WPWord Play

The Passive

LESSON
Lesson Reference
Grammar rules and examples for self-study
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REVIEW
Review Exercises
Fill-in and gap-fill practice tasks
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ANSWER KEY
Answer Key
Correct answers for all exercises
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The Passive

Grammar Reference

Form Example
ImpersonalIt + is / was + pp + that + clauseto + infinitive
Personal — presentSubject + is + pp + to + infinitiveto have + past participle
Personal — pastSubject + is + pp + to have + ppIt is said that he was rich.
Reporting verbssay · think · believe · know · report · expectIt is believed that she knows him.

The Passive — Exercises

Active to passive — identify the tense

Rewrite each sentence in the passive, keeping the same tense.

  1. Automation is displacing thousands of workers in the manufacturing sector.
  2. The company published a report on carbon emissions last quarter.
  3. Governments will introduce stricter data privacy laws next year.
  4. Scientists have linked deforestation to the rapid decline in biodiversity.

Complete with the correct passive form

Use the verb in brackets in the correct passive form.

  1. The new data privacy legislation (approve) by parliament last month.
  2. Carbon emissions (reduce) significantly by 2035 under the new policy.
  3. Thousands of workers (make) redundant since automation began.
  4. The company's digital footprint (audit) by a cybersecurity firm every year.
  5. When the report (publish), the extent of the inequality was shocking.
  6. The entrepreneur (award) a grant to develop her sustainable packaging start-up.
  7. New renewable energy infrastructure (build) across the country right now.
  8. It (expect) that fossil fuel use will decline sharply by 2040.
  9. The start-up's algorithm (not / test) properly before launch.
  10. A solution to the inequality problem (still / not / find).

Causative have / get

Rewrite each sentence using have or get + object + past participle.

  1. A specialist audited the company's carbon footprint annually. (have)
  2. Someone hacked her data storage during the cybersecurity breach. (get)
  3. A legal firm is reviewing the data privacy contract for us tomorrow. (have)
  4. A consultant analysed their digital footprint last week. (get)

Key word transformation

  1. Experts believe that automation will transform the workforce. BELIEVEDIt ______ automation will transform the workforce.
  2. A cybersecurity firm tests the company's systems every year. TESTEDThe company's systems ______ a cybersecurity firm every year.
  3. Someone leaked the data privacy report to the press. WASThe data privacy report ______ the press.
  4. A consultant revised her carbon footprint strategy. (have/get)REVISEDShe ______ her carbon footprint strategy by a consultant.

The Passive — Answer Key

Active to passive — identify the tense

  1. Sample answer: Thousands of workers are being displaced by automation in the manufacturing sector.
  2. Sample answer: A report on carbon emissions was published by the company last quarter.
  3. Sample answer: Stricter data privacy laws will be introduced by governments next year.
  4. Sample answer: Deforestation has been linked to the rapid decline in biodiversity.

Complete with the correct passive form

  1. was approved
  2. will be reduced
  3. have been made
  4. is audited
  5. was published
  6. was awarded
  7. is being built
  8. is expected
  9. was not tested
  10. has still not been found

Causative have / get

  1. Sample answer: The company had its carbon footprint audited by a specialist annually.
  2. Sample answer: She got her data storage hacked during the cybersecurity breach.
  3. Sample answer: We are having the data privacy contract reviewed by a legal firm tomorrow.
  4. Sample answer: They got their digital footprint analysed by a consultant last week.

Key word transformation

  1. is believed that
  2. are tested by
  3. was leaked to
  4. had/got her strategy revised