Passive Voice (Various Tenses) – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You and your team are having a meeting to divide the workload for the upcoming year-end party. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “First of all, to avoid overspending, the party budget ______ strictly by the treasurer.”
(a) is controlling
(b) is controlled
(c) are controlled
(d) controls
2 “The most popular dates are filling up fast, so the event hall ______ before the end of this week.”
(a) must be booked
(b) must booked
(c) must book
(d) must to be booked
3 “Good news, everyone! The official guest list ______ already.”
(a) has finalized
(b) was finalizing
(c) have been finalized
(d) has been finalized
4 “Don’t worry about the invitations; they ______ to everyone via email tomorrow morning.”
(a) will sent
(b) will send
(c) will be sent
(d) will be send
5 “Because we have vegetarian colleagues, the catering menu ______ carefully to accommodate all dietary restrictions.”
(a) should choose
(b) should be chose
(c) should chosen
(d) should be chosen
6 “As we speak, the playlist for the dance floor ______ by DJ Mike.”
(a) has been prepared
(b) is being prepared
(c) is preparing
(d) is prepared
7 “According to our schedule, all the balloons and fairy lights ______ before the guests arrive.”
(a) have to be hung
(b) have to hang
(c) has to be hung
(d) have to be hanged
8 “We need to buy more drinks this time. Last year, all the soda ______ within the first hour!”
(a) was consume
(b) were consumed
(c) was consumed
(d) consumed
9 “If we have enough space near the entrance, the photo booth ______ up right there.”
(a) could set
(b) can set
(c) can be setted
(d) can be set
10 “Can someone please check the bank statements? I need to know if the deposit for the sound system ______ yet.”
(a) hasn’t paid
(b) has been paid
(c) has been payed
(d) is paid
11 “The venue contract states that all trash ______ from the premises by midnight.”
(a) must be removed
(b) must remove
(c) must be removing
(d) must have removed
12 “We don’t need to hire extra staff for the reception desk; it ______ by Sarah and John.”
(a) is going to manage
(b) will be managed
(c) will manage
(d) will be manage
13 “To avoid any technical issues during the CEO’s speech, the audiovisual equipment ______ twice.”
(a) ought be checked
(b) ought to check
(c) ought to checked
(d) ought to be checked
14 “Before this meeting even started, the ‘Hollywood’ theme for the party ______ by the main committee.”
(a) had decided
(b) was deciding
(c) had been decided
(d) has been decided
15 “We are very late with the food preparations. The catering company ______ weeks ago!”
(a) should be contacted
(b) must be contacted
(c) should have contacted
(d) should have been contacted
16 “The hotel’s event manager expects all the dining tables ______ by 5 PM sharp.”
(a) fully set
(b) being fully set
(c) to be fully set
(d) to fully set
17 “To avoid ______ for a late fee, we must return the rented chairs early on Sunday morning.”
(a) charging
(b) being charged
(c) to charge
(d) to be charged
18 “After a long discussion, it ______ that everyone will help with the cleanup process after the party.”
(a) has been agreed
(b) has agreed
(c) is agreeing
(d) has been agreeing
19 “By the time the guests start arriving, the welcome drinks ______ on the main tables.”
(a) will have served
(b) will serve
(c) will have been served
(d) will be served
20 “During the ceremony, the ‘Employee of the Year’ ______ a special golden trophy.”
(a) is going to award
(b) is going to be awarded
(c) is awarding
(d) will awarded
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) is controlled
- Why it is correct (The Key): Stating a general rule or fact about the budget requires the Present Simple Passive. “Budget” is singular.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (d) controls (Common Mistake): Active voice. A budget cannot control things itself.
- (a) is controlling (Strong Distractor): Present continuous active. Wrong voice.
- (c) are controlled (Structural Error): Subject-verb agreement error (“are” used for a singular subject).
2 (a) must be booked
- Why it is correct (The Key): A strict requirement/necessity requires a modal passive: Modal (must) + be + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (c) must book (Common Mistake): Active voice. A hall cannot book itself.
- (d) must to be booked (Structural Error): Unnecessary “to” after “must”.
- (b) must booked (Structural Error): Missing the verb “be”.
3 (d) has been finalized
- Why it is correct (The Key): The word “already” signals the Present Perfect tense. The guest list receives the action -> Present Perfect Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (a) has finalized (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (c) have been finalized (Structural Error): Subject-verb agreement error (“have” for singular “guest list”).
- (b) was finalizing (Strong Distractor): Past continuous active.
4 (c) will be sent
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Tomorrow morning” indicates the Future Simple. The invitations receive the action -> Future Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (b) will send (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (d) will be send (Structural Error): The past participle of “send” is “sent”, not “send”.
- (a) will sent (Structural Error): Missing the verb “be” after “will”.
5 (d) should be chosen
- Why it is correct (The Key): Giving advice/recommendation requires the modal “should” in passive form: should + be + V3/ed. The past participle of “choose” is “chosen”.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (a) should choose (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (b) should be chose (Structural Error): Incorrect past participle.
- (c) should chosen (Structural Error): Missing the verb “be”.
6 (b) is being prepared
- Why it is correct (The Key): “As we speak” means the action is happening right now -> Present Continuous Passive (is/are + being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (c) is preparing (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (d) is prepared (Strong Distractor): Present Simple Passive. Fails to emphasize the ongoing nature of the action.
- (a) has been prepared (Structural Error): Present perfect conflicts with “As we speak”.
7 (a) have to be hung
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Have to” acts as a modal. “Balloons and lights” is plural. The past participle of “hang” (for objects) is “hung”.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (b) have to hang (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (c) has to be hung (Structural Error): Subject-verb agreement error (“has” for plural subject).
- (d) have to be hanged (Strong Distractor): “Hanged” is only used for executions (people), not for objects like decorations.
8 (c) was consumed
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Last year” indicates Past Simple. “Soda” is uncountable -> singular passive verb.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (d) consumed (Common Mistake): Active voice. Soda doesn’t consume things.
- (b) were consumed (Structural Error): Subject-verb agreement error (“were” for uncountable “soda”).
- (a) was consume (Structural Error): Missing the “-d” on the verb.
9 (d) can be set
- Why it is correct (The Key): Modal passive indicating possibility (can + be + V3/ed). The verb “set” is irregular (set – set – set).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (b) can set (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (c) can be setted (Structural Error): “Setted” is not a word.
- (a) could set (Strong Distractor): Modal active voice.
10 (b) has been paid
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Yet” signals the Present Perfect. The deposit receives the action -> Present Perfect Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (a) hasn’t paid (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (c) has been payed (Structural Error): Incorrect spelling of the irregular verb “paid”.
- (d) is paid (Strong Distractor): Present simple passive.
11 (a) must be removed
- Why it is correct (The Key): A strict rule in a contract requires must + be + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (b) must remove (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (c) must be removing (Strong Distractor): Active continuous.
- (d) must have removed (Structural Error): Perfect active modal.
12 (b) will be managed
- Why it is correct (The Key): A future arrangement. The desk receives the action -> Future Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (c) will manage (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (a) is going to manage (Strong Distractor): Active voice using “going to”.
- (d) will be manage (Structural Error): Missing the “-d” on the verb.
13 (d) ought to be checked
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Ought to” is a modal synonymous with “should”. The passive structure is ought to + be + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (b) ought to check (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (a) ought be checked (Structural Error): Missing “to”.
- (c) ought to checked (Structural Error): Missing the verb “be”.
14 (c) had been decided
- Why it is correct (The Key): An action completed before another past action (“Before this meeting started”) requires the Past Perfect Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (a) had decided (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (d) has been decided (Strong Distractor): Present perfect passive. Clashes with the past timeline.
- (b) was deciding (Structural Error): Past continuous active.
15 (d) should have been contacted
- Why it is correct (The Key): Expressing regret about a task that was not done in the past requires a Modal Perfect Passive (should + have + been + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (c) should have contacted (Common Mistake): Active voice (“We should have contacted them”, but the subject here is the company).
- (a) should be contacted (Strong Distractor): Refers to the present/future, contradicting “weeks ago”.
- (b) must be contacted (Structural Error): Refers to a present/future obligation.
16 (c) to be fully set
- Why it is correct (The Key): The verb “expect” is followed by an object + to-infinitive. Since tables receive the action, we use a passive infinitive (to be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (d) to fully set (Common Mistake): Active infinitive.
- (b) being fully set (Strong Distractor): Gerund form. Incorrect after “expect”.
- (a) fully set (Structural Error): Missing the infinitive marker “to be”.
17 (b) being charged
- Why it is correct (The Key): The verb “avoid” must be followed by a gerund (V-ing). Since the subject is receiving the charge, we use a passive gerund (being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (a) charging (Common Mistake): Active gerund (meaning we are charging someone else).
- (d) to be charged (Strong Distractor): Passive infinitive. Incorrect after “avoid”.
- (c) to charge (Structural Error): Active infinitive.
18 (a) has been agreed
- Why it is correct (The Key): This is the impersonal passive construction (It + passive verb + that…). Present perfect is used for a newly reached conclusion.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (b) has agreed (Common Mistake): Active voice. “It” cannot agree to anything.
- (c) is agreeing (Strong Distractor): Active continuous.
- (d) has been agreeing (Structural Error): Present perfect continuous active.
19 (c) will have been served
- Why it is correct (The Key): “By the time” referring to a future deadline requires the Future Perfect. The drinks receive the action -> Future Perfect Passive (will + have + been + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (a) will have served (Common Mistake): Active voice.
- (d) will be served (Strong Distractor): Future simple passive. Grammatically okay, but weaker than Future Perfect when “By the time” is used to emphasize completion.
- (b) will serve (Structural Error): Active voice.
20 (b) is going to be awarded
- Why it is correct (The Key): The verb “award” takes two objects. The person receiving the award becomes the subject. Using “going to” for future plans requires am/is/are + going to + be + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (a) is going to award (Common Mistake): Active voice (meaning the employee will give the award to someone else).
- (c) is awarding (Strong Distractor): Present continuous active.
- (d) will awarded (Structural Error): Missing the verb “be”.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The Communicative Purpose of Passive Voice in Task Management
When assigning tasks or making a “To-do list” for an event, using the Active Voice requires you to name the person doing the action (e.g., Someone must book the hall). However, during planning phases, we often just want to list what needs to be done before deciding who will do it.
Using the Passive Voice (e.g., The hall must be booked) shifts the focus entirely to the task and the deadline, making the workload sound organized and objective.
2 Modal Passives (The Core of “To-Do” Lists)
When organizing an event, Modal Passives are your best tool to express necessity, advice, or possibility.
- Structure: Modal + be + Past Participle (V3/ed)
- Obligation: The venue must be booked. The trash has to be removed.
- Advice: The menu should be chosen carefully. The equipment ought to be checked.
- Possibility: The photo booth can be set up here.
3 Tense Variations in Event Planning
- Checking Progress (Present Perfect Passive): has/have + been + V3/ed. Used to talk about tasks that are already finished. (The guest list has been finalized).
- Assigning Future Roles (Future Simple Passive): will + be + V3/ed. Used for tasks that will happen later. (The invitations will be sent tomorrow).
- Setting Deadlines (Future Perfect Passive): will + have + been + V3/ed. Used to emphasize that a task will be 100% complete before a specific time in the future. (By 5 PM, the drinks will have been served).
- Regrets (Modal Perfect Passive): should + have + been + V3/ed. Used when a task was forgotten or delayed in the past. (The caterer should have been contacted weeks ago).