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Passive (2) ESL Worksheet

ESL Worksheet

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ESL Worksheet: Passive (2)

Instructions: Choose the correct answer.

Q1 - It has been drawn to my attention that some staff are leaving early on Friday. This shall stop
 
The speaker probably uses the passive as a way of not giving the name of the person who told him
 
The speaker uses the passive to sound clever and educated
Q2 - It is supposed to be really good
 
The speaker isn't certain
 
The speaker is certain
Q3 - The bridge is being widened
 
The work is finished
 
The work is unfinished
Q4 - The Prime Minister is rumoured to be about to resign
 
The speaker wants to associate themselves with the rumour
 
The speaker wants to put some distance between themselves and the rumour
Q5 - It might get done
 
GET is an informal passive construction
 
GET is a formal passive construction
Q6 - The pills should be taken after meals
 
The passive is used because it is not known who is going to take the pills
 
The passive is used as a way of making the instructions less like an order and more polite
Q7 - My wallet was stolen
 
The passive is used to focus on what is really important to the speaker; their wallet
 
The passive is used because the speaker does not wish to tell us who stole the wallet
Q8 - Jenny was born in North Yorkshire
 
We use the passive because we do not know who bore her
 
We use the passive to focus on Jenny rather than her Mother
Q9 - 'Catch 22' was written by Joseph Heller
 
The speaker is talking principally about Joseph Heller
 
The speaker is talking principally about 'Catch 22'
Q10 - It is said to be the best restaurant in the area
 
This is the speaker's opinion
 
This is not necessarily the speaker's opinion
Q11 - The government was elected last year
 
We are more interested in the government than the voters
 
We are as interested in the government as the voters
Q12 - The painting was sold for a fortune
 
We are more interested in the buyer
 
We are more interested in the picture
Q13 - I was born in 1969
 
It is unnecessary to say who bore the speaker
 
We don't know who bore the speaker
Q14 - The letters are posted at five o'clock every day
 
It is important who posts the letters
 
The time they are posted is important

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