Unit 5: Active Passive Voice - Practice Quiz

The defining characteristic of the active voice is that the subject acts. For example, in 'The dog chased the ball,' the dog (subject) is doing the chasing (action).

This sentence is in the passive voice because the subject, 'The book,' is receiving the action of being written. The doer of the action, 'Jane,' is introduced by the preposition 'by'.

To change from active to passive, the object ('a song') becomes the subject. The verb changes to 'is' (form of 'to be') + 'sung' (past participle). The original subject ('She') becomes the object, introduced by 'by'.

In 'The boy kicked the ball,' the subject 'The boy' is performing the action 'kicked'. The other sentences are in the passive voice.

The standard formula for the passive voice is: [form of 'to be'] + [past participle]. For example, 'is taken', 'was eaten', 'will be seen'.

To change from passive to active, the object of the preposition 'by' ('the students') becomes the new subject. The verb 'was eaten' changes to the simple past tense 'ate'. The original subject ('The pizza') becomes the object.

The preposition 'by' is used to indicate the agent or the doer of the action in a passive sentence. For example, 'The novel was written by the author.'

The active sentence is in the simple future tense ('will repair'). The passive form uses 'will be' + the past participle 'repaired'.

The direct object of the active voice sentence is moved to the subject position in the passive voice sentence. In 'He wrote a letter,' 'a letter' (object) becomes the subject in 'A letter was written by him.'

A key use of the passive voice is to focus on the action or the receiver of the action, especially when the person or thing performing the action is not known or not the focus. For example, 'My wallet was stolen.'

The sentence is in the active voice because the subject, 'The company,' is performing the action 'launched'.

This is a correct passive sentence with the structure: subject ('The homework') + form of 'to be' ('was') + past participle ('finished'). The doer is not mentioned, which is common in passive voice.

The passive sentence is in the simple present tense ('are watered'). The active form must also be in the simple present tense ('waters').

The active sentence is in the simple past tense ('built'). The passive form uses the past tense of 'to be' ('was') + the past participle ('built').

In this sentence, the subject 'The email' is not performing any action; it is being acted upon (it was sent). This is the definition of the passive voice.

The active voice clearly states who is doing what (e.g., 'I made a mistake'). The passive voice is often used to obscure responsibility (e.g., 'A mistake was made').

The object is the noun or noun phrase that receives the action of the verb. In this case, 'delicious meals' is what is being prepared.

The passive sentence is in the future tense ('will be made'). The active equivalent must also be in the future tense ('will make').

The subject 'The story' receives the action 'was told'. The doer, 'my grandfather,' is mentioned after the preposition 'by', which is a classic passive voice structure.

The passive voice is formed using the appropriate tense of the verb 'to be' followed by the past participle of the main verb.

The original sentence is in the Present Continuous tense (is + verb-ing). The passive form for this tense is: object + is/am/are + being + past participle + by + subject. Option D correctly follows this structure.

The active sentence uses a modal perfect form (should have + past participle). The passive structure is object + modal + have + been + past participle. The agent 'someone' is vague and can be omitted, making Option A the most concise and correct choice.

The active sentence is a question in the Past Simple tense. The passive question form starts with the auxiliary verb Was/Were, followed by the object, the past participle, and the 'by' phrase. 'Children' is plural, so 'Were' is the correct auxiliary verb.

The passive sentence is in the Past Simple tense (was + past participle). To convert it to active voice, the subject of the passive sentence ('This beautiful portrait') becomes the object, and the agent ('my grandmother') becomes the subject. The verb changes to its simple past form ('painted').

Sentences with intransitive verbs or certain stative verbs (like resemble, have, lack) that do not take a true object cannot be converted into the passive voice. 'Resembles' is a stative verb in this context, and 'her mother' is not an object that can become the subject of a passive sentence.

Imperative sentences (commands or requests) are typically converted into the passive voice using the structure Let + object + be + past participle. While other options convey a similar meaning, Option B is the direct and standard passive conversion for a command.

The sentence is in the Future Perfect tense (will have + past participle). Its passive form is object + will have been + past participle + by + subject. Option D correctly applies this rule.

When a 'who' question is converted to passive voice, 'who' becomes 'by whom' and is placed at the beginning of the sentence. The structure is By whom + auxiliary verb + subject + past participle?. Option B is the most formally correct structure.

The passive sentence is in the Present Continuous Passive (is being + past participle). The agent is omitted because it is obvious or understood (e.g., the police, an agency). The active form must also be in the Present Continuous (are + verb-ing). Option A fits both the tense and the implied subject.

This sentence has two objects: an indirect object ('her') and a direct object ('a scholarship'). Either can become the subject of the passive sentence. Option B correctly makes the indirect object 'her' into the subject 'She' and maintains the Past Simple tense (was awarded).

The passive voice is often used in formal, scientific, or objective writing. Its key function is to shift focus from the doer of the action (the agent) to the action's recipient. It is ideal when the agent is unknown (e.g., 'My car was stolen'), or unimportant (e.g., 'The forms will be processed').

For clauses starting with verbs like 'believe', 'say', 'think', 'report', a common passive structure is to start with 'It is...' followed by the verb in the past participle and the 'that' clause. Option A is the standard and most natural-sounding conversion.

The passive sentence is in the Past Continuous Passive tense (were being + past participle). Its active form must also be in the Past Continuous (was/were + verb-ing). Option B correctly reflects this tense.

The active sentence uses the 'going to' future structure. To make it passive, the form is object + is/are + going to be + past participle. Option C correctly follows this pattern.

The original sentence is in the Present Perfect tense (has + past participle). The passive form for this tense is object + has/have + been + past participle. 'Us' becomes 'We', which takes 'have'. Therefore, Option A is the correct conversion.

The introductory participial phrase "Having been warned" is passive; it implies that someone warned him. The main clause "he did not enter the abandoned building" is active, as the subject 'he' is performing the action 'did not enter'.

The question is in the Present Perfect tense. In the passive voice, the 'Wh-' word remains at the start, followed by the auxiliary verb (has/have), the object ('the assignment'), 'not', 'been', the past participle, and the 'by' phrase. Since 'the assignment' is singular, 'has' is the correct verb.

This sentence contains a main clause ('The manager wants') and an infinitive clause ('the team to complete the project'). To make the infinitive clause passive, the object 'the project' comes before the infinitive, which changes to to be + past participle. The structure becomes wants + object + to be + past participle.

The passive sentence is in the Future Simple tense (will be + past participle). The agent is omitted. To convert to active, we must introduce a general subject like 'someone' or 'they'. The verb must be in the active Future Simple form (will + base verb). Option B is the correct conversion.

The active sentence uses the modal 'must'. In the passive form, the object 'duty' becomes the subject. The structure is object + modal + be + past participle. The agent 'by one' is understood and generally omitted for a more natural and impactful statement, making 'Duty must be done' the best choice.

This question tests the complex passive structure for reporting verbs (like believe, think, say). When the main verb in the active voice ('believe') is in the present tense and the verb in the subordinate clause ('has mishandled') is in the present perfect, the passive construction uses the present passive ('is believed') followed by a perfect infinitive ('to have mishandled'). Option C incorrectly changes the tense to past. Option D uses a simple infinitive, which doesn't reflect the completed action of the original sentence. Option B is grammatically incorrect.

This tests the passive form of the causative verb 'make'. In the active voice, 'make' is followed by an object and a bare infinitive (without 'to'). However, in the passive voice, 'make' must be followed by a 'to-infinitive'. Therefore, 'was made to rehearse' is the correct structure. Option A omits the necessary 'to'. Option C awkwardly passivizes the wrong object. Option D changes the verb from 'make' to 'have', altering the sentence's structure and nuance.

While grammatically correct, this sentence is stylistically poor. The active voice ("I broke the window while I was playing cricket.") is far more direct, natural, and clear, especially when the agent ('me') is the subject of the sentence and is taking direct responsibility. The passive voice is typically used when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or obvious, or when the focus needs to be on the object (the thing acted upon). In this case, the focus is on the action of the speaker, making the active voice superior.

This question tests the passive construction of modal perfects. The structure is modal + have + been + past participle. 'Ought to have informed' becomes 'ought to have been informed'. Option B changes the modal from 'ought to' to 'should', which is a subtle change in meaning. Option C incorrectly changes the tense to a simple modal passive, losing the perfect aspect. Option D has an ungrammatical structure; 'changes' cannot be 'informed'.

For 'who' questions in the active voice, the passive form begins with 'By whom'. 'Whom' is the objective case of 'who', which is required after the preposition 'By'. The verb form must agree with the new subject ('you'), so 'were you taught' is correct for the simple past tense. Option B incorrectly uses 'who' instead of 'whom'. Options C and D are grammatically awkward and less formal, ending the sentence with a preposition or having a convoluted structure.

This question involves a phrasal verb ('look into'). In the passive voice, the preposition ('into') must stay with the verb. The original sentence is in the present continuous tense ('is looking'), so the passive form must also be present continuous passive ('are being looked into'). Option B uses the simple present passive, which is incorrect. Options C and D incorrectly separate the phrasal verb's components.

This question tests the conversion of a negative sentence with 'no one'. 'No one' in the active voice is typically replaced with 'not... ever' (never) or 'not... by anyone' in the passive. The most concise and natural conversion is to use 'never'. The tense is present perfect ('has beaten'), so the passive is present perfect passive ('has been beaten'). Option A correctly combines 'never' with the present perfect passive. Option B is grammatically awkward. Option D creates a double negative, which is incorrect.

This question tests the passivation of a gerund phrase ('my mother teaching me'). The object of the gerund ('me') becomes the subject of the passive gerund form. The active gerund 'teaching' becomes the passive gerund 'being taught'. The main verb 'I remember' remains active. Option B incorrectly uses an infinitive ('to be taught'). Options C and D incorrectly passivize the main verb or create a convoluted structure.

When the active sentence has an indefinite pronoun like 'one' or 'they' as the subject, the 'by...' phrase is typically omitted in the passive voice because the agent is generic and unimportant. The focus shifts entirely to the action and the object. Therefore, 'Promises should be kept' is the most appropriate and standard passive form. Including 'by one' (Option B) is redundant and stylistically poor. Option C changes the modal verb. Option D is an imperative form, which changes the mood of the sentence.

This question tests the understanding of which verbs can be passivized. Only transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object) can be made passive. The verb 'resembles' is a stative verb that indicates a state of being, not an action performed on the object. You cannot say "His father is resembled by the child." It is grammatically and logically incorrect. The other sentences all contain transitive action verbs ('celebrate', 'preparing', 'applauded') and can be converted to passive voice.

This tests the passive form of the 'going to' future. The structure 'be going to + verb' in active voice becomes 'be going to + be + past participle' in the passive voice. The tense and structure must be preserved. Option B changes 'going to' to 'will', which is a different future form. Option C changes the structure to present continuous passive. Option D changes it to future perfect passive. Only Option A correctly maintains the original tense and structure.

Ditransitive verbs like 'offer' have a direct object ('a new role') and an indirect object ('the manager'). Both can become the subject of the passive sentence. This question specifically asks for the version where the indirect object ('the manager') becomes the subject. In this case, the direct object ('a new role') follows the verb directly. Option B correctly uses the direct object as the subject but is not what was asked. Option C is grammatically awkward. Option D has incorrect word order.

Imperative sentences (commands, requests) have a special passive structure, often starting with 'Let'. The structure for a negative imperative is 'Let + object + not + be + past participle'. Option A follows this rule perfectly. Options B and C change the mood of the sentence from a command to advice or a report of an order. Option D is a possible interpretation but 'Let...' is the most direct grammatical transformation for an imperative.

This question tests the future perfect tense. The active form is 'will have + past participle' ('will have completed'). The passive form is 'will have + been + past participle' ('will have been completed'). The adverbial phrase 'By next year' should ideally be kept at the beginning to maintain the original emphasis. Option B changes the tense to simple future passive. Option C is grammatically correct but slightly less natural in word order than A. Option D completely changes the sentence structure and tense.

This is a tricky case that tests meaning and structure beyond simple transformation. The phrase 'It is your duty' implies an obligation. The passive equivalent often uses structures like 'be supposed to' or 'be expected to'. Option B, 'You are supposed to finish the work on time', captures this sense of duty or obligation perfectly. Option A is grammatically possible but very formal and less common. Option C changes 'duty' (obligation) to 'must' (necessity), a slight shift in meaning. Option D is an imperative form, not a statement of duty.

An intransitive verb does not take a direct object and therefore cannot be made passive. In the sentence "The sun rises in the east," the verb 'rises' has no object; 'in the east' is a prepositional phrase indicating location. You cannot say "The east is risen by the sun." In the other options, 'flies a kite', 'grows roses', and 'stopped the car' all have direct objects ('a kite', 'roses', 'the car') and can be passivized.

The active sentence asks about the object of the prepositional verb 'laugh at'. In the passive voice, this object ('Whom', which becomes 'Who') becomes the subject. The verb 'did laugh' is simple past, so the passive is 'was/were + past participle' ('was laughed at'). The preposition 'at' must remain with the verb. 'Who' is the correct subject pronoun. Option B is an active voice question. Option C is ungrammatical. Option D incorrectly changes the tense to past continuous.

This active sentence uses an object complement structure ('him' is the object, 'guilty...' is the complement). In the passive form, the object ('him') becomes the subject ('He'), and the complement ('guilty of all charges') follows the passive verb ('was found'). The agent 'by them' is omitted because 'they' is an indefinite pronoun, making the passive form more concise and focused on the result. Option B adds 'to be', which is unnecessary. Options C and D are grammatically convoluted.

This is a complex sentence where the object of the preposition 'to' is a whole noun clause ('what the speaker says'). This entire clause becomes the subject of the passive sentence. The modal verb 'must' is followed by 'be + past participle' ('be listened to'). The preposition 'to' must be retained. Option B has an incorrect structure. Option C changes the mood to imperative. Option D is redundant and less natural.

This sentence uses a subjunctive mood in the 'that' clause ('...that we take...'). The most formal and accurate passive transformation involves using an impersonal 'It' construction. The main clause 'The situation requires' becomes 'It is required by the situation'. The subjunctive clause 'that we take immediate action' becomes 'that immediate action be taken', retaining the subjunctive form ('be taken' not 'is taken'). Option B is very awkward. Options C and D change the sentence structure significantly, with D being a plausible but less direct transformation than A.