Passive Forms


Form: /subject + “to be” + past participle/


Practice 1

Rewrite the following sentences in the passive.

Example:

Somebody has cleaned the room. The room has been cleaned.

1 They have postponed the concert. The concert __________________________________________ .

2 Somebody is using the computer. The computer _________________________________________ .

3 I didn’t realise that somebody was recording our conversation.

I didn’t realise that __________________________________________ .

4 When we got to the stadium we found that they had cancelled the game.

When we got to the stadium, we found that __________________________________________ .

5 They are building a new ring road round the city. _________________________________________ .

6 They have built a new hospital near the airport. __________________________________________ .


Practice 2: Active X Passive

React to the sentences 1 – 10 and make sentences from the words in brackets either in the active or
in the passive.

Example:

There’s somebody behind us. (I think/we/follow) I think we’re being followed.

This room looks different. (you/paint?) Have you painted it?

1 My car has disappeared.

(it/steal!) It _____________________________________________________________________

2 My umbrella has disappeared.

(somebody/take) Somebody _______________________________________________________

3 Tom gets a higher salary now.

(he/promote) ____________________________________________________________________

4 Ann can’t use her office at the moment.

(it/redecorate) ___________________________________________________________________

5 The photocopier broke down yesterday, but it’s OK now.

(it/work/again; it/repair) ____________________________________________________________

6 The police have found the people they were looking for.

(two people/arrest/last night_________________________________________________________

7 A tree was lying across the road.

(it/blow down/in the storm) __________________________________________________________

8 The man next door disappeared six months ago.

(nobody/see/since then) ____________________________________________________________