Passive Voice (Various Tenses) – English Grammar Exercises for B1
The neighborhood council president announcing the construction progress of a new community park and bridge. You are attending a town hall meeting. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete the council president’s speech.
1 “Good evening, neighbors! I am thrilled to announce that the abandoned factory on Elm Street ______ next week.”
(A) will demolish
(B) will be demolished
(C) is demolished
(D) will be demolish
2 “In its place, a beautiful new community park ______ for all of our families to enjoy.”
(A) will be built
(B) are built
(C) will build
(D) will be build
3 “The official blueprints for this amazing park ______ by the city council yesterday.”
(A) was approved
(B) approved
(C) have been approved
(D) were approved
4 “To provide plenty of shade, more than 100 new trees ______ around the walking paths.”
(A) will plant
(B) will be planting
(C) will planted
(D) will be planted
5 “We promise that the new children’s playground ______ right before the summer holidays begin.”
(A) will be unveiled
(B) will unveil
(C) has unveiled
(D) will be unveil
6 “If you walk by the site right now, you will see that the old concrete walls ______.”
(A) are tearing down
(B) are torn down
(C) are being torn down
(D) are be torn down
7 “Once the ground is completely cleared, fresh green grass ______ across the entire field.”
(A) will be laid
(B) will lay
(C) will have laid
(D) will be lay
8 “The new outdoor fitness area ______ by people of all ages and fitness levels.”
(A) can use
(B) can used
(C) can be using
(D) can be used
9 “Currently, the exact budget for the solar-powered streetlights ______ by the finance committee.”
(A) is discussing
(B) is being discussed
(C) are being discussed
(D) has been discussed
10 “We understand your concerns about the noise. All heavy machinery ______ quiet during the evening hours.”
(A) will keep
(B) will be keeped
(C) will be kept
(D) is kept
11 “I know traffic is a concern, but all residents ______ about the temporary road closures already.”
(A) have informed
(B) were being informed
(C) has been informed
(D) have been informed
12 “If the weather stays clear, the beautiful central fountain ______ by the end of next month.”
(A) will be installed
(B) are installing
(C) will install
(D) will be install
13 “Unfortunately, the neighborhood swimming pool ______ this year due to unexpected budget cuts.”
(A) cannot finish
(B) cannot to be finished
(C) haven’t been finished
(D) cannot be finished
14 “But don’t worry! The old community hall ______ a bright new color next weekend instead.”
(A) is going to paint
(B) is going to be painted
(C) is painting
(D) is going to painted
15 “By the end of this year, the entire neighborhood revitalization project ______.”
(A) will have been completed
(B) will have completed
(C) will be completing
(D) will has been completed
16 “The city planners expect the pedestrian bridge ______ safely before the heavy rainy season starts.”
(A) finishing
(B) to finish
(C) to be finish
(D) to be finished
17 “The construction team is working double shifts because they want to avoid ______ by bad weather.”
(A) being delayed
(B) to be delayed
(C) delaying
(D) be delayed
18 “It ______ that our property values will rise significantly once this park is fully operational.”
(A) has promised
(B) is promising
(C) has been promised
(D) have been promised
19 “The mayor insists on the grand opening ribbon ______ by a student from our local elementary school.”
(A) cutting
(B) to be cut
(C) being cut
(D) be cut
20 “Overall, we are absolutely thrilled about the dirty old parking lot ______ into a vibrant green space.”
(A) transforming
(B) being transformed
(C) to be transformed
(D) be transformed
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) will be demolished
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Next week” indicates the Future Simple tense. The factory receives the action -> Future Simple Passive (will + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice. A factory cannot demolish itself.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing the “-ed” on the past participle.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive (wrong tense for “next week”).
2 (A) will be built
- Why it is correct (The Key): Predicting a future addition to the neighborhood -> Future Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (C) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Structural Error: “Build” is not the past participle (built).
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive (incorrect timeframe).
3 (D) were approved
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Yesterday” indicates a completed past event -> Past Simple Passive. “Blueprints” is plural.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (A) Structural Error: Subject-verb agreement error (“was” for a plural subject).
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive (conflicts with “yesterday”).
4 (D) will be planted
- Why it is correct (The Key): A promise for the future -> Future Simple Passive. Trees receive the action.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Structural Error: Missing the verb “be” after “will”.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Future continuous active (meaning the trees will plant something else).
5 (A) will be unveiled
- Why it is correct (The Key): A future promise -> Future Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing the “-ed”.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present perfect active (incorrect timeframe and voice).
6 (C) are being torn down
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Right now” implies an ongoing action -> Present Continuous Passive. “Walls” is plural (are + being + V3/ed). The past participle of tear is torn.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Structural Error: Uses “be” instead of “being”.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive (lacks the emphasis on the current moment).
7 (A) will be laid
- Why it is correct (The Key): A future step in the process -> Future Simple Passive. The past participle of lay is laid.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Structural Error: Base verb instead of past participle.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Future perfect active.
8 (D) can be used
- Why it is correct (The Key): Expressing ability/possibility with a modal -> Modal Passive (can + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (an area cannot use people).
- (B) Structural Error: Missing the verb “be”.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Modal continuous active.
9 (B) is being discussed
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Currently” means it is happening now -> Present Continuous Passive. “Budget” is singular.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Structural Error: Subject-verb agreement error (“are” for singular “budget”).
- (D) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive (clashes with the ongoing nature of “currently”).
10 (C) will be kept
- Why it is correct (The Key): A future guarantee -> Future Simple Passive. The past participle of keep is kept.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Structural Error: “Keeped” is not a word.
- (D) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive.
11 (D) have been informed
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Already” indicates a completed action with present relevance -> Present Perfect Passive. “Residents” is plural.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (meaning residents informed someone else).
- (C) Structural Error: Uses “has” for a plural subject.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Past continuous passive.
12 (A) will be installed
- Why it is correct (The Key): A future conditional plan -> Future Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (C) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing the “-ed”.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present continuous active.
13 (D) cannot be finished
- Why it is correct (The Key): A negative possibility with a modal -> Modal Passive (cannot + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Structural Error: Unnecessary “to” after “cannot”.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive (wrong meaning).
14 (B) is going to be painted
- Why it is correct (The Key): A planned future action using “be going to” -> am/is/are + going to be + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “be”.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present continuous active.
15 (A) will have been completed
- Why it is correct (The Key): “By the end of this year” acts as a future deadline, requiring the Future Perfect tense. The project receives the action -> Future Perfect Passive (will + have + been + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (D) Structural Error: “Will” cannot be followed by “has”.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Future continuous active.
16 (D) to be finished
- Why it is correct (The Key): The verb “expect” takes an object + to-infinitive. For passive meaning -> Passive Infinitive (to be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active infinitive.
- (A) Strong Distractor: Active gerund (incorrect after “expect”).
- (C) Structural Error: Missing the “-ed”.
17 (A) being delayed
- Why it is correct (The Key): The verb “avoid” must be followed by a gerund (V-ing). Since the team receives the delay -> Passive Gerund (being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (C) Common Mistake: Active gerund.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Passive infinitive (incorrect because “avoid” does not take “to-V”).
- (D) Structural Error: Base verb passive.
18 (C) has been promised
- Why it is correct (The Key): Impersonal Passive construction (“It + passive verb + that…”). Present perfect emphasizes the recent and relevant nature of the promise.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (“It” doesn’t promise things).
- (D) Structural Error: Uses “have” for the singular pronoun “It”.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present continuous active.
19 (C) being cut
- Why it is correct (The Key): The phrase “insists on” ends with a preposition, which must be followed by a gerund. The ribbon receives the action -> Passive Gerund (being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active gerund (the ribbon cuts something else).
- (B) Strong Distractor: Passive infinitive (incorrect after a preposition).
- (D) Structural Error: Base verb passive.
20 (B) being transformed
- Why it is correct (The Key): After the preposition “about”, a gerund is required. The parking lot receives the action -> Passive Gerund (being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active gerund.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Passive infinitive (do not use to-V after prepositions).
- (D) Structural Error: Base verb passive.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The Communicative Power of the Future Simple Passive
When city planners or neighborhood councils announce new projects, they want residents to focus on the benefits and the finished results (the park, the bridge, the playground). They don’t need to focus on who is doing the manual labor (the construction workers).
- Active (Focuses on workers): The builders will build a park.
- Passive (Focuses on community benefit): A new park will be built.
2 Core Formulas for Project Updates
- Future Simple Passive (will be + V3/ed): Used to make promises about what will exist in the future. (The factory will be demolished.)
- “Be going to” Passive (am/is/are going to be + V3/ed): Used to talk about firm future plans that are already decided. (The hall is going to be painted.)
- Present Continuous Passive (is/are being + V3/ed): Used to report on construction progress happening right now. (The walls are being torn down.)
3 Advanced Passive Structures (B1 -> B2 Level)
- Passive Infinitives (to be + V3/ed): Used after certain verbs like expect, want, hope.
- Example: We expect the bridge to be finished.
- Passive Gerunds (being + V3/ed): Used after prepositions (about, on, of) and certain verbs like avoid, enjoy, dislike.
- Example: They want to avoid being delayed.
- Impersonal Passives (It is/has been + V3/ed + that…): Used to make formal, authoritative statements.
- Example: It has been promised that property values will rise.