PASSIVE VOICE EXERCISES

1.-Complete the following sentences with one of the following verbs in the correct form: arrest, wake, knock, check, translate, find, drive, make, spend, carry.

1.A decision will not.......................................until the next meeting.2.That building is dangerous. It ought to..................................down before it falls down.3.When you go through customs, your luggage may..................................by a customs officer.4.I told the hotel receptionist that I wanted to.......................up at 6:30.5.Her new book will probably................................into a number of foreign languages.6.If you kicked a policeman, you´d...............................7.Police are looking for the missing boy. He can´t..........................anywhere.8.Do you think that less money should...................................on arms?9.I don´t mind driving but I prefer to................................by other people.10.The injured man couldn´t walk and had to....................................

2.-Put these sentences into the passive voice:

1.People should send their complaints to the head office................................................................................................................................2.They had to postpone the meeting because of illness................................................................................................................................3.Somebody might have stolen your car if you had left the keys in it................................................................................................................................4.An electrical fault could have caused the fire................................................................................................................................5.They are going to hold next year´s congress in San Francisco................................................................................................................................6.They shouldn´t have played the football match in such bad weather................................................................................................................................

3.-Put these sentences into the passive voice:

1.They don´t pay Jim very much................................................................................................................................2.They will ask you a lot of questions in the interview................................................................................................................................3.Nobody told me that George was ill................................................................................................................................4.His colleagues gave him a present when he retired................................................................................................................................5.They didn´t ask me my name................................................................................................................................6.I think they should have offered Tom the job................................................................................................................................

4.-Put these sentences into the passive voice:

1.He likes people to call him "sir"...........................................................................2.They are going to cut down some trees..............................................................3.Who painted Mona Lisa?....................................................................................4.You must buy tickets for the concert...................................................................5.They are typing the reports.................................................................................6.People don´t use these road very often..............................................................7.They have changed the date of the meeting.......................................................8.Somebody accused me of stealing money.........................................................9.The Egyptians build the Pyramids......................................................................10.You will have to put your name in the list of guests.........................................................................................................................................................................

5.-Put these sentences into the active voice:

1.The books were found yesterday................................................................................................................................2.The thieves haven´t been found by the police................................................................................................................................3.I was sent a letter................................................................................................................................4.A new school is going to be built................................................................................................................................5.Who was this book written by?...............................................................................................................................6.The first man was sent into space by the Americans................................................................................................................................

6.-Complete the following passive voice sentences:

1.This quarrel............................................in a few year´s time.2.English............................................all over the world.3.These books mustn´t..................................away.4.This song.........................................since 1990.

7.-Passive voice with let, make + infinitive:

1.We made him write a note..................................................................................2.I let them smoke in class.....................................................................................3.He made her drive his car...................................................................................4.We let them go....................................................................................................5.I made the students learn the Passive Voice......................................................

8.-Impersonal passive:

1.People say that he is a spy.................................................................................2.They claim that his engine is twice as powerful as the previous one................................................................................................................................3.People know that he is armed.............................................................................4.We consider that she was the best singer in England................................................................................................................................5.People believed that he was killed by the Red Skins................................................................................................................................

9.-Translate:

1.Se dice que Pedro es inteligente................................................................................................................................2.Se sabe que el clima de Alicante es el mejor de España................................................................................................................................3.Se cree que los chinos inventaron la pólvora................................................................................................................................4.Se considera a los americanos el país más desarrollado del mundo................................................................................................................................5.Se supone que el Hércules ganará el partido................................................................................................................................

10.-Special cases in the passive voice:

1.Don´t touch this switch........................................................................................2.We don´t allow smoking......................................................................................3.It is impossible to do this.....................................................................................4.People must leave everyting as it is, and lock the room up................................................................................................................................5.One cannot eat an orange if nobody has peeled it................................................................................................................................6.We haven´t moved anything since they sent you away to cure you................................................................................................................................7.I hate people looking at me.................................................................................

11.-Transform into passive:

1.We should give him more money........................................................................2.They could help him more...................................................................................3.He might finish it soon.........................................................................................4.They must decorate the house...........................................................................5.They ought to send a letter.................................................................................6.You must not hammer nail into the walls without permission............................................................................................................................................................7.They can´t buy the book at the bookshop because it´s too expensive..............................................................................................................................................

12.-Translate into English:

1.¿Cuándo te dieron el dinero?.............................................................................2.Nos perdimos en la oscuridad............................................................................3.¿El fuego ha sido apagado?...............................................................................4.Le obligaron a firmar la confesión.......................................................................5.No nos permiten que comamos nada en la oficina.............................................6.No me gusta que hable de mis aventuras pasadas............................................7.¿Quién inventó el teléfono?................................................................................8.Nos han dicho que esperemos...........................................................................9.Le ofrecerán un trabajo más importante.............................................................10.¿A qué hora te recogerán?...............................................................................11.Me han dicho que escriba algo.........................................................................12.Ella prefiere que la inviten personalmente........................................................13.El puente debería ser construido por un ingeniero...........................................14.Debería restaurarse la catedral........................................................................15.Se sabe que Dickens escribió novelas.............................................................16¿Dónde se habla alemán?.................................................................................17.Se habla español en América del Sur...............................................................18.¿Dónde han vendido las cerillas?.....................................................................19.¿De qué están hechas las sillas?.....................................................................20.Los trajes se llevan a la tintorería.....................................................................21.Se construirán casas para todos......................................................................22.Odio ser tenido por un ladrón...........................................................................23.Se podía haber hecho las cosas de otro modo................................................24.Tenía que ser acusada de homicidio................................................................25.Los calcetines son de algodón..........................................................................