Advanced Passive – English Grammar Exercises for B2

1 (C) are having the network servers upgraded

• Why it’s correct: The causative passive have + object + V3/ed in the present continuous tense indicates that the company is currently employing professionals to do the upgrade.
• Error Analysis: (A) Common Mistake (Active voice implies the administrative staff are doing the technical IT work themselves). (B) Structural Error (Incorrect word order and verb form). (D) Structural Error (“Upgrade” lacks the required -d suffix for the past participle).

2 (B) it is expected

• Why it’s correct: The impersonal passive It + is expected + that… is the standard, formal way to announce corporate forecasts or schedules.
• Error Analysis: (A) Common Mistake (Active voice implies the pronoun “it” is actively anticipating something). (C) Strong Distractor (“There is” cannot be used with a “that” clause in this context). (D) Structural Error (“They” is an invalid dummy subject here).

3 (D) had the air conditioning repaired

• Why it’s correct: The past simple causative had + object + V3/ed shows that a professional service was hired to fix the AC yesterday.
• Error Analysis: (A) Common Mistake (Past Perfect Active means the administration team physically repaired the AC themselves). (B) Strong Distractor (Implies they persuaded the AC unit to repair something else). (C) Structural Error (“Repair” lacks the -ed suffix).

4 (A) is expected to arrive

• Why it’s correct: The personal passive structure Subject + be expected + to V denotes a scheduled future action for the subject (the crew).
• Error Analysis: (B) Common Mistake (Active voice implies the crew expects themselves to arrive). (C) Structural Error (Requires “to + infinitive”, not a gerund). (D) Strong Distractor (Grammatically invalid; cannot use a “that” clause after the subject has been raised).

5 (B) get your laptops backed up

• Why it’s correct: The causative get + object + V3/ed is used here as an imperative, instructing employees to ensure the IT department performs the backup for them.
• Error Analysis: (A) Common Mistake (Present Perfect Active implies the employees must do it themselves, contradicting “by the IT department”). (C) Structural Error (Incorrect word order). (D) Strong Distractor (“Make” is not used in this passive causative structure).

6 (C) have all confidential physical files secured

• Why it’s correct: Have + object + V3/ed used after the modal verb “must” to denote delegating a security task.
• Error Analysis: (A) Common Mistake (Perfect active voice implies the administration will physically secure the files themselves, rather than ensuring it gets done). (B) Structural Error (“Secure” is used as an adjective here, but the structure requires a past participle verb). (D) Strong Distractor (“Make” is incorrect).

7 (A) it was reported

• Why it’s correct: Past tense impersonal passive It + was reported + that… is used to formally state facts that occurred in the past.
• Error Analysis: (B) Strong Distractor (“There” is the wrong dummy subject for a “that” clause). (C) Structural Error (Missing the dummy subject “it”). (D) Common Mistake (Active voice).

8 (D) have their passwords changed

• Why it’s correct: Causative passive have sth done following “need to”, instructing employees to undergo a process managed by the system.
• Error Analysis: (A) Structural Error (Incorrect word order). (B) Structural Error (“Change” lacks the -d suffix). (C) Strong Distractor (Unnecessary use of “to be”).

9 (B) are said to be working

• Why it’s correct: The phrase “right now” dictates an ongoing action. Therefore, the Continuous Infinitive (to be V-ing) must follow the passive reporting verb.
• Error Analysis: (A) Common Mistake (“To work” implies a general routine or future action, ignoring the “right now” context). (C) Structural Error (Missing the passive auxiliary “are”). (D) Structural Error (Missing “to”).

10 (A) having the office carpets deep-cleaned

• Why it’s correct: Causative passive in the present continuous (are having sth done) indicating an ongoing service provided by a third party.
• Error Analysis: (B) Common Mistake (Active continuous perfect means the company staff are washing the carpets themselves). (C) Structural Error (“Deep-clean” lacks the -ed suffix). (D) Strong Distractor (“Making” cannot be used in this context).

11 (C) It has been announced

• Why it’s correct: Present perfect impersonal passive (It has been V3 + that) is the formal standard for delivering recent corporate news.
• Error Analysis: (A) Common Mistake (Active voice implies “It” made the announcement). (B) Structural Error (Missing the subject “It”). (D) Strong Distractor (“There” cannot precede a “that” clause).

12 (D) having the main alarm systems tested

• Why it’s correct: Future continuous causative (will be having sth done) describes a service that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.
• Error Analysis: (A) Strong Distractor (Incorrect grammatical construction). (B) Common Mistake (Active voice). (C) Structural Error (“Test” lacks the -ed suffix).

13 (A) is known to have installed

• Why it’s correct: The installation happened in the past, prior to the current knowledge. This requires the Perfect Infinitive (to have V3/ed).
• Error Analysis: (B) Common Mistake (“To install” implies they are installing it now or in the future). (C) Strong Distractor (Mixing impersonal “that” clause with a raised subject). (D) Structural Error (Missing the passive “is”).

14 (C) get the software licenses renewed

• Why it’s correct: The causative get + object + V3/ed indicates arranging for the vendor to update the licenses.
• Error Analysis: (A) Structural Error (“Renew” lacks the -ed suffix). (B) Structural Error (Incorrect word order). (D) Strong Distractor (“Make” is invalid here).

15 (B) are suspected to have been accessed

• Why it’s correct: A complex passive: The suspicion is current (are suspected), the breach happened in the past (to have), and the routers were the victims of the breach (been accessed).
• Error Analysis: (A) Common Mistake (Active perfect infinitive implies the routers accessed something else). (C) Structural Error (Missing passive “are”). (D) Strong Distractor (Incorrect grammatical mix).

16 (A) have had the new firewall configured

• Why it’s correct: Inside a Third Conditional sentence (would have + V3), the main verb “have” from the have sth done structure becomes “had”.
• Error Analysis: (B) Strong Distractor (Lacks the past perfect aspect required by the conditional). (C) Structural Error (Must use base “have” after the modal “would”). (D) Common Mistake (Incorrect word order).

17 (C) There is believed to be

• Why it’s correct: A variation of the impersonal passive There is believed to be… (IT professionals believe that there exists…).
• Error Analysis: (A) Strong Distractor (If using “It is believed”, it must be followed by “that there is”). (B) Structural Error (“They” is an invalid dummy subject). (D) Common Mistake (Active voice).

18 (D) Having all maintenance logs updated

• Why it’s correct: A gerund phrase acting as the subject of the sentence, utilizing the causative passive structure (Having sth done).
• Error Analysis: (A) Common Mistake (Perfect gerund in the active voice implies the Head of Admin updated them personally). (B) Structural Error (Incorrect word order). (C) Structural Error (“Update” lacks the -d suffix).

19 (B) is the new fiber-optic network expected

• Why it’s correct: When starting a sentence with the negative adverbial “Not only,” the subject and auxiliary verb must be inverted (is the network expected).
• Error Analysis: (A) Common Mistake (Fails to apply the inversion rule). (C) Structural Error (Uses active auxiliary “does” instead of passive “is”). (D) Strong Distractor (Incorrect inversion syntax).

20 (A) to have their office layout redesigned

• Why it’s correct: The verb “request” is followed by an infinitive (“to have”), and it nests the causative passive structure (have sth done) to indicate hiring movers/designers.
• Error Analysis: (B) Common Mistake (Active voice gerund). (C) Structural Error (“Redesign” lacks the -ed suffix). (D) Strong Distractor (Cannot use a gerund after “requested” in this context, and “to be” is unnecessary).

1 The “Managerial Passive”: Have / Get Something Done

• Core Structure: Subject + have / get + Object + Past Participle (V3/ed)
• Business Application: In a professional environment, managers and departments rarely execute manual or technical tasks themselves. They delegate, outsource, or hire contractors. Using the Active voice (e.g., We are upgrading the servers) sounds like the admin staff are holding screwdrivers. Using the Causative Passive (e.g., We are having the servers upgraded) correctly implies that professionals are doing the work on the company’s behalf.
• Note: “Get” is slightly less formal than “Have”, but both are widely accepted in modern business emails.

2 The “Corporate Announcement”: Impersonal Passive

• Core Function: Used to maintain an objective, authoritative tone when delivering company-wide news, forecasts, or policies. It shifts the focus from “Who said it” to “What is happening.”
• Structure 1 (The Dummy ‘It’): It + is/was + expected/reported/announced + that + Clause
• Example: It is expected that the internet will be down.
• Structure 2 (The Raised Subject): Subject + be + expected/known/suspected + Infinitive
• Future/Scheduled: Use to V. (The crew is expected to arrive).
• Currently Ongoing: Use to be V-ing. (Technicians are said to be working).
• Past Action: Use to have V3/ed. (The vendor is known to have installed cables).
• Past Passive Action: Use to have been V3/ed. (The network is suspected to have been breached).