Exercise 18

Use the words in the following list to complete the sentences. All of the sentences are passive. Use any appropriate form.

build frighten report

cause invent spell

confuse kill surprise

divide offer surround

expect order wear

1. The electric light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison.

2. An island _____ by water.

3. A new dormitory (hostel) _____ next year.

4. The class was too large, so it _____ into two sections.

5. A bracelet _____ around the wrist.

6. The Johnson’s house burned down. According to the inspector, the fire _____ by lightning.

7. Nick got a ticket for reckless driving. When he went to traffic court, he _____ to pay a fine of $100.

8. I read about a hunter, who _____ by a wild animal.

9. The –ing form of “sit” _____ with a double “t”.

10. The traffic accident _____ in the newspaper yesterday.

11. I didn’t expect Lisa to come to the party. I _____ to see her there.

12. Last week he _____ a job at a local bank, but he didn’t accept.

13. The children _____ in the middle of the night when they heard strange noises in the house.

14. Could you try to explain this math problem to me again? Yesterday in class I _____ by the teacher’s explanation.

15. – Is the plane going to be late?

– No. I _____ to be on time.

Exercise 19 The Olympic Games

Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Indefinite Passive, the Past Indefinite Passive, the Present Perfect Passive or the Future Passive.

Do you know how often the Olympic Games are held (hold)? They 1_____ (hold) every four years. The first Olympic Games 2_____ (hold) at Olympia, in ancient Greece, nearly 3,000 years ago. The tradition 3_____ (continue) from 776 BC to AD 393. Even wars 4_____ (postpone), so that everyone could travel safely to the Games. The Games 5_____ (ban) in 394.

In 1890 the modern Games 6_____ (found) by a Frenchman called Baron de Coubertin in Athens.

Originally, the Games 7_____ (set up) for amateurs. Amateurs are people who 8_____ (not pay) to play the sport whereas professionals 9_____ (pay). Since 1984 some professional athletes, such as football players, 10_____ (allow) to take part.

Before the Games begin, the Olympic torch 11_____ (light) at Olympus by a mirror reflecting the sun. Then it 12_____ (carry) by runners to the city where the Games 13_____ (hold). Sometimes by the time the last runner enters the stadium, the torch 14_____ (carry) half-way round the world.

Do you know where the next Olympic Games 15_____ (hold)?

The Passive with by and with Exercise 20

Complete these sentences using the Past Indefinite Passive of the verbs in the box and by.

paint write compose and sing

invent discover direct discover

publish paint invent speak

Example:

• “The Old Man and the Sea” was written by Ernest Hemingway.

1. Radium _____ Pierre and Marie Curie.

2. “The Gold Rush” _____ Charlie Chaplin.

3. “Imagine” _____ John Lennon.

4. The safety razor _____ King Camp Gillette.

5. “The Chair” _____ Vincent Van Gogh.

6. Radio _____ Popov and Marconi.

7. The words “To be or not to be” _____ Hamlet.

8. Stories about a French detective called Maigrel _____ George Simenon.

9. Penicillin _____ Alexander Fleming in 1928.

10. The Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) _____ Leonardo da Vinci.