Complete the sentences with the past simple passive form of verb in brackets.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

In ancient times, fires (light) ____________ to use smoke as a signal over long distances.
Morse code (invent) ______________ by an American called Samuel Morse.
The worlds first television images (show) _____________ in scientists in Scotland in 1926.
Radios (use) ______________ to broadcast coded messages during the Second World War.
The World Wide Web (design) _________________ originally to make it easier dor nuclear
physics researchers to communicate.
Buying books and CDs over the internet (make) _____________ populer by the company
Amazon.
The first mobile phones with cameras (sell) ______________ in Japan.
Vinyl albums and tapes (replace) ________________ by CDs, which are now being replaced
by mp3.
The first English dictionary (wrote) _________________ Robert Cawdret in 1604.
The first mass-produced cars (introduce) ______________ by the Ford company in the USA.

Read the text and underline all the subject, verb and object structures. Then rewrite the text
using present simple passive verbs. Leave out any unnecesary words.
How a toy car is made
In the factory, they use computer to plan the exact shape of the car. They then feed this computer
program into a machine, and produce a plastics prototype. Then they produce the actual toy cars in
a factory abroad. As far as construction is concerned, they make the bodies of the cars from plastic.
They add small electric motors to the cars, and then they paint them. They also attach licence plates.
Quality control inspects the cars and then they wrap them and pack them into cardboard boxes.
They ship the cars to Britain.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

As a first step,
Then
The actual
The bodies
Small
Licence
f. At the next stage,
g. Finally,
Complete the text with either the will passive or present perfect passive forms of the verb in
brackets.
In recent years mant plans (make) ________________ for large floating cities with living
accommodation for as many as 50.000 people. One such project which (advertise) _______________ is
the Freedom Ship. According to the plans for this project, this huge ship (consrtuct) ____________ from
smaller units, which (take) _______________ out to sea for final assembly. The ship (power) _________
By 100 diesel engines, and the residents on board (carry) _______________ around the world
continuously. The large number of people on the ship (provide) ______________ with all kinds of
entertainment and sports facilities, and modern recycling methods (use) ___________ to save enegy on
board. At the time od writing, this project (not build) ______________ and (criiticize) _______________

by some people who say it is too expensive. We shall have to wait and see whether this ambitious plan
ever becomes reality.
Rewrite the sentences using a present perfect passive with by. Leave out any unnecessary words.
1. Cheaper air travel has made possible the global expansion in tourism.
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Countries all over the world have experienced a growth in tourism.
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Millions of tourists have visited the popular Mediterranean resorts since the 1970s.
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Recently tourists have chosen more distant locations in Africa, Asia and South America.
______________________________________________________________________________
5. Mass tourism has badly affected some countries.
______________________________________________________________________________
6. International companies have built large hotels on unspoilt coastline.
______________________________________________________________________________
7. These developments have disturbed local wildlite.
______________________________________________________________________________
8. Tourists have damaged coral reefs and other habitats.
______________________________________________________________________________
9. Such developments have also displaced local people.
______________________________________________________________________________
10. Some goverments have developed the idea of ecotourism to counteract some of these problems
______________________________________________________________________________
Read the Information about Urban development. Then complete the text with the present perfect
passive or past perfect passive form of the verbs in brackets.
In many countries in recent years, areas of urban land which were once used for industrial
purposes (redevelop) ___________________ for other purposes. In London, for example, the Docklands
(transform) _________________ since the 1980s. The docks (built)
____________________ in the 19th century when London was a busy port, but by the 1980s most
business (lose) ______________ and many docks (close) ________________________
This left large areas of derelict land and many people without jobs. Since the 1980s 10 billion (spend)
_________________ on the project. 600 hectares of derelict land (improve)
_________________ 90 km of new roads (built) __________________. 80000 new jobs
(create) ________________ and 24.000 new homes (construct) _______________
In addition to this, 100.000 new trees (plant) ____________________ and 130 hectares of
parks (create) _________________. Cultural venues such as the Docklands Arena (open)
___________________. Some local people do not agree with all the things that (do)
___________________ as houses here are expensive and most jobs area in media, IT or business. On
the other hand a declining area of the city (give) )________________ a new lease of life.

Rewrite each sentence so that it does not contain the words someone or people
1. Someone built ships with sails more than 5.000 years ago.
___________________________________________________________
2. Someone constructured a hot-air balloon in 1783.
___________________________________________________________
3. People developed the steam ship in the 19th century.
___________________________________________________________
4. Someone opened the first successful passenger railway in 1930.
___________________________________________________________
5. People started the first passenger airlines after the First World War.
___________________________________________________________
Rewrite each sentence so that it includes the agent by.
1. The Chinese probably printed the first books more than a thousand years ago.
______________________________________________________________________________
2. The Remington company sold the first modern typewriters in the 1870s.
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Edilson recorded the first words on a gramophone record in 1877.
______________________________________________________________________________
4. The Lumiere brothers created the first modern cinema in France in 1895.
______________________________________________________________________________
5. Valdemar Poulsen invented the tape recorder in 1899.
______________________________________________________________________________
Rewrite each sentence beginning and ending as shown.
1. At the end of her term at college, a multi-national company offered Emma a job in Dubai.
At the end of her term at college, Emma _______________________ a multi-national company.
2. It wasnt very well-paid, but they promised her a good position in the future.
It wasnt very well-paid, but she _______________________________ in the future.
3. They sent her a letter explaining all the details.
She _________________________________________________ the details.
4. The company explained that they would give her free accommodation.
The company explained that she _________________________________ free accommodation.
5. Her parents lent her some money to buy some new clothes and laptop.
She ________________________________ by her parents to buy some new clothes and laptop.
6. Her fellow students gave her some CDs as a present.
She _______________________ as a present by her fellow students.
Rewrite each news item beginning as shown.
1. People believe that the Prime Minister is seriously ill.
The Prime Minister ___________________________________________
2. People think she is in hospital.
She ______________________________________________________
3. People suppose that she is flying to Washington tomorrow.
She _______________________________________________________

4. People understand that she is remaining in London.

She ________________________________________________________
5. People do not say that she is dangerously ill.
She ________________________________________________________
6. People expect her to leave hospital in a few days.
She ________________________________________________________
7. People believe that doctors are at her beside day and night.
Doctors _____________________________________________________
8. People know that her illness is a kind of flu.
Her illness ___________________________________________________
9. People understand that she is taking antibiotics.
She ________________________________________________________
10. People report that she is in good spirits.
She ________________________________________________________
Change the following from active to passive voice.
1. The teenagers were studying English.
__________________________________________________________________
2. Sibling rivalry often causes conflict in families.
__________________________________________________________________
3. Relationships made during adolescence can develop into life-long friendships.
__________________________________________________________________
4. Maternal instinct plays a role in nurturing young children.
__________________________________________________________________
5. Frequent family gatherings often develop close-knit family bonds.
__________________________________________________________________
6. A womans desire for motherhood can be in conflict with her desire for a career.
__________________________________________________________________
7.

Not being able to have children naturally, Ilyne and Raphael recently adopted a child from
China.
__________________________________________________________________________

8. The school had recruited one of the parents to spearhead a fund-raising campaign.
______________________________________________________________________________
9. A close relative became a new parent last week.
__________________________________________________________________
Change the following from passive to active voice.
1. Rules have been established to deal with the large number of absences.
__________________________________________________________________

2. Success in adulthood can be achieved by a stable upbringing.

__________________________________________________________________
3. Proper discipline should have been decided on by both parents together.
__________________________________________________________________
4. Stress in adulthood can be caused by an unhappy childhood.
__________________________________________________________________
5. Barriers to communication should be broken down.
__________________________________________________________________
6. Personality characteristics are often inherited from parents and other family members.
____________________________________________________________________________
7. Strong family ties were credited for the development of the well-adjusted children.
_______________________________________________________________________________
8. When their mother disappeared, the kittens were nurtured by a caring dog, along with her
own puppies.
_______________________________________________________________________________
9. My classes will all be passed if I study hard every day.
__________________________________________________________________
Active or passive
1. Leonardo da Vinci (paint) Mona Lisa.
2. The best Whisky (make) .. in Scotland.
3. The flowers (water) ..every day.
4. He (write) me a letter last week.
5. The film (make) ...in Britain.
6. They (give) him a present.
7. The telephone (invent) by Bell.
8. She (phone) .. him every day.
9. The car (clean) ..once a week.
10. What (this use) .for?