Passive Voice Exercises – English Grammar Practice

The passive voice across simple present, simple past, and mixed tenses, explained and practiced: free interactive exercises with instant answer checking, from beginner (A1/A2) to advanced (C1).

Quick Grammar Review

What is the passive voice?

In the active voice, the subject performs the action. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. The focus shifts from the doer to the receiver.

Active: The chef cooked the meal. → Passive: The meal was cooked by the chef.

The basic formula

Subject + [correct form of TO BE] + past participle (+ by + agent)

The agent (the person or thing doing the action) is often omitted when it is unknown, obvious, or unimportant.

Passive voice across tenses

Tense	Active example	Passive structure	Passive example
Simple Present	They clean the office daily.	am/is/are + past participle	The office is cleaned daily.
Simple Past	Someone stole the car.	was/were + past participle	The car was stolen.
Future Simple	They will announce the results.	will be + past participle	The results will be announced.
Present Perfect	She has written the report.	has/have been + past participle	The report has been written.
Present Continuous	They are building a new bridge.	am/is/are being + past participle	A new bridge is being built.
Past Continuous	They were filming a movie.	was/were being + past participle	A movie was being filmed.

When do we use the passive voice?

When the doer is unknown: My bike was stolen.
When the doer is obvious or unimportant: The road is being repaired.
In formal or academic writing: The results were analyzed carefully.
To shift emphasis onto the receiver of the action: Three people were injured in the accident.

Common mistakes to avoid

Forgetting to conjugate TO BE: ✗ The letter send. → ✓ The letter was sent.
Using the wrong past participle: ✗ It was writed. → ✓ It was written.
Using the wrong form of TO BE: ✗ They was seen. → ✓ They were seen.
Confusing active and passive: ✗ The window was broke. → ✓ The window was broken.

All Passive Voice Exercises

(B) = Beginner (A1/A2) | (I) = Intermediate (B1/B2) | (A) = Advanced (C1/C2)

Not sure of your level? Take our free English level test →

Passive Voice with Gerunds & Infinitives

The passive voice can also appear as a gerund (being repaired) or an infinitive (to be repaired) inside a larger sentence.

Not sure where to start? Beginners: try Passive Voice (Mixed) 1. Intermediate: work through Simple Past or Simple Present, then Mixed Tenses. For the causative form (a related, more advanced passive structure), see the dedicated Causative Form hub.