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Passive voice (mixed) 2
ENGLISH PASSIVE VOICE EXERCISE 2 (Mixed tenses)
level: Intermediate (B1/B2)
✓ Useful for IELTS
✓ Useful for TOEIC
This second passive voice exercise is a step up from exercise 1. Several questions feature tenses that are easily confused, such as the past simple vs. past continuous passive and the present perfect passive. Start with
exercise 1
if you haven't already.
Form the correct passive equivalent of the sentence in the
active voice
.
Rewrite each active sentence in the passive voice.
Example: Anna is grading the essays. → The essays
are being graded
by Anna.
1.
They were interviewing her for the job.
She ________ for the job.
was being interviewed
was interviewed
has been interviewed
Correct answer:
was being interviewed
— active:
were interviewing
= past continuous → passive:
was being interviewed
.
2.
Tom is writing the letter.
The letter ________ by Tom.
was written
is being written
has been written
Correct answer:
is being written
— active:
is writing
= present continuous → passive:
is being written
.
3.
Everyone understands English.
English ________ by everyone.
is understood
has been understood
was understood
Correct answer:
is understood
— active:
understands
= present simple → passive:
is understood
.
4.
The employees brought up this issue during the meeting.
This issue ________ by the employees during the meeting.
has been brought up
is brought up
was brought up
Correct answer:
was brought up
— active:
brought up
= past simple → passive:
was brought up
.
5.
The professor told him not to talk in class.
He ________ by the professor not to talk in class.
has been told
was told
was being told
Correct answer:
was told
— active:
told
= past simple → passive:
was told
.
6.
They say that women are smarter than men.
Women ________ to be smarter than men.
were being said
were said
are said
Correct answer:
are said
— general truths use present simple passive —
are said to be
= it is generally believed.
7.
The fire has destroyed the house.
The house ________ by the fire.
has been destroyed
was being destroyed
is destroyed
Correct answer:
has been destroyed
— active:
has destroyed
= present perfect → passive:
has been destroyed
.
8.
She would have told you.
You ________ by her.
would have been told
would be told
were being told
Correct answer:
would have been told
— active:
would have told
= conditional perfect → passive:
would have been told
.
9.
She would reject the offer.
The offer ________ by her.
will have been rejected
would be rejected
will be rejected
Correct answer:
would be rejected
— active:
would reject
= conditional → passive:
would be rejected
.
10.
This surprises me.
I ________ by this.
would have been surprised
will be surprised
am surprised
Correct answer:
am surprised
— active:
surprises
= present simple → passive:
am surprised
.
—
Check answers
Try again
KEEP PRACTICING — MORE EXERCISES FOR YOU:
Passive voice is essential for formal and academic English — these exercises cover every tense and variation.
More passive voice exercises:
Passive voice (simple present) 1
(B1/B2)
Passive voice (simple present) 2
(B1/B2)
Passive voice (simple past) 1
(B1/B2)
Passive voice (mixed) 1
(B1/B2)
Passive voice (mixed) 3
(B1/B2)
Related causative form exercises:
Causative form (passive) 1
(B1/B2)
Causative form (passive) 2
(B1/B2)
Browse all grammar exercises →
DID YOU KNOW? The passive voice in IELTS Writing
The passive voice is specifically mentioned in the IELTS Writing band descriptors under
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
, which accounts for 25% of your writing score. Examiners at Band 7 and above expect to see a variety of complex structures — and the passive is one of the clearest signals of grammatical range.
In IELTS Academic Task 1 (describing charts, graphs, and diagrams), the passive is almost essential:
"A steady increase was recorded..."
,
"The figures are represented by..."
,
"Sales were projected to rise..."
— these structures sound natural and academic in a way that active alternatives often don't.
In Task 2 (essay writing), using the passive correctly and confidently — especially reporting verb passives like
"it is argued that..."
or
"it has been suggested that..."
— is a reliable way to demonstrate the grammatical range examiners are looking for at Band 7+.
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