Passive Voice (Various Tenses) – English Grammar Exercises for B1
Your friend is crying because they just dropped and cracked their phone screen. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete your advice.
1 “Please don’t panic! It looks bad, but the cracked screen ______ easily.”
(A) can be fixed
(B) can fix
(C) can fixed
(D) could have been fixed
2 “Look closely. Only the outer glass ______, so the inner display is still completely fine.”
(A) damages
(B) is damaging
(C) is damaged
(D) is damage
3 “Stop crying! A cheap replacement part ______ online for just twenty dollars.”
(A) can order
(B) can be ordered
(C) can be order
(D) has been ordered
4 “If we go to the repair shop right now, I promise the device ______ in less than an hour.”
(A) will repair
(B) is repaired
(C) will be repaired
(D) will repaired
5 “However, it ______ to a professional technician, not just a random person.”
(A) must take
(B) must be taken
(C) must been taken
(D) must have been taken
6 “Good news: it’s still turning on, which means your data ______ at all.”
(A) hasn’t lost
(B) didn’t lose
(C) hasn’t be lost
(D) hasn’t been lost
7 “Right now, a special discount on screen replacements ______ at the mall near my house.”
(A) is offering
(B) is offered
(C) is being offered
(D) are being offered
8 “Relax! You are not the only one. Thousands of phones ______ by clumsy people every single day.”
(A) drop
(B) are dropped
(C) are dropping
(D) are drop
9 “Since the frame is bent, it ______ as well. Let the technician check it.”
(A) might need to replace
(B) might need replaced
(C) might need to be replaced
(D) might have replaced
10 “Luckily, your warranty is still valid, so the repair fee ______ by the manufacturer.”
(A) should be covered
(B) should cover
(C) should be cover
(D) should have been covered
11 “But remember, before the phone ______ over to the shop, you should remove your SIM card.”
(A) is handed
(B) hands
(C) will be handed
(D) is hand
12 “Just to be completely safe, all your personal photos ______ to the cloud tonight.”
(A) must back up
(B) must be backed up
(C) must be backing up
(D) must backed up
13 “Please don’t touch the screen anymore! Your fingers ______ by the sharp glass.”
(A) could cut
(B) could be cutting
(C) could be cut
(D) could cutted
14 “It ______ that unauthorized repairs can void your warranty, so let’s go to an official store.”
(A) knows
(B) is knowing
(C) is known
(D) is knew
15 “Honestly, if you had used a protective case like I told you, the phone ______.”
(A) might have saved
(B) might have been saved
(C) might be saved
(D) might have save
16 “The damage is minor, so a brand new phone doesn’t ______ right now. Save your money!”
(A) need to be bought
(B) need to buy
(C) needing to be bought
(D) need be bought
17 “You should read reviews online to avoid ______ by fake repairmen.”
(A) scamming
(B) to be scammed
(C) being scammed
(D) be scammed
18 “It ______ by the official store that they have the exact screen in stock.”
(A) has confirmed
(B) has been confirmed
(C) was confirming
(D) have been confirmed
19 “I guarantee that by tomorrow evening, your beautiful phone ______ completely.”
(A) will have fully restored
(B) will be fully restored
(C) will have been fully restored
(D) will fully restored
20 “Stop being so upset about it ______! It’s just a piece of technology, and you are safe.”
(A) breaking
(B) to be broken
(C) being broken
(D) be broken
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (A) can be fixed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Modal Passive (Modal + be + V3/ed) indicating a present/future possibility of being repaired.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice. A screen cannot fix itself.
- (C) Structural Error: Missing the verb “be”.
- (D) Strong Distractor: Modal perfect passive (could have been fixed) implies it could have been fixed in the past but wasn’t, which doesn’t fit the context of current reassurance.
2 (C) is damaged
- Why it is correct (The Key): Emphasizes the current state of the object -> Present Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (the glass is damaging something else).
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing the “-d” (not a past participle).
3 (B) can be ordered
- Why it is correct (The Key): Expressing a possibility/option -> Modal passive (can + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Structural Error: The verb “order” is not in the V3/ed form.
- (D) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive. Incorrect meaning because the part hasn’t actually been ordered yet; it’s just a suggestion.
4 (C) will be repaired
- Why it is correct (The Key): A promise about the future (“I promise”) -> Future Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive (does not fit the promise of a future action).
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “be”.
5 (B) must be taken
- Why it is correct (The Key): Giving strong advice/obligation -> must + be + V3/ed. Take – took – taken.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Structural Error: Incorrect structure (using “been” after “must”).
- (D) Strong Distractor: Modal Perfect Passive (expresses past regret, inappropriate for this present context).
6 (D) hasn’t been lost
- Why it is correct (The Key): Emphasizes the present result that the data is still there -> Present Perfect Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Present perfect active.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Past simple active.
- (C) Structural Error: Missing the “-ed” and wrong form of “be” (be instead of been).
7 (C) is being offered
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Right now” indicates an ongoing event -> Present Continuous Passive (is/are + being + V3/ed). “Discount” is singular.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Present continuous active.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive (lacks the “ongoing” emphasis).
- (D) Structural Error: Subject-verb agreement error (uses “are” for a singular subject).
8 (B) are dropped
- Why it is correct (The Key): Describes a general truth or daily occurrence (“every single day”) -> Present Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing V3/ed.
9 (C) might need to be replaced
- Why it is correct (The Key): After “need”, we use a to-infinitive. In the passive voice, it becomes “to be + V3/ed”.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (the phone replaces something).
- (B) Structural Error: Incorrect structure (should be “need replacing” or “need to be replaced”).
- (D) Strong Distractor: Modal perfect active.
10 (A) should be covered
- Why it is correct (The Key): Modal passive expressing high probability/expectation (should + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice (the fee covers itself).
- (C) Structural Error: Missing V3/ed.
- (D) Strong Distractor: The event hasn’t happened yet, so Modal Perfect is incorrect.
11 (A) is handed
- Why it is correct (The Key): In time clauses (starting with before, when, after, until) referring to the future, we use the Present Simple instead of the Future Simple -> Present Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Many learners choose the Future Simple (will be handed) because the event hasn’t happened yet, but this violates the time clause rule.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “-ed”.
12 (B) must be backed up
- Why it is correct (The Key): Expressing a strong necessity -> Modal Passive (must + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Modal continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “be”.
13 (C) could be cut
- Why it is correct (The Key): A possibility of getting hurt -> Modal Passive. The verb “cut” is irregular (cut – cut – cut).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Modal continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: “Cutted” does not exist.
14 (C) is known
- Why it is correct (The Key): Impersonal Passive construction: It + is + V3/ed + that…
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: “Knew” is V2, not V3 (known).
15 (B) might have been saved
- Why it is correct (The Key): Third conditional (contrary to the past). The main clause uses Modal Perfect Passive (might + have + been + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present modal passive (only suitable for the Second Conditional).
- (D) Structural Error: Missing V3/ed and “been”.
16 (A) need to be bought
- Why it is correct (The Key): Passive To-infinitive after the auxiliary verb “need” -> to be + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice (a phone buys itself).
- (C) Strong Distractor: V-ing is structurally incorrect here.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “to”.
17 (C) being scammed
- Why it is correct (The Key): The verb “avoid” must be followed by a gerund (V-ing). The passive gerund is (being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Passive To-infinitive (incorrect because “avoid” doesn’t take a to-infinitive).
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “-ing”.
18 (B) has been confirmed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Impersonal Passive structure. The confirmation has just happened and has a present result -> Present Perfect Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Past continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: Uses “have” for the singular subject “It”.
19 (C) will have been fully restored
- Why it is correct (The Key): “By tomorrow evening” (before a point in the future) requires the Future Perfect Passive (will + have + been + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Future simple passive (not strong enough to emphasize completion by a deadline).
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “be/been” after “will”.
20 (C) being broken
- Why it is correct (The Key): After the preposition “about”, verbs must be in the V-ing form. The phone “is broken” -> Passive gerund (being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Passive To-infinitive is incorrect after a preposition.
- (D) Structural Error: Using the base form after a preposition.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The Purpose of Modal Passives in Advisory Contexts
In a situation where an item is damaged, who does the repairing (you, a technician, or a friend) is less important than whether the item CAN be saved or not. Therefore, we use the Passive Voice to shift the focus to the object (the phone) and combine it with Modal verbs (can, could, should, must) to offer reassurance and feasible solutions.
2 Core Formula:
Subject (The Object) + Modal (can/must/should/will) + be + Past Participle (V3/ed)
- Possibility: The screen can be fixed easily.
- Advice/Obligation: Your photos must be backed up.
- Expectation: The cost should be covered.
3 Advanced Passive Forms in Advisory Contexts:
- Passive To-infinitive: to be + V3/ed. (Often follows verbs like need, want, expect).
Example: It needs to be replaced. - Passive Gerund: being + V3/ed. (Often follows prepositions like about, without or verbs like avoid).
Example: Avoid being scammed. - Modal Perfect Passive: Modal + have been + V3/ed. Used to talk about a possibility or regret that did not happen in the past.
Example: The phone might have been saved (if you had used a case).