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Passive Voice Practice:


1. Correct any verb forms which are impossible or inappropriate:
a. A lot of homes in the are have been being broken into by burglars. have been broken into
b. As I drove south, I could see that the old road was rebuilding............................................
c. I suppose the letter will have been delivered by now..........................................................
d. There is nothing more annoying than been interrupted when you're speaking.......................
e. Jim was been given the sack from his new job...................................................................
f. Somehow without my noticing my wallet have been dissappeared.......................................

2. Both sentences in each pair have the same meaning. Complete the second sentence:

a. The crowd was slowly filling the huge satdium
The huge stadium was slowly being filled by the crowd.

b. The inventor of the computer simplified the work of the accountants.
Since the computer ..............the work of the accountants..............simplified.

c. Someone has suggested that the shop should close.
It..........................................that the shop shoud close.

d. "I'de take out some travel insurance if I were you, Mr Smith"
Mr Smith...............................take out some travel insurance.

e. The waitress will bring your drinks in a moment.
Your drinks.....................................in a moment.

f. Someone used a knife to open the window.
This window..............a knife.

3. Rewrite each sentence in the passive, omitting the words underlined:
a. Someone left the phone off the hook all night. The phone was left off the hook all night.
b. The government has announced that petrol prices will rise tomorrow.
c. A burglar broke into our house last week.
d. People asked me the way three times.
e. The fruit-pickers pick the apples early in the morning.
f. It's time the authorities did something about this problem.

4. Underline any uses of the agent which are unnecessary.
a. My jewellery has been stolen by a thief!
b. It has been decided by the authorities that Wednesday will be a school holiday.
c. Harry was pushed over by someone standing next ti him in the queue.
d. The goods are transported by rail to our warehouse in the Midlands.
e. I was told by someone that you have a vacancy for a computer operator.
f. Sue has been picked by the selectors for the national event.