Passive Voice (Various Tenses) – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are writing an online review for a birthday cake you recently ordered. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence in your review.
1 “I am absolutely thrilled because the cake ______ exactly on time yesterday morning.”
(A) delivered
(B) was delivered
(C) has been delivered
(D) is delivered
2 “When I first opened the package, I saw that the cake ______ perfectly in a beautiful pink box.”
(A) packed
(B) was packing
(C) was packed
(D) is packed
3 “According to the description on the website, the cake ______ completely with fresh strawberries and dark chocolate.”
(A) covers
(B) is cover
(C) was covered
(D) is covered
4 “I have to say, the top of the cake ______ beautifully with little sugar flowers.”
(A) has decorated
(B) was decorated
(C) is decorate
(D) has been decorated
5 “There is a warning label on the box saying that the product ______ in the fridge to stay fresh.”
(A) must keep
(B) must to be kept
(C) must be kept
(D) must kept
6 “I called the shop yesterday, and they said my ‘Happy Birthday’ message ______ on the cake at that exact moment.”
(A) was written
(B) was being written
(C) was writing
(D) is being written
7 “I found a small mistake on the name, but customer service promised that a free cupcake ______ to me tomorrow as an apology.”
(A) will send
(B) will sent
(C) will be sent
(D) is sent
8 “This bakery is incredibly busy. Right now, hundreds of these special cakes ______ for the holiday season.”
(A) are baked
(B) are baking
(C) are be baked
(D) are being baked
9 “I have ordered from them for years, and I am glad that their amazing secret recipe ______.”
(A) hasn’t been altered
(B) hasn’t altered
(C) wasn’t altered
(D) hasn’t be altered
10 “Unfortunately, one corner of the box was crushed. It looked like the package ______ before it arrived at my house.”
(A) had dropped
(B) has been dropped
(C) had been dropped
(D) was dropping
11 “One of the best things about this shop is that the cake design ______ to match any party theme you want.”
(A) can customize
(B) could have been customized
(C) can customized
(D) can be customized
12 “The instructions clearly state that the cake ______ within two days for the best taste.”
(A) should have been eaten
(B) should eat
(C) should be eaten
(D) should ate
13 “The cake itself was gorgeous, but sadly, the extra birthday candles ______ out of the bag.”
(A) was left
(B) were left
(C) left
(D) have been left
14 “This specific premium cake ______ in their physical stores; you can only get it online.”
(A) is not sold
(B) hasn’t been sold
(C) doesn’t sell
(D) is not sell
15 “When you place a rush order, you can expect the cake ______ within just three hours.”
(A) being delivered
(B) to deliver
(C) to be deliver
(D) to be delivered
16 “The delivery was fast, but I really dislike ______ an extra $10 for the dry ice packaging.”
(A) charging
(B) being charged
(C) to be charged
(D) be charged
17 “Among dessert lovers, it ______ that this bakery makes the best red velvet cake in the city.”
(A) widely knows
(B) is widely known
(C) is widely knowing
(D) has widely known
18 “The frosting melted a bit during shipping. It ______ with more ice packs.”
(A) should have packed
(B) should be packed
(C) should have been packed
(D) must have been packed
19 “The thick cardboard box did a great job of preventing the delicate cake from ______ during transit.”
(A) to be ruined
(B) being ruined
(C) ruining
(D) be ruined
20 “It is so incredibly delicious that by the end of tonight’s party, every single slice ______!”
(A) will have eaten
(B) will have been eaten
(C) will be eating
(D) will has been eaten
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) was delivered
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Yesterday morning” indicates a finished time in the past -> Past Simple Passive. The cake receives the action (it doesn’t deliver itself).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive (contradicts the specific past time marker “yesterday”).
- (D) Structural Error: Present simple passive.
2 (C) was packed
- Why it is correct (The Key): The packing action was completed in the past before the reviewer opened the box -> Past Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Past continuous active (the cake was packing something else -> wrong meaning).
- (D) Structural Error: Present simple passive.
3 (D) is covered
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes the general state or appearance of the cake -> Present Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Structural Error: Missing the “-ed” suffix on “cover”.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Past simple passive (implies it used to be covered but isn’t anymore).
4 (D) has been decorated
- Why it is correct (The Key): The decoration is finished, but its beautiful result is currently visible and relevant to the reviewer -> Present Perfect Passive.
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Past simple passive (grammatically okay, but Present Perfect is better for emphasizing the present visible result).
- (C) Structural Error: Missing “-ed”.
5 (C) must be kept
- Why it is correct (The Key): A strong recommendation or requirement on the label -> Modal Passive (must + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (the product keeps itself).
- (B) Structural Error: Unnecessary “to” after “must”.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing the verb “be”.
6 (B) was being written
- Why it is correct (The Key): “At that exact moment” (at a specific point in the past) indicates an ongoing past action -> Past Continuous Passive (was + being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Strong Distractor: Past simple passive (lacks the continuous emphasis).
- (C) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Structural Error: Present continuous passive (clashes with “yesterday”).
7 (C) will be sent
- Why it is correct (The Key): A promise made for the future (“tomorrow”) -> Future Simple Passive (will + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Structural Error: Missing “be” after “will”.
- (D) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive.
8 (D) are being baked
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Right now” indicates an ongoing action -> Present Continuous Passive (are + being + V3/ed). “Cakes” is plural.
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive (does not emphasize the ongoing action).
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Structural Error: Uses “be” instead of “being”.
9 (A) hasn’t been altered
- Why it is correct (The Key): An experience spanning “for years” leading up to now -> Present Perfect Passive. The recipe “has not been changed”.
- Distractor Analysis: * (B) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Past simple passive (incorrect with the “for years” timeframe).
- (D) Structural Error: Uses “be” instead of “been”.
10 (C) had been dropped
- Why it is correct (The Key): The action of being dropped happened BEFORE the cake “arrived” in the past -> Past Perfect Passive (had + been + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive (wrong timeline).
- (D) Structural Error: Past continuous active.
11 (D) can be customized
- Why it is correct (The Key): Expressing a feature or capability -> Modal Passive (can + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Modal Perfect Passive (implies it should have been done in the past, which doesn’t fit the context of a general feature).
- (C) Structural Error: Missing “be”.
12 (C) should be eaten
- Why it is correct (The Key): Giving advice based on the instructions -> Modal Passive (should + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Strong Distractor: Modal perfect passive (incorrect meaning; implies it should have been eaten in the past).
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Structural Error: “Ate” is V2, not V3 (eaten).
13 (B) were left
- Why it is correct (The Key): The candles were forgotten in the past. “Candles” is plural -> were + V3/ed (leave -> left).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Structural Error: Subject-verb agreement error (“was” for plural subject).
- (C) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive (incorrect since the packing is a finished past event).
14 (A) is not sold
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describing the shop’s general sales policy -> Present Simple Passive (is + not + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (B) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive (not suitable for stating a fixed policy).
- (C) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Structural Error: The verb “sell” is not in the past participle form (sold).
15 (D) to be delivered
- Why it is correct (The Key): The structure is “expect” + Object (the cake) + To-infinitive. For passive meaning -> Passive Infinitive (to be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Strong Distractor: Passive gerund (incorrect structure after “expect”).
- (B) Common Mistake: Active infinitive.
- (C) Structural Error: Missing “-ed” on “deliver”.
16 (B) being charged
- Why it is correct (The Key): The verb “dislike” is followed by a gerund (V-ing). Since the buyer receives the charge -> Passive Gerund (being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active gerund (meaning the customer is charging someone else).
- (C) Strong Distractor: Passive infinitive (incorrect after “dislike”).
- (D) Structural Error: Base verb passive format.
17 (B) is widely known
- Why it is correct (The Key): Impersonal Passive construction: It + is + V3/ed + that… (People widely know that…).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (“It” doesn’t know anything).
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: Present perfect active.
18 (C) should have been packed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Expressing a complaint or regret about something that OUGHT TO HAVE BEEN DONE in the past but wasn’t -> Modal Perfect Passive (should + have + been + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present modal passive (incorrect since the cake has already melted).
- (D) Structural Error: Incorrect meaning (“must have been” expresses a strong deduction/certainty, not a complaint or recommendation).
19 (B) being ruined
- Why it is correct (The Key): The structure “prevent something from + V-ing”. The cake is protected from damage -> Passive Gerund after a preposition (being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Strong Distractor: Passive infinitive (do not use “to-V” after a preposition).
- (C) Common Mistake: Active gerund.
- (D) Structural Error: Uses the base verb “be” after a preposition.
20 (B) will have been eaten
- Why it is correct (The Key): “By the end of tonight’s party” (before a future point in time) requires the Future Perfect. Every slice “is eaten” -> Future Perfect Passive (will + have + been + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis: * (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Future continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: “Will” is never followed by “has”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The Purpose of Passive Voice in Product Reviews:
When writing a shopping review, you want all attention directed toward The Product rather than the seller or the delivery person. Using the Passive Voice makes your review highly focused and direct regarding the product’s condition (e.g., The box was crushed, The cake is beautifully decorated).
2 Quickly Spotting Tense Traps in Reviews:
- Past Simple Passive (was/were + V3/ed): Used when reviewing the completed delivery or unboxing process. (The cake was delivered late.)
- Present Simple / Present Perfect Passive (is/are + V3/ed) or (has/have been + V3/ed): Used to review the current appearance or state of the item you are holding. (It is covered in chocolate.)
- Modal Perfect Passive (should have been + V3/ed): Extremely useful for complaining about things the shop failed to do in the past. (It should have been packed better.)
3 Advanced Passive Forms to Watch Out For:
- Verbs expressing emotion (like, dislike, hate) are often followed by V-ing. For passive meaning, use being + V3/ed. (Example: I hate being charged extra.)
- Prepositions (from, about, without) must be followed by being + V3/ed. (Example: Prevent the cake from being ruined.)
- Golden Rule: The verb “to be” is the soul of the passive voice. Any option missing a form of “to be” (am/is/are/was/were/be/been/being) is structurally incorrect!