4.1.1: Practice with Passive

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Page ID: 273279

Don Bissonnette
South Seattle Community College

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Exercises for Practice

Practice 1

Discuss the following passive sentences and the sentences above in the example with a classmate. Why did the writers choose the passive voice? Choose the number of the correct situations or situations (1 to 5).

1) The “agent” is obvious or unimportant

2) The "agent" is unknown.

3) We want to focus on the receiver of the action rather than the doer, or agent.

4) We want to avoid blaming someone or taking responsibility.

5) We want to focus more on the action rather than the subject doing the action, such as giving instructions or explaining processes.

1. _______The First Tennessee Bank was robbed last night at 3:45 am.
2._______ In this experiment, the eggs were placed in vinegar overnight.
3. _______ After that, chunks of graphite (a soft, dark mineral) and clay are placed inside a huge rotating drum. Large rocks inside the drum crush the graphite and clay into a fine powder. Then water is added, and the mixture is blended in the drum for up to three days.
4. _______ All the fruit in the pantry is covered in mold.
5.________ Somehow the window had been broken.

Practice 2

A. Discuss the following topics with a classmate. Do you expect these topics to have more or less passive voice used in their explanations?
1. The history of the banana
2. Red pandas
3. My best friend’s wedding
4. My best friend
5. Emojis
6. Chocolate: from tree to store
7. Rainbows

B. For each of the topics above, write one active and one passive sentence. You may want to do some research! Share your sentences with a partner and compare your sentences. Include links for any sources you have used.

1. The history of the banana:

Active: Portuguese sailors brought bananas to Europe from West Africa. Passive: The original banana has been cultivated and used since ancient times.

Link to source: The History of Bananas as Food (thespruceeats.com)

Intransitive Verbs

As mentioned in the chart above, sometimes sentences cannot be made passive. That is because if a sentence does not have an object, it cannot be made passive. Some verbs are intransitive–that means they cannot be changed into passive. I could give you a long list of intransitive verbs, but it would be much easier to just not try to make sentences passive if they don’t have an object. Let’s practice so you can see what I mean.

Practice 3

Make the following sentences passive, if possible. If it’s not possible, explain why. Is the agent necessary to the meaning, or can it be deleted? Also, think about whether the sentence would be better active or passive, or if it doesn’t matter in the current context. Last, make sure your form of “be” matches the verb tense used in the active sentence.

1. Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote the song “Let It Be.”

2. People in Saudi Arabia speak Arabic.

3. The sun rose at 6am this morning.

4. The scientist used an EKG machine to check the participant’s heart after exercising.

5. Someone stole my phone.

6. Our flight arrived two hours late.

7. The mailman has already delivered the mail.

8. Jerry slept until noon.

Practice 4: The Present Form of the Passive

A Baby Shower

a baby shower.jpg

A. Read the Active Paragraph

Before a baby is born, friends throw a baby shower for the expectant parents. The friends usually hold the shower a month or two before the due date of the baby. The hosts invite friends to come and celebrate. Sometimes, the mother knows the gender of the baby. If so, friends select gifts for either a boy or a girl. If not, friends try to predict the gender of the baby. Some friends place bets on whether it is a boy or a girl. The event prepares the mother and father for the birth. The parents will use the gifts from this event in the first year of the baby's life. The memories of this event will last a lifetime.

due date (N) – the predicted date of the baby's birth

expectant (Adj) – expecting, waiting for the birth of a child

gender (N) – the sex of the baby: male or female

place bets (N) – wagers, place money with the guess. If correct, the person takes the money of the people who guess incorrectly. If incorrect, the person loses money.

throw a shower (expression) – to have a party for someone who is getting married or having a baby

B. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.

1. Before a baby is born, a baby shower (throw / is throwing / is thrown) for the expectant parents.

2. The shower (holds / is hold / is held) a month or two before the due dateThe hosts (invite / are invited) friends to come and celebrate.

3. Sometimes, the gender of the baby (knows / is known /are known).

4. If so, gifts (select / are selected) for either a boy or a girl.

5. If not, friends (predict / is predicted) the gender of the baby.

6. Sometimes, bets (place / are placed) on whether it is a boy or girl.

7. The gifts from this event (used / are used / will be used) in the first year of the baby's life.

8. The memories of this event (last / are lasted) a lifetime.

If you need to review past participle forms and spelling, look in the appendix to this textbook, or see Irreg Verb Forms 1 and Irreg Verb Forms 2

Practice 5: Passive with Present, Future and Modal Forms

Superstitions and Wives' Tales

A. Read for Errors

For centuries, people have been telling some rather amusing wives' tales about babies.

The gender of a baby can be predicted by how the mother carries the baby— high (girl) or low (boy).
The breath from a baby's mouth can be stole by a cat.
Wearing shoes will be help a baby learn to walk sooner.
If a baby's hair are cutted before his first birthday, he will have "bad" hair.
If a pregnant woman reaches above her head, the umbilical cord is going to be wrapped around the baby's head.
A baby who is tickled too much will stutter.
A baby's lungs won't be developed unless it is allowed to cry.
The soul of the baby will be taken away if it sees its reflection in a mirror before the age of one.
Calling a baby by its name before it is christened is bad luck.

"Old Wives' Tales." Kids Health. 2014. Web. 2 Jan 2014. kidshealth.org/parent/general/aches/old_wives_tales.html >.

christen (V) – to formal take a name in a religious service; baptize in a church

conceive (V) – begin life inside the mother

develop (V) – grow or expand

lungs (N) – organs that take air into the body and break it down for use in the body

soul (N) – the spiritual being

stutter (V) a brain disorder that affects a person's ability to produce speech without repeating initial sounds of words.

tickle (V) – lightly touch sensitive parts of the body and cause to laugh

umbilical cord (N) – the cord that attaches the fetus (the baby) to the mother's uterus, and which transports nourishment from mother to baby.

B. Correct or Incorrect?

Determine whether the comment is grammatically correct. Select the option correct or incorrect. If it is incorrect, write the correct sentence.

1. The gender of a baby can be predicted by how the mother carries the baby— high (girl) or low (boy).
Correct Incorrect

2. The breath from a baby's mouth can be stole by a cat.
Correct Incorrect

3. Wearing shoes will be help a baby learn to walk sooner.
Correct Incorrect

4. If a baby's hair are cutted before his first birthday, he will have "bad" hair.
Correct Incorrect

5. If a pregnant woman reaches above her head, the umbilical cord is going to be wrapped around the baby's head.
Correct Incorrect

6. A baby who is being tickle too much will stutter.
Correct Incorrect

7. A baby's lungs won't be developed unless it is allowed to cry.
Correct Incorrect

8. The soul of the baby will be taken away if it sees its reflection in a mirror before the age of one.
Correct Incorrect

9. Calling a baby by its name before it christened is bad luck.
Correct Incorrect

Using the “by phrase”

As you have learned, passive sentences are used when writers don't know or don't care who actually performed the action. Thus, the majority of passive sentences do not include “by phrases”. Writers include the "by phrase" only when it is important for readers to know who performs the actions.

That building was designed by a famous architect.
(The “by phrase” is important, so it is included.)

“Macbeth” and “King Lear” were written by William Shakespeare.
(The “by phrase” is included because it is important.)

The mail is usually delivered before noon.
(The “by phrase” is not necessary because we know who delivers the mail each day.)

Practice 6

Change the following sentences from the active voice to the passive voice. Omit the "by phrase" if it is unnecessary.

1. The Oak Tree Cinema shows movies on ten screens every day.

2. Our teacher wrote this grammar book.

3. Housekeepers make beds in motels seven days a week.

4. Instructors must turn off the projector before leaving the classroom.

5. New instructors must receive training before using the equipment.

6. Pilots fly planes out of Hobby Airport twenty-four hours a day.

7. Students learn foreign languages in classrooms all over the world.

8. Patients in the children's hospital designed the Christmas cards.

9. Workers are repairing potholes in streets throughout the city.

10. The hurricane knocked down many fences all over the county.

Practices 4 and 5 from Grammar Quizzes by Julie Sevastopoulos licensed for use under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International

Using the By Phrase from UVIC Study Zone licensed for use under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International

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