Fill in the blanks with suitable active and passive verb forms
This house -------- in 1970 by my grandfather
Answer: B
Correct answer: Was built
The date in 1970 fixes the tense as past, and by my grandfather marks the sentence as passive, so the verb must be was built. Was build uses the base form instead of the participle, and has built is active.
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His command ______ by everyone present.
Answer: B
Correct answer: was promptly obeyed
The subject his command is the thing acted on, not the actor, so the verb must be passive: was promptly obeyed. Has promptly obeyed is active and would make the command itself the one obeying, and promptly obeyed alone has no auxiliary.
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That portrait ................................. by my grandmother.
Answer: C
Correct answer: was painted
By my grandmother marks the sentence as passive, and a portrait already hanging was painted in the past, so the verb is was painted. Has painted is active and would make the portrait the painter.
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They .................................... to the party.
Answer: B
Correct answer: have been invited
To the party tells us the people are the ones invited, not the ones inviting, so the verb must be passive. The present perfect gives have been invited; have invited and have been inviting are both active.
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You ............................... when the time comes.
Answer: A
Correct answer: will be told
When the time comes points to the future, and you are the one who will receive the telling, so the verb is the future passive will be told. Will told puts a finite past form after a modal.
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Everybody ............................ with me.
Answer: A
Correct answer: agrees
Agree is intransitive and has no passive, so is agreed cannot be used of a person agreeing. Everybody is singular, which gives agrees.
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I was very ................................ in the lesson.
Answer: C
Correct answer: interested
-ed participles describe how a person feels; -ing participles describe what causes the feeling. The lesson may be interesting, but the speaker is interested.
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The dog ............................... the man.
Answer: A
Correct answer: bit
The dog is the one doing the biting, so the verb stays active. Was bitten would make the dog the victim, and was bit uses a non-standard participle after the passive auxiliary.
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He ............................ a very remarkable discovery.
Answer: B
Correct answer: made
He is the one who made the discovery, so the verb is active. Was made would make him the thing discovered, and is made mixes a present passive into a past event.
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The accused ........................... to a tree.
Answer: C
Correct answer: was bound
To a tree shows that the accused was acted upon, so the verb is passive: was bound. Bind and bound alone are active forms.
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