PASSIVE VOICE, B2


I.                   Using the passive form of the underlined verb phrases, make the necessary
changes to the sentences. Include the agent, unless it is in brackets.


 1. Local communities can make simple changes to aid biodiversity, according to Shalmi (2012).
 2. Most people would prefer (the relevant authorities) to consult them before a flight path is
permanently re-routed over the area where they live.
 3. Middleton (2011) argues that better quality healthcare could prevent more than 100,000 deaths
per year in the UK.
 4. Holstein (209) describes (an official) questioning him for three hours in a threatening manner
at Los Angeles International Airport.
 5. BAA are piloting a system that will allow (officials) to examine hand luggage more efficiently.
 6. If an accident victim is unconscious, (someone) should check his or her breathing regularly.


II.                Rewrite the sentences, starting with the word(s) in brackets. Do not include the
agent.


 1. Officials have estimated that the cost of repairing the fire damage to the port will be £60m.
(It…)
 2. There are reports that oil companies are exploring parts of Antarctica. (Oil companies…)
 3. Most people believe that Athens in Greece is the site of the first democracy. (Athens…)
 4. People think that Juan Olmo, who died in 2009, was Europe’s most skilful brain surgeon. (Juan
Olmo…)
 5. A journalist claimed that the drug had been tested on soldiers without their knowledge. (It…)
 6. Commentators say that passengers on the new jet experience a slight feeling of weightlessness.
(Passengers…)


III.             Complete the text using passive phrases of the verbs below. Two of them are not
needed.

associate                 admit              base                classify
compose                     confine            diagnose                     entitle
locate


Patients who1_____________ bipolar often face a frustrating search for suitable treatment. Serious
side effects 2______________ some of the most frequently prescribed medications, and this leads
some patients to discontinue the drugs. In trying to take control of their lives, they may
3_______________ non-compliant, especially by doctors without specialist training. Patients
4_______________ a free consultation with a psychiatrist, but often this entails a long wait,
during which the condition can worsen. In the worst cases, the person may need 5____________ an
in-patient facility, and perhaps even 6____________ a secure ward in a psychiatric hospital. These
psychiatric hospitals tend 7____________ some distance from the patient’s home, increasing the
sense of isolation and betrayal.