Passive Voice – Exercise

Write down the passive form of the verbs. Use the tense in brackets.
1. Paul will be sent to prison.
2.My brother has just been beaten in the race.
3.He was told to wait outside.
4.I was not paid for the work.
5.Policemen are often asked the way.
6.Their lawn is cut once a week.
7.We will be asked by the police.
8.The towels were not used.
9.The jewels have not been sold so far.
10.They are taught French.
11.The fire brigade was phoned soon after the fire had broken out.
12.You will be laughed at if you talk such nonsense.
13.All the fruits were eaten up by the guests.
14.The email will be answered tomorrow.
15.The best cookies are sold here.

People eat 40 million hamburgers every day.
40 million hamburgers are eaten every day.

  1. People speak English all over the world.
    English is spoken all over the world.
  2. Where did they invent gun powder?
    Where was gun powder invented?
  3. The police didn’t find the missing girl last weekend.
    The missing girl wasn’t found last weekend.
  4. Tourists don’t visit this museum very often.
    This museum isn’t visited very often.
  5. Workers are building a new fun park in town.
    A new fun park is being built in town.
  6. When did they translate this book into English?
    When was this book translated into English?
  7. Women send thousands of emails to the star every month.
    Thousands of emails are sent to the star every month.
  8. Sally brought me some fresh grapes.
    I was brought some fresh grapes by Sally.
  9. Some dangerous-looking men were following me the whole evening.
    I was being followed the whole evening by some dangerous-looking men.

The Passive: Mixed Tenses
Change these sentences from active to passive.

  1. People speak Portuguese in Brazil.
    Portuguese is spoken in Brazil.
  2. The Government is planning a new road near my house.
    A new road is being planned near my house.
  3. My grandfather built this house in 1943.
    This house was built in 1943.
  4. Picasso was painting Guernica at that time.
    Guernica was being painted at that time.
  5. The cleaner has cleaned the office.
    The office has been cleaned.
  6. He had written three books before 1867.
    Three books had been written before 1867.
  7. John will tell you later.
    You will be told later.
  8. By this time tomorrow we will have signed the deal.
    The deal will have been signed by this time tomorrow.
  9. Somebody should do the work.
    The work should be done.
  10. The traffic might have delayed Jimmy.
    Jimmy might have been delayed by the traffic.
  11. Everybody loves Mr Brown.
    Mr Brown is loved by everybody.
  12. They are building a new stadium near the station.
    A new stadium is being built near the station.
  13. The wolf ate the princess.
    The princess was eaten by the wolf.
  14. At six o’clock someone was telling a story.
    A story was being told at six o’clock.