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Exercise 1
Put the transitive verbs into the passive voice. Do not mention the
agent unless it seems necessary.
1
The milkman
brings the milk to my door but the postman leaves the letters in the
hall.
2
In future,
perhaps, they won't bring letters to the houses, and we shall have to
collect them from the Post Office.
3
People steal
things from supermarkets every day; someone stole twenty bottles of
whisky from this one last week.
4
Normally men
sweep this street every day, but nobody swept it last week.
5
The postman
clears this box three time a day. He last cleared it at 2.30.
6
Someone
turned on a light in the hall and opened the door.
7
Women clean
this office in the evening after the staff have left; they clean the
upstairs offices between seven and eight in the morning.
8
We never saw
him in the dining-room. A maid took all his meals up to him.
9
Someone left
this purse in a classroom yesterday; the cleaner found it.
10
We build well over 1,000 new houses a year. Last year we built
1,500.
11
We serve hot
meals till 10.30, and guests can order coffee and sandwiches up to
11.30.
12
Passengers
leave all sorts of things in buses. The conductors collect them and
send them to the Lost Property Office.
13
An ambulance
took the sick man to hospital. (Mention ambulance.)
14
We kill and
injure people on the roads every day. Can’t we do something about
this?
15
Dogs guard
the warehouse. The other day a thief tried to get in and a dog saw
him and chased him. (A thief who . . .)
16
The watchman
called the police. The police arrested the man.
17
Tom had only
a slight injury and they helped him off the field; but Jack was
seriously injured and they carried him off on a stretcher. (Tom, who
had. . . , but Jack, who was . . . )
18
You can’t
wash this dress; you must dry-clean it.
19
They are
demolishing the entire block.
Student
20
He recommends
fitting new tyres.
21 He suggested allowing
council tenants to buy their houses.
22 Men with
slide rules used to do these calculations; now a computer does them.
23
The court
tried the man, found him guilty and sent him to prison.
24
The hall
porter polishes the knockers of all the flats every day. ~ Well, he
hasn’t polished mine for a week.
25
They are
repairing my piano at the moment.
26
Passengers
shouldn’t throw away their tickets as inspectors may check these
during the journey.
27
They invited
Jack but they didn’t invite Tom.
28
The guests
ate all the sandwiches and drank all the beer. They left nothing.
29
Has someone
posted my parcel?
30 Why did no one inform me of
the change of plan?
31
Tom Smith
wrote the book and Brown and Co. published it.
32
We shall have
to tow the car to the garage.
33
I’m afraid
we have sold all our copies but we have ordered more.
34
We will
prosecute trespassers.
35
Someone stole
my car and abandoned it fifteen miles away. He had removed the radio
but done no other damage.
36
You must keep
dogs on leads in the gardens.
Exercise 2
Put the
transitive verbs into the passive voice. Do not mention the agent
unless it seems necessary.
1
They haven’t
stamped the letter.
2 They didn’t
pay me for the work; they expected me to do it for nothing.
3
He escaped
when they were moving him from one prison to another.
4
She didn’t
introduce me to her mother.
5
A frightful
crash wakened me at 4 a.m.
6
When they
have widened this street the roar of the traffic will keep residents
awake all night.
7
They threw
away the rubbish.
8
A Japanese
firm makes these television sets.
9
An earthquake
destroyed the town.
10
A machine could do this much more easily.
11
Visitors must
leave umbrellas and sticks in the cloakroom.
12
We ask tenants
not to play their radios loudly after midnight.
13
We
can’t repair your clock.
14
We cannot
exchange articles which customers have bought during the sale.
(Articles ...)
15
We have to
pick the fruit very early in the morning; otherwise we can’t get it
to the market in time.
16
The police shouldn’t allow people to park there.
17
They are
watching my house.
18
The examiner
will read the passage three times.
19
Candidates may
not use dictionaries.
20
You need not
type this letter
21
This used to
be number 13, but now I see that someone has crossed out ‘13’ and
written ‘12A’ underneath.
22
You mustn’t
move this man; he is too ill. You’ll have to leave him here.
23
They searched
his house and found a number of stolen articles.
24
Nobody has
used this room for ages.
25
They took him
for a Frenchman, his French was so good.
26
You should
have taken those books back to the library.
27
They brought
the children up in Italy.
28
They have
taken down the For Sale notice, so I suppose they have sold the
house.
29
Someone broke
into his house and stole a lot of his things.
30
We have warned
you.
31
A lorry
knocked him down.
32
They returned
my keys to me; someone had picked them up in the street.
33
We had to give
the books back; they did not allow us to take them home.
34
You shouldn’t
leave these documents on the desk. You should lock them up.
34
They handed
round coffee and biscuits.
36
They have
tried other people’s schemes. Why have they never tried my scheme?
Exercise
3
In
this exercise most of the sentences contain a verb
+preposition/adverb combination. The preposition or adverb must be
retained when the combination is put into the passive.
In most of the sentences it is not
necessary to mention the agent.
1
The government has called out troops.
2
Fog held up
the trains, (agent required)
3
You are to
leave this here. Someone will call for it later on.
4
We called in
the police.
5
They didn’t
look after the children properly.
6
They are
flying in reinforcements.
7
Then they
called up men of 28.
8
Everyone
looked up to him. (agent required)
9
All the
ministers will see him off at the airport, (agent required)
10
He hasn’t slept in his bed.
11
We can build
on more rooms.
12
They threw
him out.
13
They
will have to adopt a different attitude.
14
He’s a
dangerous maniac. They ought to lock him up.
15
Her story
didn’t take them in. {agent required)
16
Burglars
broke into the house.
17 The manufacturers are giving
away small plastic toys with each packet of cereal.
18
They took
down the notice.
19
They frown on
smoking here.
20 After the government had spent
a million pounds on the scheme they decided that it was impracticable
and gave it up. (Make only the first and last verbs passive.)
21
When
I returned I found that they had towed my car away. I asked why they
had done this and they told me that it was because I had parked it
under a No Parking sign, (four passives)
22
People must
hand in their weapons.
23
The crowd
shouted him down.
24
People often
take him for his brother.
25
No one has
taken out the cork.
26 The film
company were to have used the pool for aquatic displays, but now they
have changed their minds about it and are filling it in. (Make the
first and last verbs passive.)
27This college
is already full. We are turning away students the whole time.
28
You will have
to pull down this skyscraper as you have not complied with the town
planning regulations.
Exercise
4 Some
of the following sentences when put into the passive require or can
have a change of construction.
1
believe,
claim, consider, find, know, say, suppose and think
when used in the passive can be followed by an infinitive:
They
say he is a spy = He
is said to be a spy.
They
say he was a spy = He
isjaid to have been a spy.
It is said that
he is/was ...
is also possible.
2
Subject + be
supposed + infinitive often conveys an idea of duty, particularly
when the subject is you:
It is your duty to obey him =
You are supposed to obey him.
3
Infinitives after passive verbs are normally full infinitives.
4 Note the use of have + object
+ past participle:
Get someone to mend it =
Have it mended.
5 Note
the use of should in the passive.
Student
Put the following sentences into
the passive, using an infinitive construction where possible.
1 We added up the money and found
that it was correct.
2 I’m employing a man to tile
the bathroom.
3 Someone seems to have made a
terrible mistake.
4 It is your duty to make tea at
eleven o’clock. (Use suppose.)
5 People know that he is armed.
6 Someone saw him pick up the gun.
7 We know that you were in town on
the night of the crime.
8 We believe that he has special
knowledge which may be useful to the police. (one passive)
9 You needn’t have done this.
10 It’s a little too loose; you
had better ask your tailor to take it in. (one passive)
11 He likes people to call him
‘sir’.
12 Don’t touch this switch.
13 You will have to get someone to
see to it.
14 It is impossible to do this.
(Use can’t.)
15 Someone is following us.
16 They used to make little boys
climb the chimneys to clean them.(me passive)
17 You have to see it to believe
it. (two passives)
18 You order me about and I am
tired of it. (I am tired of. . .)
19 He doesn’t like people
laughing at him.
20 You don’t need to wind this
watch.
21 They shouldn’t have told him.
22 They decided to divide the
money between the widows of the lifeboatmen. (They decided that the
money . . .)
23 People believe that he was
killed by terrorists.
24 They are to send letters to the
leaders of charitable organizations.
25 We consider that she was the
best singer that Australia has ever produced, (one passive)
26 We don’t allow smoking.
27 We know that the expedition
reached the South Pole in May.
28 Before they invented printing
people had to write everything by hand.
29 They urged the government to
create more jobs, (two ways)
30 They suggested banning the sale
of alcohol at football matches.
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Answers
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Exercise
1 1 The
milk is brought, the letters are left 2 letters won’t be
brought, they’ll have to be collected from 3 Things are stolen
from, twenty bottles were stolen 4 this street is swept, it wasn’t
swept 5 This box is cleared, It was last cleared 6 A light was
turned on and the door (was) opened 7 This office is cleaned, the
upstairs offices are cleaned 8 He was never seen, all his meals
were taken up 9 This purse was left ... it was found by the
cleaner 10 1,000 new houses are built, last year 1,500 were built
11 Hot meals are served, coffee and sandwiches can be ordered 12
All sorts of things are left in buses. They are collected by the
conductors and (are) sent 13 He was taken to hospital by ambulance
14 Many
people are killed and injured . .. can’t something be done 15
The
warehouse is guarded by dogs. A thief who tried to get in was seen
by a dog and chased 16 The police were called and the man (was)
arrested 17 Tom, who had only a slight injury, was helped off, but
Jack, who was seriously injured, was carried off 18 This dress
can’t be washed, it must be dry-cleaned 19 The entire block is
being demolished 20 He recommends that new tyres should be fitted
21 He suggested that council tenants should be allowed 22 These
calculations used to be done by men; now they are done by a
computer 23 The man was tried, found guilty and sent to prison 24
The knockers of all the flats are polished . . . mine hasn’t
been polished 25 My piano is being repaired 26 Tickets shouldn’t
be thrown away . . . they may be checked 27 Jack was invited but
Tom wasn’t (invited) 28 All the sandwiches were eaten . . . and
all the beer (was) drunk. Nothing was left 29 Has my parcel been
posted 30 Why wasn’t I informed of 31 The book was written by
Tom Smith and published by Brown and Co. 32 The car will have to
be towed 33 all our copies have been sold but more have been
ordered 34 Trespassers will be prosecuted 35 My car was stolen and
abandoned . . . The radio had been removed but no other damage had
been done 36 Dogs must be kept on leads
Exercise 2 1 The letter
hasn’t been stamped 2 I wasn’t paid for the work; I was
expected to do 3 he was being moved 41 wasn’t introduced 5 I was
awakened by a frightful crash 6 When this street has been widened
the residents will be kept awake all night by the roar 7 The
rubbish was thrown away 8 These TV sets are made by a Japanese
firm 9 The town was destroyed by an earthquake 10 This could be
done much more easily by (a) machine 11 Umbrellas and sticks must
be left 12 Tenants are asked not to play 13 Your clock can’t be
repaired 14 Articles (which have been) bought during the sale
cannot be exchanged 15 Fruit has to be picked very early otherwise
it can’t be got to the market 16 People shouldn’t be allowed
to park 17 My house is being watched 18 The passage will be read
three times 19 Dictionaries may not be used 20 This letter need
not be typed 21 ‘13’ has been crossed out and ‘12a’ has
been written 22 This man mustn’t be moved; he is too ill/he is
too ill to be moved. He will have to be left 23 His house was
searched and stolen articles were found 24 This room hasn’t been
used 25 He was taken for 26 These books should have been taken
back 27 The children were brought up 28 The For Sale notice has
been taken down . . . the house has been sold 29 His house was
broken into ... a lot of his things (were) stolen 30 You have been
warned 31 He was knocked down by a lorry 32 My keys were returned
to me; they had been picked up 33 The books had to be given back;
we were not allowed to take 34 These documents shouldn’t be
left. . . They should be locked up 35 Coffee and biscuits were
handed round 36 Other people’s schemes have been tried. Why has
my scheme never been tried?
Exercise 3 1 troops have
been called out 2 trains were held up by fog 3 this is to be left
here. It will be called for 4 police were called in 5 children
were not properly looked after 6 reinforcements are being flown in
7 men of 28 were called up 8 he was looked up to by everyone 9 he
will be seen off at the airport by all the ministers 10 bed hasn’t
been slept in 11 more rooms can be built on 12 he was thrown out
13 different attitude will have to be adopted 14 he ought to be
locked up 15 they weren’t taken in by her story 16 house was
broken into 17 small plastic toys are being given away 18 notice
was taken down 19 smoking is frowned on 20 after a million pounds
had been spent.. . the scheme was given up 21 my car had been
towed away. I asked why this had been done and was told that... it
had been parked 22 weapons must be handed in 23 he was shouted
down 24 he is often taken for his brother 25 the cork hasn’t
been taken out 26 pool was to have been used ... it is being
filled in 27 students are being turned away 28 skyscraper will
have to be pulled down as the town planning regulations have not
been complied with
Exercise 4 1 money was
added up and found to be correct 2 I am having the bathroom tiledj
3 a terrible mistake seems to have been made 4 you are supposed to
make tea 5 he is known to be armed 6 he was seen to pick up 7 you
are known to have been 8 he is believed to have 9 this needn’t
have been done 11 he likes to be called ‘sir’ 12 this switch
isn’t to be touched 13 you will have to have/get it seen to or
it will have to be seen,to. 14 this can’t be done 15 we are
being followed 16 boys used to be made to climb 17 it has to be
seen to be believed 18 I am tired of being ordered about 19 he
doesn’t like being laughed at 20 this watch needn’t be
wound/doesn’t need to be wound 21 he shouldn’t have been told
22 they decided that the money should be divided 23 he is believed
to have been killed 24 letters are to be sent 25 she is considered
to have been 26 smoking is not allowed 27 the expedition is known
to have reached 28 before printing was invented everything had to
be written 29 the government was urged to create/they urged that
more jobs should be created 30 they suggested that the sale of
alcohol should be banned
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