Passive Voice (Various Tenses) – English Grammar Exercises for B1
A tour guide reminding tourists of prohibitions at a museum and a nature reserve. You are listening to a tour guide explaining the safety rules. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each warning.
1 “Attention everyone! Photography ______ inside this specific gallery to protect the colors of the art.”
(A) does not allow
(B) is not allowing
(C) is not allowed
(D) is not allow
2 “All large backpacks and umbrellas ______ at the front desk before you enter the main hall.”
(A) must be left
(B) must leave
(C) must left
(D) must have left
3 “Please stay behind the red line. These delicate ancient paintings ______ by bright camera flashes.”
(A) can easily damage
(B) can easily damaged
(C) can have easily damaged
(D) can be easily damaged
4 “Do not cross that fence! This restricted area ______ by security cameras 24/7”
(A) monitors
(B) is monitored
(C) is monitor
(D) is being monitoring
5 “Any visitor who breaks the safety rules ______ to leave the museum immediately.”
(A) will be asked
(B) will ask
(C) will asked
(D) has been asked
6 “Please use the stairs today. The main glass elevator ______ at the moment.”
(A) is repairing
(B) is repaired
(C) is being repaired
(D) are being repaired
7 “Since 1990, these rare trees in the reserve ______ by strict international environmental laws.”
(A) have protected
(B) are protected
(C) has been protected
(D) have been protected
8 “Listen closely, everyone. The wild monkeys in this area ______ under any circumstances.”
(A) must not be fed
(B) must not feed
(C) might not be fed
(D) do not be fed
9 “I must remind you that loud talking ______ in the ancient library section.”
(A) strictly prohibits
(B) is strictly prohibited
(C) has strictly prohibited
(D) is strictly prohibit
10 “If you get lost in the forest, wait at the main gate. A rescue team ______ to find you.”
(A) will send
(B) will have sent
(C) will be sent
(D) will be send
11 “Be careful where you step! Beautiful new flowers ______ in this garden yesterday.”
(A) planted
(B) were planted
(C) have been planted
(D) was planted
12 “For your own safety, protective helmets ______ throughout the underground cave tour.”
(A) need to wear
(B) needing to be worn
(C) need be worn
(D) need to be worn
13 “Please step back. We do not want these fragile sculptures ______ by accident.”
(A) to be knocked over
(B) to knock over
(C) being knocked over
(D) to be knock over
14 “At the end of the tour, a complimentary souvenir ______ to each of you.”
(A) is going to give
(B) is giving
(C) is going to be given
(D) will given
15 “Visitors must stay on the marked trails to avoid ______ by poisonous snakes.”
(A) biting
(B) being bitten
(C) to be bitten
(D) be bitten
16 “The management expects the nature reserve’s regulations ______ by all guests.”
(A) to respect
(B) being respected
(C) to be respect
(D) to be respected
17 “Any unattended bags left near the entrance ______ by the bomb squad immediately.”
(A) will be destroyed
(B) will destroy
(C) have been destroyed
(D) will destroyed
18 “It ______ that the weather will get worse, so the mountain trail is now closed.”
(A) has reported
(B) has been reported
(C) is reporting
(D) have been reported
19 “By the time the museum closes at 6 PM, all exhibition rooms ______ thoroughly by the guards.”
(A) will have checked
(B) will be checking
(C) will have been checked
(D) will has been checked
20 “If you ignore the warning signs, you run the risk of ______ from the park permanently.”
(A) being banned
(B) banning
(C) to be banned
(D) be banned
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) is not allowed
- Why it is correct (The Key): Stating a general rule in the present requires the Present Simple Passive (is + V3/ed). Photography does not permit things; it is prohibited.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present continuous active (illogical meaning: “photography is currently not allowing someone”).
- (D) Structural Error: Missing the “-ed” on the past participle.
2 (A) must be left
- Why it is correct (The Key): Expressing an obligation/strict rule requires a Modal Passive (must + be + V3/ed). The verb is leave -> left.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Structural Error: Missing the verb “be”.
- (D) Strong Distractor: Modal Perfect Active (used for past deductions, not current rules).
3 (D) can be easily damaged
- Why it is correct (The Key): Expressing a possibility of harm -> Modal Passive (can + be + adv + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (paintings damage something else).
- (B) Structural Error: Missing the verb “be”.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Perfect Modal active (incorrect structure and timeframe).
4 (B) is monitored
- Why it is correct (The Key): A permanent fact or 24/7 operation -> Present Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Structural Error: Missing the “-ed”.
- (D) Strong Distractor: Structural error mixing passive and continuous active forms (“is being monitoring”).
5 (A) will be asked
- Why it is correct (The Key): A future consequence for breaking a rule -> Future Simple Passive (will + be + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice (the visitor will ask someone else -> wrong context).
- (C) Structural Error: Missing the verb “be”.
- (D) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive; incorrect timeframe for a future condition.
6 (C) is being repaired
- Why it is correct (The Key): “At the moment” indicates a temporary, ongoing situation -> Present Continuous Passive (is + being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive (lacks the “ongoing” emphasis).
- (D) Structural Error: Subject-verb agreement error (“are” used for singular “elevator”).
7 (D) have been protected
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Since 1990” indicates an action that started in the past and continues to the present -> Present Perfect Passive. “Trees” is plural.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present simple passive (ignores the time marker “since 1990”).
- (C) Structural Error: Subject-verb agreement error (“has” for a plural subject).
8 (A) must not be fed
- Why it is correct (The Key): A strict prohibition -> must not + be + V3/ed (feed -> fed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice (monkeys do not feed themselves in this context).
- (C) Strong Distractor: “Might not” implies a weak possibility (“perhaps they won’t be fed”), which is not used for strict rules.
- (D) Structural Error: Incorrect negative imperative structure for passive voice.
9 (B) is strictly prohibited
- Why it is correct (The Key): Loud talking “is forbidden” -> Present Simple Passive. “Loud talking” is a singular gerund subject.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present perfect active.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing the “-ed”.
10 (C) will be sent
- Why it is correct (The Key): A future plan or promise of rescue -> Future Simple Passive (will + be + V3/ed; send -> sent).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Future perfect active.
- (D) Structural Error: Base verb “send” instead of the past participle “sent”.
11 (B) were planted
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Yesterday” indicates a completed past action -> Past Simple Passive. “Flowers” is plural.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive (conflicts with the specific time marker “yesterday”).
- (D) Structural Error: Subject-verb agreement error (“was” for a plural subject).
12 (D) need to be worn
- Why it is correct (The Key): After the auxiliary “need”, passive meaning requires a passive infinitive -> to be + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (helmets wear something).
- (B) Structural Error: Gerund “needing” is incorrect as the main verb here.
- (C) Structural Error: Missing “to” before “be”.
13 (A) to be knocked over
- Why it is correct (The Key): The structure “want + object + to-infinitive”. For passive meaning -> to be + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active to-infinitive.
- (C) Strong Distractor: Passive gerund (grammatically incorrect because “want” must be followed by a to-infinitive).
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “-ed” on the verb “knock”.
14 (C) is going to be given
- Why it is correct (The Key): The “be going to” structure for a planned future event in passive voice -> am/is/are + going to be + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Present continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “be” after “will”.
15 (B) being bitten
- Why it is correct (The Key): The verb “avoid” is strictly followed by a gerund (V-ing). To avoid an action happening to you requires a passive gerund -> being + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active gerund (meaning you avoid biting someone else).
- (C) Strong Distractor: Passive infinitive (incorrect because “avoid” does not take a to-infinitive).
- (D) Structural Error: Base verb passive format.
16 (D) to be respected
- Why it is correct (The Key): The verb “expect” is followed by an object and a to-infinitive. The regulations receive the action -> to be + V3/ed.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Passive gerund (incorrect structure after “expect”).
- (C) Structural Error: Missing “-ed”.
17 (A) will be destroyed
- Why it is correct (The Key): The future consequence for leaving a bag unattended -> Future Simple Passive.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice (the bags destroy something).
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present perfect passive (wrong timeframe for a future consequence).
- (D) Structural Error: Missing “be”.
18 (B) has been reported
- Why it is correct (The Key): Impersonal Passive construction: “It + has been + V3/ed + that…”. Used to deliver formal news or announcements.
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice (“It” cannot report itself).
- (C) Strong Distractor: Present continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: Uses “have” for the singular pronoun “It”.
19 (C) will have been checked
- Why it is correct (The Key): “By the time” followed by a future event (closes at 6 PM) requires the Future Perfect tense. The rooms receive the action -> Future Perfect Passive (will + have + been + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (A) Common Mistake: Active voice.
- (B) Strong Distractor: Future continuous active.
- (D) Structural Error: “Will” must be followed by “have”, never “has”.
20 (A) being banned
- Why it is correct (The Key): The phrase “run the risk of” ends with a preposition, so the following verb must be a gerund. Since you receive the action -> Passive Gerund (being + V3/ed).
- Distractor Analysis:
- (B) Common Mistake: Active voice (meaning you ban someone else).
- (C) Strong Distractor: Passive infinitive (incorrect after a preposition).
- (D) Structural Error: Base verb structure.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The Power of Passive Voice in Signage & Warnings
Instead of using an authoritative, personal tone (e.g., You must not take photos), tour guides and public signs often use the Passive Voice (Photos must not be taken). This creates a “professional distance”, transforming a personal command into an objective, system-wide standard. It sounds both polite and strictly enforceable.
2 Core Formulas for Rules and Reminders:
- Present Simple Passive (is/are + V3/ed): Used for permanent, general rules. (Photography is prohibited.)
- Modal Passive (must/can/should + be + V3/ed): The foundation of regulatory language.
- Strict prohibitions: must not be left, cannot be used.
- Requirements: must be worn, need to be checked.
- Passive Infinitive & Gerund (to be V3/ed / being V3/ed): Frequently appears after verbs indicating prevention or expectation.
- Following to V: expect the rules to be respected, want the art to be protected.
- Following V-ing: avoid being bitten, run the risk of being banned.