1. Complete the sentences below with the present simple passive form of the verbs in brackets.
1) Millions of mobile phones ________. every year. (sell)
2) American football ________. very much in the UK. (not play)
3) _____. tablets ________. in your school? (use)
4) Most crimes ________. in big cities. (commit)
5) Rubber trees ________. in cold countries. (not grow)
6) _____. Samsung televisions ________. in Korea? (make)
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1) are sold 2) isn’t played 3) are ___ used
4) are committed 5) aren’t grown 6) are ___ made
2. Make the active sentences passive. Include the word by.
1) Millions of people watched the 2014 World Cup Final on TV.
The 2014 World Cup Final was watched by millions of people on TV.
2) Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin.
________.
3) Rafa Nadal didn’t win the watch.
________.
4) Robots made that car.
________.
5) Did Suzanne Collins write the Hunger Games books?
________.
6) Peter Jackson directed the Hobbit films.
________.
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2) Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming.
3) The match wasn’t won by Rafa Nadal.
4) That car was made by robots.
5) Were the Hunger Games books written by Suzanne Collins?
6) The Hobbit films were directed by Peter Jackson.
3. Put the words below in the correct order. (Remember where to put the adverb.)
1) satnavs. / are / Phones / used as / sometimes.
________.
2) Was / Bob Dylan? / Make you feel love / first / by / sung
________.
3) invented / The wheel / about 5,000 years ago. / probably / was
________.
4) quickly / was / The suspect / arrested.
________.
5) the missing jewellery / ever / found? / Was
________.
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1) Phones are sometimes used as satnavs.
2) Was Make you feel love first sung by Bob Dylan?
3) The wheel was probably invented about 5,000 years ago.
4) The suspect was quickly arrested.
5) Was the missing jewellery ever found?
4. Complete the fact file below with the past simple passive form of the verbs in brackets.
COMPUTERS: a short history
– The first computer 1) _________ (invent) by Charles Babbage in the early 19th century. It 2) _________ (not power) by electricity – it was mechanical.
– The first electronic digital computer 3) _________ (build) in 1943 in Britain. It 4) _________ (call) ‘Colossus’ and it 5) _________ (use) for decoding ene messages in the war.
– Businesses began to use computers in the 1950s, but computers 6) _________ (not sell) in shops until the early 1970s.
– The first desktop computers 7) _________ (develop) in the late 1970s.
– Internet access via a modem 8) _________ (add) in the 1990s, but wireless access 9) _________ (not add) to most computers until about 2000.
– For the first time, in 2015, more tablets and smartphones 10) _________ (sell) than laptops and desktops. Will computers eventually disappear from our homes and schools?
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1) was invented 2) wasn’t powered 3) was built
4) was called 5) was used 6) weren’t sold
7) were developed 8) was added 9) wasn’t added
10) were sold
5. Rewrite the active sentences in the passive. Make any necessary changes. Use the present simple or the past simple.
1) Every year, school holds a competition for ‘best inventor’.
__________
2) They give you materials and ask you to design something.
__________
3) school encouraged me to take part this year.
__________
4) A group of five teachers make the final decision.
__________
5) They test the inventions for usefulness.
__________
6) They give a prize for the best invention.
__________
7) They gave the prize for the ‘best inventor’ to friend Jo.
__________
8) They present the prize at the end of school ceremony.
_________
Show answers
1) Every year, a competition for ‘best inventor’ is held by school.
2) Materials are given to you and you are asked to design something.
3) I was encouraged by school to take part this year.
4) The final decision is made by a group of five teachers.
5) The inventions are tested (by them) for usefulness.
6) A prize is given (by them) for the best invention.
7) The prize for the ‘best inventor’ was given (by them) to best friend Jo.
8) The prize is presented at the end of school ceremony.
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