Worked examples and guided exercises - Passive Voice

Example 1: Active: "Shakespeare wrote Hamlet." -> Passive?

Answer: Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. (Past Simple Passive: was/were + past participle.)

Example 2: Active: "They make cars in Japan." -> Passive?

Answer: Cars are made in Japan. (Present Simple Passive: am/is/are + past participle. Agent "they" omitted because it is not important.)

Example 3: Active: "Someone has stolen my bike." -> Passive?

Answer: My bike has been stolen. (Present Perfect Passive: has/have been + past participle.)

1. Change to passive: a) They speak English in Australia. b) Picasso painted Guernica. c) They are building a new school.
2. Change to active: a) The window was broken by the ball. b) English is spoken all over the world.
3. Choose active or passive: a) This house ___ (build) in 1920. b) They ___ (deliver) the pizza an hour ago.
4. Complete with the correct passive form: a) Spanish ___ (speak) in 20 countries. b) The Eiffel Tower ___ (visit) by millions every year.
5. When do we use "by"? When do we omit the agent? Give 2 examples of each.
6. Write 5 passive sentences about your school (e.g., "English is taught by Mr. Smith").
7. Translate: a) Este libro fue escrito en 1984. b) La casa está siendo pintada.
8. Passive in different tenses: write one sentence in Present Simple, Past Simple, and Present Perfect passive.
9. Correct: a) "The cake was ate by the children." b) "The letters has been sent."
10. Write a short news report (5 sentences) using the passive voice.