Passive / Active Voice Test

Exercise 1. Choose the correct verb form.

1. Millions of dollars' worth of damage has been caused by a storm which (swept/was swept) across the north of the United States last night.

2. The River Reiner  (burst/was burst) its banks after heavy rain.

3. Many people  (rescued/were rescued) from the floods by fire-fighters.

4. Firefighters  (received/were received) hundreds of calls for help.

5. Wind speeds  (reached/were reached) ninety miles an hour in some places.

6. Roads  (blocked/were blocked) by fallen trees.

7. Electricity lines  (brought/were brought) down, leaving thousands of homes without electricity.

8. "Everything possible  (is doing/is being done) to get things back to normal," a spokesman said.

9. One young girl  (took/was taken) to hospital after she broke her leg.

10. She has now  (sent/been sent) home.

Exercise2.Fill in the gaps with a form of the passive. The tense could be past, present or future.

1. Many rock stars say the real thrill is that they enjoy  (watch) by thousands of adoring fans.

2. Your car is a death trap. It  (should/send) to the scrap yard years ago!

3. I'm sorry this office is so dirty but it can't  (clean) until tomorrow morning at the earliest.

4. Any teacher who hits a student should  (sack) immediately.

5. John's big dream is that he wants  (discover) by a big time music producer.

6.  (rob) in the street is a terrifying experience indeed.

7. The factory is losing a lot of money every week and  (shut) next Thursday.

8. But it might  (save) if we make an appeal to the local bank.

9. Before  (recycle), glass bottles are thoroughly washed and the labels removed.

10. Jak was fired from the local car wash because, even though he hadn't paid, he let his friend's car  (wash).

Exercise 3.For each sentence, use the passive with "get" whenever possible.

1. I don't know why this class is always so dirty. It  (clean) every morning.

2. The murder suspect told the police a complicated alibi but it  (believe) by them and he was charged with the murder.

3. "Whose is that computer in the corner of the office?" "I don't know - it  (never use) by anyone."

4. When foreign films are dubbed into English, usually a lot of the original meaning  (lose) in the translation.

5. Humans  (think) to have originated in the east of Africa.

6. If my car  (damage) by you, you will pay for the repairs.

7. Glenn Miller  (kill) in an aircrash in England in the 1940s.

8. When I am older, I  (know) as a famous scientist.

9. The films of Charlie Chaplin  (love) all over the world.

10. The new factory will open next July and the company says that over 250 employees  (need) initially.

11. Did you hear that Jane  (promote) to a management position at work! What great news.

12.  (pay) for a job you enjoy doing must be the definition of a happy life!

Exercise 4.Look at these sentences written by a student from South America. She has made some mistakes using the passive and active verb forms. Which sentences are correct?

1. The most important part of my country is the north.

2. This is where coal is mined and we earn a lot of money from this.

3. There are also some beautiful beaches in the north.

4. Tourists spend a lot of money, especially in the casinos that is found there.

5. In the center of the country, agriculture is considered the most important thing.

6. Apples are grown in the Santa Ana valley and nearby, spring water are bottled;

7. The famous Santa Ana Mineral Water, which is tastes wonderful and is sold all over the world.

8. In the south, my family and I are lived.

9. It is the coldest part of the country.

10. In winter, it is possible to ski.

11. Thousands of people are visited every year and, if the snow is good, even people from other countries come to ski here.

12. There is also a lot of industry in this region.

13. Cars are made in big factories and our largest export, huge tractors for working in the fields, produced.

14. I love my country. Everyone is loved it!