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Reporting with Passives: Worksheet

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This is a worksheet designed with C1 students in mind. It will help them construct passive sentences with reporting verbs, which are appropriate for many of the formal writing tasks in the CAE exam. Download the worksheet, key and powerpoint below:

reporting-with-passives

gossip-column-pics

We can use passive structures with infinitives in formal writing to report opinions and beliefs.

Present and Future – use an infinitive (to be, to affect)

Many people think Messi is the best player ever.

Messi is thought to be the best player ever.

Scientists know that pollen allergy affects a lot of people.

Pollen allergies are known to affect a lot of people.

Journalists expect that the president will give a speech at 2pm.

The president is expected to give a speech at 2pm.

Past – use a perfect infinitive (to have been, to have made, to have done)

Experts think that Van Gogh painted the painting in 1888.

Van Gogh is thought to have painted the painting in 1888.

The police think he killed his wife.

He is thought to have killed his wife.

Verbs used in this way included: believe, consider, estimate, expect, know, report, say, think, understand and “to be rumoured”.

Change the second sentence using the passive structure.

• Experts say that 8 hours sleep is the perfect amount.

8 hours sleep ________________________________________________________________

• They expect that 2000 people will attend the festival.

2000 people _________________________________________________________________

• Police think that the stolen money is buried in the garden.

The stolen money _____________________________________________________________

• There are rumours that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are dating again.

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez __________________________________________________

• Experts estimate that 20 people died in the fire.

20 people_______________________________________________________________.

• Journalists report that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have broken up.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian_________________________________________________.

• Scientists believe that the big bang happened 13.7 billion years ago.

The big bang____________________________________________________________.

• 8 hours sleep is said to be the perfect amount.
• 2000 people are expected to attend the festival.
• The stolen money is thought to be buried in the garden.
• Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are rumoured to be dating again.
• 20 people are estimated to have died in the fire.
• Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are reported to have broken up.
• The big bang is believed to have happened 13.7 billion years ago.

Creative Practice Exercise

Show the powerpoint with pictures of celebrities, students make up gossip stories about them.

After completing the worksheet have students write two sentences, 1 in the present and 1 in the past, about their partner in the style of a gossip magazine article:

“Jordi is rumoured to be dating Sandra.”

“Jordi is thought to have written Sara a poem.”

Have students read their sentences out to the class, then they vote on which is the juiciest piece of gossip.

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Author: Tim Warre

Barcelona based English Teacher, blogger and sometime actor and director. View All Posts

3 thoughts on “ Reporting with Passives: Worksheet ”

Found it really useful for my students. Thanks a lot!

Great lesson plan. Thanks very much!

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English Practice Downloadable PDF Grammar and Vocabulary Worksheets

Reported speech (b1).

• RS013 - Reported Speech
• RS012 - Reported Questions and Commands
• RS011 - Reported Speech
• RS010 - Reported Speech
• RS009 - Reported Commands
• RS008 - Reported Questions
• RS007 - Reported Speech
• RS006 - Reported Speech
• RS005 - Reported Speech
• RS004 - Reported Speech
• RS003 - Reported Speech
• RS002 - Reported Speech - Mixed Exercises
• RS001 - Reported Speech - Mixed Exercises
• Adjective - Adverb
• Gerund and Infinitive
• Modal Verbs
• Reported Speech
• Passive Voice
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Quantifiers
• Relative Clauses
• Prepositions
• Questions and Negations
• Question Tags
• Language in Use
• Word Formation
• General Vocabulary
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• Connectives and Linking Phrases
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Listening Comprehension

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English Grammar Online Exercises and Downloadable Worksheets

• Reported Speech

All downloads are in PDF Format and consist of a worksheet and answer sheet to check your results.

Levels of Difficulty : Elementary Intermediate Advanced

• RS002 - Reported Speech - Questions Intermediate
• RS003 - Reported Speech - Questions Intermediate
• RS004 - Reported Speech - Indirect Commands Intermediate

Online Exercises

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Passive voice with reporting verbs

If we want to avoid mentioning the generalised agents we, they, people, everybody, one etc. with reporting verbs, we can use the following passive patterns:

In this pattern, the generalised agent + active reporting verb is replaced with it + passive reporting verb:

Everybody knows that my grandfather likes red wine. It is known that my grandfather likes red wine.

In this pattern we start with the subject of the reported clause, which is followed by the passive reporting verb and the to -infinitive form of the verb in the reported clause:

Everybody knows that my grandfather likes red wine. My grandfather is known to like red wine.

The reporting verb ( is known ) is in the same tense as it was in the active sentence ( knows ). The type of to -infinitive we use ( to like ) corresponds to the temporal relationship between the action of reporting and the reported event. This temporal relationship can be of two basic types:

• The reporting and the reported event happen simultaneously (as in the example above).
• The reported event happens before the reporting.

The following table shows examples of reporting verbs which can be used with the patterns above:

• Reporting a simultaneous event in the passive voice
• Reporting an earlier event in the passive voice

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Reported Speech Exercises

Perfect english grammar.

Here's a list of all the reported speech exercises on this site:

( Click here to read the explanations about reported speech )

Reported Statements:

• Present Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Present Continuous Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Past Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Present Perfect Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Future Simple Reported Statement Exercise (quite easy) (in PDF here)
• Mixed Tense Reported Statement Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• 'Say' and 'Tell' (quite easy) (in PDF here)

Reported Questions:

• Present Simple Reported Yes/No Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• Present Simple Reported Wh Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• Mixed Tense Reported Question Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)

Reported Orders and Requests:

• Reported Requests and Orders Exercise (intermediate) (in PDF here)
• Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 1 (difficult) (in PDF here)
• Reported Speech Mixed Exercise 2 (difficult) (in PDF here)

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Passive Voice, Reported Speech Review (Author-Bouabdellah)

Passive voice - 1

Passive voice - 2

Passive voice - 3

Worksheets - handouts

Passive voice

Worksheets - pdf exercises.

• Worksheet - the passive pdf
• Passive - simple present
• Passive voice - present simple
• Passive voice - level 1
• Passive voice - pdf worksheet
• Passive worksheet 1 -> answers
• Passive worksheet 2 -> answers
• Passive voice - worksheets
• Passive voice 1 - pdf worksheet
• Passive voice 2 - pdf worksheet
• Passive voice 3 - pdf worksheet
• Passive voice 4 - pdf worksheet
• Passive: present simple
• Passive: past simple
• Change from active to passive 
• Passive: future simple
• Passive: present continuous
• Passive: past continuous
• Passive: present perfect
• Passive: past perfect
• Fill in the correct verb form  
• Make sentences
• Active / passive - exercises
• Change from active to passive 1
• Change from active to passive 2 
• Change from active to passive 3 
• Change from active to passive 4
• Passive voice - sentence building  
• Active and passive voice  
• Passive - worksheet
• Change from active to passive 1  
• Change from active to passive 4  
• Change from active to passive 5
• Passive voice - modal verbs
• Verbs with two objects
• Grammar notes and exercises

Active and passive voice exercises + PDF

• English grammar PDF
• PDF worksheets
• Mixed PDF tests
• Irregular verbs
• Modal verbs
• If-conditional
• Passive voice
• Reported speech
• Time clauses
• Relative clauses
• Indirect questions
• Question tags
• Imperative sentence
• Gerund and infinitive
• Direct | indirect object

Active and passive voice

• PDF worksheets with keys
• Exercises with answers
• Grammar rules with examples

English grammar books PDF

PDF book 1: English grammar exercises PDF

PDF book 2: English grammar rules PDF

Passive voice exercises

PDF worksheets + online exercises:

Present simple passive voice - exercises

Present continuous passive voice - exercises

Past simple passive voice - exercises

Past continuous passive voice - exercises

Future simple passive voice - exercises

Present perfect passive voice - exercises

Past perfect passive voice - exercises

Mixed tenses passive voice - exercises

Online exercises - mixed tenses:

Passive voice exercise 1 (complete) Complete sentences with verbs in brackets.

Passive voice exercise 2 (choose) A multiple choice test.

Passive voice exercise 3 (all forms) Make passive sentences with jumbled words.

Passive voice questions Complete passive voice questions.

Passive voice crime story Part 1: Complete a crime story. Part 2: Ask questions about a bank robbery.

Active to passive voice (all tenses) Change the active voice to passive voice.

Active to passive voice (rewrite) Rewrite sentences in the passive.

Passive voice prepositions (by/with) Complete sentences with prepositions by or with.

Passive voice with two objects Rewrite sentences with direct and indirect objects.

Grammar rules PDF:

Passive voice rules PDF Grammar rules with examples to download for free.

English grammar PDF All PDF rules with examples to download for free.

There are two voices in English: active and passive. The passive is more formal than the active and is typical of impersonal written texts.

The passive voice is used in the following tenses.

Present simple and continuous passive: The car is repaired. The car is being repaired. Past simple and continuous passive: The car was repaired. The car was being repaired. Present perfect passive: The car has just been repaired. Past perfect passive: The car had been repaired. Future simple passive: The car will be repaired. Future perfect passive: The car will have been repaired. Present and perfect conditional passive: The car would be repaired. The car would have been repaired.

The passive voice in English is formed with the verb to be and the past participle, which is different for regular verbs (translated, mended) and irregular verbs (taken, thrown). Statement: The letter is written. This shop has been opened. It will be done in time. Question: Is the letter written? Has the shop been opened? Will it be done in time? Negative: The letter is not written. The shop has not been opened. It will not be done in time.

The continuous is as follows. (Other continuous tenses are normally used in the active voice, not in the passive.) Present: A new house is being built in our street. Past: A new house was being built in our street.

In all the examples above the agent is not mentioned. We do not know who has written the letter or opened the shop. Similarly: Flowers were planted in the garden. (We do not know who did it). If we want to say who planted the flowers we mention the agent at the end of the sentence and use the preposition by . The flowers were planted by my mother. But: The window was smashed with a stone. (The stone is not the agent. We do not know who smashed the window. We only know how he or she did it).

Direct and indirect objects

If there are both direct and indirect objects in the active voice (My friend sent me a letter), the indirect object (my friend), not the direct object (a letter), usually becomes the subject in the passive voice. Active: My friend sent me a letter. Passive: I was sent a letter by my friend. (This form is more natural in English than A letter was sent to me by my friend.) Similarly: They offer Trevor a place. - Trevor is offered a place.

The infinitive without to

In the active voice some verbs are followed by the bare infinitive (infinitive without to ). In the passive form we use most such verbs with the infinitive with to . Active: We saw them come. She made him do it. Passive: They were seen to come. He was made to do it. But: They let us go. - We were let go.

The passive is used: 1. If the action is more important then the agent. A demonstration has been held. This theatre was built in 1868. The important thing is what happened, not who did it.

2. If the agent is not known. He was offered a job. (Someone offered him the job.) They are supposed to be good students. (Some teachers suppose that.)

The difference in meaning between the simple and continuous

A new house is built in our street. (The house is finished.) A new house is being built in our street. (They are building it these days, it is not finished.)

I was being introduced to Mrs. Jones when her husband arrived. (Her husband arrived in the middle of the introduction.) When her husband arrived I was introduced to Mrs. Jones. (Her husband arrived first and then she introduced me.)

This form is typical of an impersonal and formal style, that is why you can often find it in public notices, announcements, instructions or scientific articles. English is spoken in this shop. Visitors are not allowed to smoke. The seal must be removed.

In a less formal style the active voice is more usual. English is spoken in this shop. - We speak English in this shop. He was seen in Dover. - They saw him in Dover. The seal must be removed. - You must remove the seal.

In the English language this form is more frequent than in many other languages. Moreover, you can find some stuctures in English which are not possible in some languages. I am told that you are going to have a baby. It is thought that the crises will end soon.

• All PDF exercises and grammar rules from this website.

Paraphrasing ( passive, reported speech and conditionals 3)

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