English Today

The Passive - Practice

Grammar Reference

A. A reporter is talking to Lucy Fame. Complete the interview using an appropriate passive form, as in the example.

Rep: It's wonderful to interview such a famous person as you.

Lucy:Yes, you are very lucky!

Rep: I know that you ----have been interviewed--------------- (interview) many times before.

Lucy: Yes, I have.

Rep: Also, I know that three books ------------------(write) about you.

Lucy: Yes, they have. And another one ----------------(write) at the moment.

Rep: A film------------(make) about you two years ago, wasn't it?

Lucy: Yes, it was a brilliant film! The leading role ----------(play) by a beautiful young actress.

Rep: ---------------any more films----------------- (make) in the future?

Lucy: Oh yes, of course!

Rep: Where do you buy your clothes from, Lucy?

Lucy: I don't buy them. They ---------- (design) specially for me.

Rep: And what about your beautiful house?

Lucy: That -------------- (build) five years ago by an Italian architect.

Rep: You must make a lot of money.

Lucy: I make lots of money and everybody loves me. Flowers ------------- (send) to my house every day.

Rep: Not by me, that's certain!

B. Rewrite the following passages in the passive.

(a) Some people saw a UFO in the sky above London last night. They reported it to the police. The army sent a helicopter to look at it more closely. The UFO shot the helicopter down and killed both men in it. People have given photographs of the UFO to the police. Experts are looking at them now.

(b) Somebody has stolen a bus from outside the school. Some children saw the thief. The police are searching for the bus now. They will use the children's descriptions to catch the thief.

Source: Round -Up 4 by Virginia Evans

The Passive

TENSE	ACTIVE	PASSIVE
Present Simple	He writes articles.	Articles are written.
Present Continuous	He is writing articles.	Articles are being written.
Present Perfect	He has written articles.	Articles have been written.
Past Simple	He wrote articles.	Articles were written.
Past Continuous	He was writing articles.	Articles were being written.
Past Perfect	He had written articles.	Articles had been written.
Future Simple	He will write articles.	Articles will be written.
Infinitive	He has to write articles.	Articles have to be written.
Modal	He should write articles.	Articles should be written

 

 

FROM ACTIVE TO PASSIVE

1.  The object of the active verb becomes the subject in the passive sentence.

2. We add the verb “to be” in the SAME tense as the active verb.

3. We add the past participle of the active verb.

4. We add BY + AGENT (the doer of the action) only if this adds information. When the agent is unknown, unimportant or obvious, it is omitted.

EXAMPLES

1.  Active: Bell invented the telephone.

     Passive: The telephone was invented by Bell.

2. Active: The children have eaten the cake.

    Passive: The cake has been eaten by the children.

3. Active: Someone stole my car.

    Passive: My car was stolen.

4. Active: The police arrested the thief.

Passive: The thief was arrested.

THE PASSIVE IS USED:

(a) When the action is more important than the agent as in processes, instructions, reports, news items, headlines, advertisements.

Thirty people were killed in the earthquake.

Mobile phones are forbidden during lectures.

Two men were seen breaking into a house yesterday.

(b) To make more polite or formal statements.

My room hasn’t been cleaned yet.

I’m so sorry. I was given the wrong address.