Syntax: Active and Passive Voice 1.1

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This exercise is designed to help you distinguish between active and passive voice sentence structures. For each of the sentences below, indicate whether they are active or passive.

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Question 1

The singer was greeted by cheering fans.

A	active Hint: This is a passive construction (be + greet + passive/past participle), in which the subject is not the agent carrying out the action of the verb.
B	passive

Question 2

Our friend's family is traveling to Europe for vacation this summer.

A	active
B	passive Hint: This is an active construction in which the subject performs the action of the verb.

Question 3

The students were excited about the upcoming winter break.

A	active
B	passive Hint: This is an active construction. 'Excited' is an adjective, not a verb in the passive form. ‘The students’ is the subject or ‘were’.

Question 4

The woman who lives next door gives us vegetables from her garden in the summer.

A	active
B	passive Hint: This is an active sentence, in which the subject/agent carries out the action of giving.

Question 5

The hikers were supposed to have known about the dangerous crevasse.

A	passive Hint: This is an active sentence with ‘hikers’ as the subject and ‘were supposed to’ as the VP.
B	active

Question 6

After the storm, the beach was covered with debris and broken shells.

A	passive
B	active Hint: This is a passive construction (be + cover + passive/past participle). The subject is not the agent of the sentence.

Question 7

The results of the election will be announced tonight.

A	active Hint: This is a passive construction (be + announce + passive/past participle). The subject is not the agent of the sentence.
B	passive

Question 8

The books will be written by leading experts in the field.

A	passive
B	active Hint: This is a passive construction (be + write + passive/past participle). The subject is not the agent of the sentence.

Question 9

Marguerite planted roses in the garden.

A	active
B	passive Hint: This is an active construction in which the agent 'Marguerite' is carrying out the action of planting.

Question 10

The chef spent all day cooking an elaborate meal for the distinguished guests.

A	active
B	passive Hint: This is an active construction, in which the subject is carrying out the action ‘to spend’.

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There are 10 questions to complete.

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Syntax: Active and Passive Voice 1.1

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