Difference Between Passive Voice to Active Voice — Exercise 5 (Tenses, Modals, Infinitive, Participle, Gerund, All English Grammar Included) Enrich Your Vocabulary
This practice set trains you to convert active sentences into correct passive forms across a wide range of tenses and modals (simple, continuous, perfect, perfect-continuous, modals + perfect, infinitive, participle, gerund, passive with causatives, and more). Each item gives an active sentence followed by four passive options — only one is correct. Every question includes the main verb (POS & short word meaning), key POS items, and a clear explanation for why the correct answer is right and why each distractor is wrong. No verbs or questions repeat within this set — designed for thorough practice and strong English coverage of “passive voice,” “active to passive,” and tense-conversion queries.
English Grammar Definition: Passive Voice (Be + verb 3rd form)
- Form: be + verb 3rd form.
- Definition: Passive voice = Object of the active + appropriate form of be + past participle (+ by + agent) (agent optional).
- When to use: when the action or object is more important than the actor, or actor unknown/irrelevant.
- Form basics:
- Simple present passive: is/are + V3
- Simple past passive: was/were + V3
- Present perfect passive: has/have been + V3
- Future passive: will be + V3 or will have been + V3 (future perfect passive)
- Modal passive: modal + be + V3 or modal + have been + V3 (modal perfect passive)
- Passive of continuous forms: is/are being + V3; was/were being + V3; will be being + V3 (rare)
- Conversion tip: Identify the object of the active sentence — that becomes the subject of the passive. Match tense and auxiliary forms; preserve modals (can/will/must/should) using be or have been as needed.
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Quiz Instructions
- Read each question and choose the best answer out of four given options.
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- Below the quiz box, there are explanation of each options. You can study and try again.
- Best of Luck!
Quiz Question, Answer and Explanation
Note: Do remember in the quiz box above, the questions and options will shuffle, so they won’t have the same sequence like 1, 2, 3, or A, B, C as below.
1. Passive: The results were being presented at the conference by the team.
A) The team were presenting the results at the conference.
B) The team presented the results at the conference.
C) The results were presenting the team at the conference.
D) The team have been presenting the results at the conference.
Verb: present — to show or explain findings.
Key POS: were being presented = past continuous passive.
Learner tip: Past continuous passive often describes what was happening at a particular past moment.
A) Correct: Past continuous passive (were being + V3) → active past continuous (were + V-ing).
A: The team were presenting the results keeps the ongoing past action.
B) Wrong: simple past loses the continuous nuance.
C) Wrong: flips roles.
D) Wrong: present perfect continuous changes timeframe.
2. Passive: The manuscript must have been revised before submission.
A) Someone must have revised the manuscript before submission.
B) Someone must revise the manuscript before submission.
C) The manuscript must have revised someone before submission.
D) Someone must be revising the manuscript before submission.
Verb: revise — to change and improve a document.
Key POS: must have been revised = modal perfect passive (deduction about past).
Learner tip: Modal perfect passive = deduction about past — convert to active modal perfect.
A) Correct: Must have been + V3 indicates a strong conclusion about a past action. Active becomes must have + V3 with agent as subject.
A: Someone must have revised the manuscript — correct deduction.
B) Wrong: is an instruction, not a deduction.
C) Wrong: flips roles.
D) Wrong: suggests ongoing action — different.
3. Passive: The complaints had been logged by multiple users last month.
A) Multiple users had logged the complaints last month.
B) Multiple users logged the complaints last month.
C) The complaints had logged multiple users last month.
D) Multiple users have logged the complaints last month.
Verb: log — to record an issue.
Key POS: had been logged = past perfect passive.
Learner tip: Check for “had” in passive — keep it in the active.
A) Correct: Past perfect passive → active past perfect. A correctly reflects that the logging happened before some other past event (or just indicates earlier action in the past).
B) Wrong: simple past changes nuance.
C) Wrong: reverses roles.
D) Wrong: present perfect — wrong time reference.
4. Passive: A formal apology was issued by the company yesterday.
A) The company issued a formal apology yesterday.
B) The company is issuing a formal apology yesterday.
C) A formal apology issued the company yesterday.
D) The company has issued a formal apology yesterday.
Verb: issue — to release or send out (a statement).
Key POS: was issued = past simple passive; yesterday (time).
Learner tip: When a definite past time (yesterday, last week) appears, prefer simple past forms.
A) Correct: Past simple passive → simple past active. A matches exactly.
B) Wrong: wrong continuous tense for a past time.
C) Wrong: wrong ordering.
D) Wrong: present perfect with a past time adverb (yesterday) — awkward and often considered wrong.
5. Passive: The data will be processed automatically by the system.
A) The system will process the data automatically.
B) The system will be processing the data automatically.
C) The data will process the system automatically.
D) The system has processed the data automatically.
Verb: process — to handle or manipulate data.
Key POS: will be processed = future simple passive.
Learner tip: For automated processes, the actor is usually a system or service — name it in the active sentence.
A) Correct: Future passive → active future: will process with system as subject.
A is direct and preserves meaning.
B) Wrong: future continuous changes nuance to ongoing future action.
C) Wrong: flips roles.
D) Wrong: present perfect changes time.
6. Passive: The new rule has already been implemented by the administration.
A) The administration has already implemented the new rule.
B) The administration implemented the new rule already.
C) The new rule has already implemented the administration.
D) The administration will have implemented the new rule already.
Verb: implement — to put into effect.
Key POS: has been implemented = present perfect passive; already indicates prior completion.
Learner tip: Use active has/have + V3 when passive shows has/have been + V3.
A) Correct: Present perfect passive → active present perfect: has implemented.
A keeps already and current relevance.
B) Wrong: simple past might be acceptable but slightly less precise about present relevance.
C) Wrong: object stays still in place of subject (wrong).
D) Wrong: future perfect changes time.
7. Passive: The offer was turned down by the client without explanation.
A) The client turned down the offer without explanation.
B) The client was turning down the offer without explanation.
C) The client has turned down the offer without explanation.
D) The offer turned down the client without explanation.
Verb: turn down — to refuse.
Key POS: was turned down = past simple passive; without explanation = manner.
Learner tip: Keep adverbial phrases (without explanation) in same place when possible.
A) Correct: Simple past passive → simple past active. A mirrors the action and adds the same adverbial phrase.
B) Wrong: past continuous — different (implies ongoing action).
C) Wrong: present perfect — implies relevance to now (subtle change).
D) Wrong: flips subject/object (wrong).
8. Passive: A full investigation will be conducted by authorities.
A) Authorities will conduct a full investigation.
B) Authorities will be conducting a full investigation.
C) A full investigation will conduct authorities.
D) Authorities have conducted a full investigation.
Verb: conduct — to carry out (an investigation).
Key POS: will be conducted = future simple passive.
Learner tip: If passive agent is plural (authorities), use plural subject in active.
A) Correct: Future passive → active future: will conduct with authorities as subject.
A simple, direct conversion.
B) Wrong: uses future continuous (different nuance).
C) Wrong: wrong order.
D) Wrong: present perfect—implies already done.
9. Passive: The meeting had been rescheduled due to unforeseen events.
A) They had rescheduled the meeting due to unforeseen events.
B) They rescheduled the meeting due to unforeseen events.
C) The meeting rescheduled they due to unforeseen events.
D) They have rescheduled the meeting due to unforeseen events.
Verb: reschedule — to change the time/date.
Key POS: had been rescheduled = past perfect passive.
Learner tip: Use had in active when passive has had been.
A) Correct: Past perfect passive → active past perfect: had rescheduled.
A shows rescheduling happened before another past point (past-before-past).
B) Wrong: simple past changes sequence.
C) Wrong: wrong order.
D) Wrong: present perfect (wrong).
10. Passive: Urgent repairs will have to be made as soon as possible.
A) Someone will have to make urgent repairs as soon as possible.
B) Someone will make urgent repairs as soon as possible.
C) Urgent repairs will have to make someone as soon as possible.
D) Someone has to make urgent repairs as soon as possible.
Verb: make — to perform or carry out (repairs).
Key POS: will have to be made = modal + passive necessity in future.
Learner tip: will have to be + V3 → active will have to + V1.
A) Correct: Will have to be made implies future necessity in passive. Active form: will have to + base verb with agent subject.
A: Someone will have to make urgent repairs… — keeps the sense that repairs are necessary in the near future.
B) Wrong: is simple future (says they will do it, not that it will be necessary).
C) Wrong: flips roles.
D) Wrong: present obligation (has to) — wrong time/modal nuance.