advanced Exercise #2 – Change Active sentences to Passive

(Present Simple and Past Simple)
1. Someone had broken the window by 3:00 p.m.

THE WINDOW HAD BEEN BROKEN BY 3:00PM

2. A strange man was watching us.

 WE WERE BAING WATCHED BY A STRAGE MAN

3. Tokyo will hold the Olympics in 2020.

THE OLYMPICS WILL BE HELD IN TOKYO IN 2020

4. We are working on the report right now.

HE HAS BEEN TOLD TO ARRIVE EARLIER

5. My manager has told him to arrive earlier.

HE HAS BEEN TOLD TO ARRIVED EARLIER

6. They could not have made the mistake.

THE MISTAKE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MADE

7. I hope they are going to hire me soon.

I HOPE I AM GOING TO BE HIRED SOON

Advanced Exercise #3 – All Verb Tenses

Look at the subject and verb to determine if it is an active or passive sentence. Then add the
appropriate verb. Be careful with intransitive verbs (verbs that do not have an object – they
cannot be used in the passive voice.)

1. That car looks like it has never ______BEEN WASHED_________ (wash).

2. If I were you, I would ___CONTACT____________ (contact) a lawyer.

3. Have you ___BEEN INFORMED____________ (inform) yet about the new policy?

4. Unfortunately, the budget has _NOT BEEN APPROVED______________ (not/approve) yet.

5. A smile ___APPEARED____________ (appear) on her face.

6. We __HAVE BEEN WAITING_____________ (wait) for 30 minutes. Where is the bus?

7. The performance _IS HAPPPENING______________ (happen) right now. Let’s go.

8. I’ll be happy if our plan _SUCCEEDS______________ (succeed).

9. The server _WAS ORDERED______________ (order) to clean up the mess he had made.

10. The judge ordered that smoking ___BE PROHIBITED____________ (prohibit) in restaurants.

11. His grandfather ____PASSED AWAY___________ (pass away) years ago.

12. The airplane, which ___OPERATED____________ (operate) by Singapore Airlines,

______FLOWN_________ (fly) by an experienced pilot.

13. I wouldn’t have complained if the food _____HAD NOT BEEN __________ (not/be)
overcooked.