Passive Present and Past Simple

Passive Present and Past Simple

1. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple passive or the past simple passive.

1. The football championship in England ……………………. (play) from August to May.

2. The European Union ……………………. (form) in 1957.

3. The President of the USA ……………………. (choose) every four years.

4. Martin Luther King ………………… (give) the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

5. The Olympic Games ……………… (hold) in a different country each time.

6. George Washington ……………………. (make) the first President of America in 1789.

7. The names of the Oscar winners ………… (keep) in closed envelopes before the awards ceremony.

8. In 1964 Nelson Mandela ……………………. (send) to jail in South Africa.

9. All round the world, the New Year ……………………. (celebrate) with firework displays.

10. Australia ……………………. (discover) in 1770.

2. Put these sentences into the passive. Leave out any words you don't need.

Example

They delivered the new computer yesterday.

The new computer was delivered yesterday.

1. We speak French and English here. …………………………………………

2. Someone repaired the car last week. …………………………………………

3. They make the best cakes in Germany. …………………………………………

4. They sell computer games in bookshops now. …………………………………………

5. The reporter wrote the article in a hotel in Croatia. …………………………………………

6. They build the airplane engines in Chicago. …………………………………………

7. Someone robbed the bank in our town last night. ………………………………………..

8. The authorities planted new trees in the parks after the storm. ………………………………………..

3. Write sentences in the present or past simple passive, using these notes. Add by where necessary.

1. America / discover / Christopher Columbus …………………………………………

2. millions of newspapers / sell / every day …………………………………………

3. sometimes / dolphins / catch / in fishing nets …………………………………………

4. a lot of pollution / cause / fumes from cars …………………………………………

5. the PC / develop / scientists in Miami / in 1981 …………………………………………

6. the Mona Lisa / paint / Leonardo da Vinci …………………………………………

7. Scotland / invade / the Vikings / in the 8th century …………………………………………

8. fresh fruit and vegetables / deliver / to the supermarkets …………………………….. ………….

9. this afternoon / the winning football team / drive / round the city on an open top bus …………………………………………

10. the wheel / invent / over five thousand years ago. …………………………………………