PASSIVE VOICE - EXERCISES

1. They make shoes in that factory.

2. People must not leave bicycles in the driveway.
3. They built that skyscraper in 1934.
4. The students will finish the course by July.
5. They are repairing the streets this month.
6. They make these tools of plastic.
7. They have finished the new product design.
8. They were cooking dinner when I arrived.
9. Smithers painted 'Red Sunset' in 1986.
10. Did the plan interest you?
11. They had finished the preparations by the time the guests arrived.
12. You should take care when working on electrical equipment.
13. They are going to perform Beethoven's Fifth Symphony next weekend.
14. Someone will speak Japanese at the meeting.
15. Karen is going to prepare the refreshments.
16. The instructions have been changed.
17. She will have to be taught.
18. This car was manufactured in Japan by Toyota.
19. Why aren't the exercises being finished on time?
20. Last year 2,000 new units had been produced by the time we introduced the
new design.
21. Casual clothes must not be worn.
22. $400,000 in profit has been reported this year.
23. The test will be given at five o'clock this afternoon.
24. Students are required to wear uniforms at all times.
25. This rumor must have been started by our competitors.
26. All work will have been completed by five o'clock this evening.
27. We were told to wait here.
28. Lunch was being served when we arrived.
29. Lectures are recorded and posted on the Internet.
30. Portuguese has always been spoken in this village.
Seattle Fact Sheet

• The basketball team "The Lakers" are from Seattle

• It often rains in Seattle

• Silicon valley is near Seattle

• Bill Gates and Microsoft are located in Seattle

• Chrysler cars are manufactured in Seattle

• Bruce Springsteen was born in Seattle

• "Grunge" music comes from Seattle

• Seattle is in the Southwest of the United States

 MyHometown
Many years ago, I was born in Seattle, Washington USA. Seattle is located in the Northwest corner of
the USA. Recently, Seattle has become the focus of much international attention. Many films have
been made there, probably the most famous of which is "Sleepless in Seattle" starring Meg Ryan and
Tom Hanks. Seattle is also known as the birthplace of Grunge music, both Pearl Jam and Nirvana are
from Seattle. For older people like myself, it should be noted that Jimmi Hendrix was born in Seattle!
NBA fans know Seattle for the "Seattle Supersonics" which has played basketball in Seattle for more
than 30 years. Unfortunately, Seattle is also famous for its bad weather. I can remember weeks and
weeks of grey, wet weather when I was growing up.
Seattle has also become one of the fastest growing business areas in the United States. Two of the most
important names in the booming business scene in Seattle are Microsoft and Boeing. Microsoft was
founded and is owned by the world-famous Bill Gates (how much of his software is on your
computer?). Boeing has always been essential to the economic situation in Seattle. It is located to the
north of Seattle and famous jets such as the "Jumbo" have been manufactured there for more tan 50
years!
Seattle is positioned between the Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountains. The combination of its
scenic location, thriving business conditions and exciting cultural scene makes Seattle one of
America's most interesting cities.

Las construcciones impersonales (se dice, se comenta, etc.) son muy típicas de la pasiva y difíciles de traducir
para los hispanoparlantes. Este tipo de construcción pasiva -utilizada cada vez con mayor frecuencia en los
medios- se forma con la estructura sujeto + to be + participle: It is reported (Se informa); It is said
It is known (Se sabe); It is supposed (Se supone); It is considered (Se considera); It is expected (Se espera).
Veamos algunos ejemplos:

ACTIVE: Everybody thinks Cathy works very hard.

PASSIVE 1: Cathy is thought to work very hard. (Se piensa que Cathy...)
PASSIVE 2: It is thought that Cathy works very hard. (Se piensa que Cathy...)
ACTIVE: They believe Tom is wearing a white pullover.
PASSIVE 1: Tom is believed to be wearing a white pullover. (Se cree que...)
PASSIVE 2: It is believed that Tom is wearing a white pullover. (Se cree que...)
USOS ADICIONALES DE SUPPOSE
a) Se usa en afirmativo para acciones que estaban planeadas, que se supone que van a realizar, u obligaciones
que uno debería cumplir.
You were supposed to be here at 9:00 am!!
b) Otras veces, el uso de supposed indica que estos planes o obligaciones finalmente no se cumplieron:
The train was supposed to arrive at 5 o'clock. (but it arrived at 8 o'clock)
You were supposed to go to the supermarket. (but you didn't go)
c) Por el contrario, en negativo, supposed significa la no conveniencia o prohibición de hacer algo:
You are not supposed to smoke here. (you are not allowed to smoke here)
You are not supposed to copy our web files. (you must not copy our web files)

PASSIVE OF REPORTING VERBS / IMPERSONAL PASSIVE

Verbs that refer to saying or thinking ( think, believe, say, report, know, consider, presume,
hope…) are often followed by a to-infinitive form in the passive.
Example: The police think he is in Argentina.
He is thought to be in Argentina.
There are FOUR INFINITIVE FORMS, which we will use depending on the tense we have in the active
sentence.
Simple to write escribir
Continuous to be writing estar escribiendo
Perfect to have written haber escrito
Perf. Continuous to have been writing haber estado escribiendo
IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS TYPE OF PASSIVE SENTENCE, WE
1 Take the subject of the second sentence: He
1 Passive verb of the Reporting verb in the same tense as in the active: is thought
2 The verb of the second sentence in the Infinitive form: to be
WHICH FORM OF THE INFINITIVE DO WE USE?
• If it carries an idea of present or future  Simple: to write
• It it carries an idea of past, whatever the tense (Past Simple, Past Perfect, Present Perfect) 
Perfect: to have written.
• If either of them are in a continuous form, you use the adequate Infinitive continuous form 
to be writing or to have been writing
SOME MORE EXAMPLES:
ACTIVE PASSIVE
They say she works hard. She is said to work hard.
They say she played well. She is said to have played well.
They said she has done well. She was said to have done well.
They believe he is having an affair. He is believed to be having an affair.
They believe he has been having an affair. He is believed to have been having an affair.
She believes the repairs have been finished. The repairs are believed to have been
finished.
IMPERSONAL PASSIVE
1. People believe that English is the most widely spoken language
• It is believed that English is the most widely spoken language.
• English is believed to be the most widely spoken language.
2. Police have reported that it was Peter who caused the accident.
• It has been reported that it was Peter who caused the accident.
• Peter has been reported to have caused the accident.
3. A journalist reports that they are leaving Las Vegas tomorrow night.
• It
• They
4. The lecturer thought that Columbus never realized that he had discovered America.
• It
• Columbus
5. Their parents thought that the teenagers were dancing at the disco.
• It
• The teenagers
6. Everybody thinks that she sings beautifully
•
•
7. The children reported that their friends were swimming when they disappeared.
•
•
8. People believed that they had killed the animals during the night.
•
•
9. My friends think that my parents are the best parents in the world.
•
10. They believed that the horse was a present.
•
11.People are thinking that drugs are very dangerous.
•
 •
12.They knew that Mr. Brown was stealing iron from the factory.
•
•
13.Ancient people thought that the stars would fall on them.
•
•
14. People consider that the team will be classified for the final.
•
•
15. Everybody says that he settled the business.
•
•
16. The reporters believed that the meeting would finish soon.
•
•
17.They have thought the sportsmen are arriving today.
•
•
18. Citizens presume that the government is responsible for the accident.
•
•
19. The newspapers are reporting that the most outstanding athletes represent their country.
•
•
20. The shareholders thought that the group had rejected the offer.
•
•
21. They say that the meeting will be held here
•
•
22. The hooligans expected that their team would win
PASSIVE SENTENCES
1. The students all know that Shakespeare was born in Stratford.
1 We saw the baby crawl towards the window.
2 My parents used to let me go out at night.
3 In the Middle Ages, people thought the devil sometimes got into their bodies
4 The teacher helped his students finish the exercise.
5 Reporters at the airport are expecting that the president will be arriving soon.
6 My mother always made me do the housework.
7 Football fans have thought that their team is arriving today.
8 Everybody knew that Peter had copied at his access exam.
9 Doctors consider that lung cancer will have a cure in the next fifty years.
10 The police always thought that he had escaped and that he was living in Sweden.
11 We could usually hear an opera singer singing upstairs.
12 The headmaster made them sit down and stay there until 5 o’clock.
13 The usher didn’t let us go into the theatre.
14 People in the town believed that the heavy rainfall was the reason for the bursting of the dam.