Passive Voice (Various Tenses) – English Grammar Exercises for B1
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 I still can’t believe it! Yesterday, my name ______ out loud in front of the whole school.
(A) called
(B) was called
(C) has been called
(D) was call
2 The exciting news ______ to me by the head coach after the training session.
(A) was given
(B) gave
(C) is given
(D) has given
3 Look at my new jacket! A special “Captain” badge ______ on it.
(A) printed
(B) was printed
(C) has been printed
(D) has printed
4 I feel so proud because I ______ to represent our school in the national championship.
(A) chose
(B) have chosen
(C) was chosen
(D) was choosed
5 Next Monday, the official leadership certificate ______ to me at the main assembly.
(A) will present
(B) is presented
(C) will be presented
(D) will be present
6 I was shaking with nerves while the final decisions ______ by the judges.
(A) were being made
(B) were making
(C) made
(D) are being made
7 In our club, the team leader ______ based on skills and teamwork, not just popularity.
(A) is selecting
(B) has selected
(C) is selected
(D) is select
8 The principal told me that I ______ to lead the opening ceremony next week.
(A) am expected
(B) expecting
(C) expect
(D) am expect
9 All the other candidates ______ about the final results, so everyone knows I won.
(A) have informed
(B) have been informed
(C) were informing
(D) has been informed
10 When exactly ______ about this amazing opportunity? You kept it a secret!
(A) did you tell
(B) have you been told
(C) were you told
(D) you were told
11 As the new captain, my custom uniform ______ by tomorrow morning.
(A) must be ordered
(B) must order
(C) must been ordered
(D) must be order
12 I can’t meet you right now; my photo ______ for the school magazine’s front page!
(A) is taken
(B) is being taken
(C) takes
(D) is taking
13 Before I even arrived at the gym, my locker ______ with a big “Congratulations” sign.
(A) had decorated
(B) was decorating
(C) has been decorated
(D) had been decorated
14 A short speech of gratitude ______ by the new representative at tomorrow’s meeting.
(A) has to be given
(B) has to give
(C) has to be gave
(D) has given
15 I am absolutely thrilled ______ for such a prestigious role in the academy.
(A) to be chosen
(B) to choose
(C) choosing
(D) to be chose
16 I still can’t believe I ______ the chance to lead such an amazing group of people.
(A) offered
(B) was offered
(C) was offering
(D) have offered
17 More than anything, I dream of ______ by my teammates as a fair and strong leader.
(A) being respected
(B) respecting
(C) be respected
(D) been respected
18 Ever since I ______ as the official team captain, my phone hasn’t stopped ringing.
(A) have appointed
(B) was appointed
(C) have been appointed
(D) appointed
19 Honestly, I ______ earlier, but the coach wanted to surprise me in front of everyone.
(A) should tell
(B) should be told
(C) should have been told
(D) should have told
20 I am really looking forward to ______ to the board of directors this Friday.
(A) introducing
(B) being introduce
(C) be introduced
(D) being introduced
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) was called
- Why it is correct (The Key): The action happened “Yesterday” (Past Simple). A name cannot call itself, so the passive voice is required -> was called.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive; incorrect time marker.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “-ed” on the past participle.
2 (A) was given
- Why it is correct (The Key): Recounting a completed past event, emphasizing the news that was “given” to the speaker -> Past Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice (news cannot give itself).
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive; unsuitable for a finalized past event.
- (D) Structural Error: Present perfect active.
3 (C) has been printed
- Why it is correct (The Key): The printing is finished, but the result is visible in the present (“Look at my new jacket!”) -> Present Perfect Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Past simple passive (grammatically okay, but Present Perfect is better to emphasize the present result).
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “been” in the passive structure.
4 (C) was chosen
- Why it is correct (The Key): The speaker was selected in the past -> Past Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Structural Error: Present perfect active.
- (D) Structural Error: Incorrect irregular verb form (choose – chose – chosen; “choosed” does not exist).
5 (C) will be presented
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Next Monday” indicates the Future Simple. The certificate “will be given/presented” -> Future Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Future simple active.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “-ed” on the verb.
6 (A) were being made
- Why it is correct (The Key): Emphasizes an action that was ongoing at a specific moment in the past (“while”) -> Past Continuous Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Past continuous active.
- (C) Structural Error: Past simple active.
- (D) Strong Distractor: Present continuous passive; contradicts the past tense of “I was shaking”.
7 (C) is selected
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes a general rule or fact within the club -> Present Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Present continuous active.
- (B) Structural Error: Present perfect active.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “-ed” on the verb.
8 (A) am expected
- Why it is correct (The Key): “I am expected to do something.” Even though the first clause is in the past (“told”), the expectation is a current/near-future state -> Present Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Incorrect reduced clause or continuous tense lacking the “to be” verb.
- (C) Structural Error: Present simple active.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “-ed”.
9 (B) have been informed
- Why it is correct (The Key): The informing action is complete, and everyone now knows the results -> Present Perfect Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Present perfect active.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Past continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: Uses “has” for the plural subject “candidates”.
10 (C) were you told
- Why it is correct (The Key): Asking about a specific point in the past (“When exactly”) requires the Past Simple. You “were told” -> Passive voice.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (“did you tell someone” -> wrong context).
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive cannot be used with the question word “When”.
- (D) Structural Error: Incorrect word order for a question.
11 (A) must be ordered
- Why it is correct (The Key): Passive voice with a modal verb (Modal verb + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Modal verb active (a uniform cannot order itself).
- (C) Structural Error: Incorrect structure (using “been” after “must”).
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “-ed” on the verb.
12 (B) is being taken
- Why it is correct (The Key): The action is happening at the moment of speaking (“right now”) -> Present Continuous Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive (does not emphasize the ongoing nature).
- (C) Common Mistake: Present simple active.
- (D) Structural Error: Present continuous active.
13 (D) had been decorated
- Why it is correct (The Key): The decorating happened BEFORE another past action (“arrived”) -> Past Perfect Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Past perfect active.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Past continuous active.
- (C) Structural Error: Present perfect passive; incorrect timeframe.
14 (A) has to be given
- Why it is correct (The Key): Passive voice with “have/has to” (has to be + V3).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Structural Error: Incorrect past participle of “give” (gave -> given).
- (D) Structural Error: Present perfect active.
15 (A) to be chosen
- Why it is correct (The Key): After “thrilled,” we use a to-infinitive. Since the meaning is passive (“to be selected”), we use the passive infinitive -> “to be + V3/ed”.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active to-infinitive.
- (C) Strong Distractor: V-ing; incorrect structure after an adjective of emotion.
- (D) Structural Error: Incorrect past participle (chose -> chosen).
16 (B) was offered
- Why it is correct (The Key): The verb “offer” takes two objects. In the passive: I was offered the chance.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Past simple active.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Past continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: Present perfect active.
17 (A) being respected
- Why it is correct (The Key): After the preposition “of,” a gerund (V-ing) is required. The passive meaning requires a passive gerund (being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active gerund.
- (C) Structural Error: Incorrect structure after a preposition (cannot use bare “be”).
- (D) Structural Error: Incorrect structure (using “been” instead of “being”).
18 (B) was appointed
- Why it is correct (The Key): In the structure “Ever since + Past Simple clause, Present Perfect clause,” the action of being appointed goes in the “since” clause -> Past Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Present perfect active.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Many learners see “since” and mistakenly use the Present Perfect for both clauses.
- (D) Structural Error: Past simple active.
19 (C) should have been told
- Why it is correct (The Key): Expressing something that ought to have happened in the past -> Modal perfect passive (should + have + been + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Strong Distractor: Should + base verb (Active and incorrect timeframe).
- (B) Structural Error: Present passive; cannot be used for a past regret/expectation.
- (D) Common Mistake: Active voice (“I should have told someone” -> incorrect meaning).
20 (D) being introduced
- Why it is correct (The Key): The structure is “look forward to + V-ing”. The passive meaning (“being presented to the board”) requires -> being + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active gerund (meaning “I will introduce someone else” -> wrong context).
- (B) Structural Error: Missing “-ed” on the verb “introduce”.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Many learners mistake “to” for a to-infinitive marker and choose “be introduced.”
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 Core Concept of the Passive Voice:
In situations where you receive an award, a promotion, or are selected for a role, the person making the decision (the judges, the coach) is less important than the result: “YOU ARE THE ONE CHOSEN.” Therefore, we place the receiver of the action as the subject of the sentence to emphasize them.
- Active: The coach chose me.
- Passive: I was chosen.
2 Basic Transformations by Tense:
- Past Simple: Subject + was/were + V3/ed (e.g., was called, was chosen). Used when the selection or announcement was completed in the past.
- Present Perfect: Subject + have/has + been + V3/ed (e.g., have been informed). Used when the appointment is completed, but the result or the feeling of pride continues into the present.
- Continuous Tenses: Subject + be + being + V3/ed (e.g., was being made, is being taken). Emphasizes an action that is/was ongoing at a specific moment.
- Modal Verbs: Modal + be + V3/ed (e.g., must be ordered, will be presented).
3 Advanced Passive Forms to Note:
- Passive To-infinitive: To be + V3/ed. (Often follows adjectives of emotion: thrilled to be chosen).
- Passive Gerund: Being + V3/ed. (Often follows prepositions: dream of being respected, look forward to being introduced).
- Modal Perfect Passive: Modal + have been + V3/ed. (Used to express an action that should have been done in the past but wasn’t: should have been told).