Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one. Some sentences have two correct answers. Choose both.
1By the time the auditors arrived, the missing invoices ...............
Wrong!
Use "had been filed" because the filing happened before another past event.
2The new safety protocol ............... across all departments starting next Monday.
Wrong!
Use "will be implemented" for a future passive action in an official plan.
3The CEO ............... about the merger until the press release went out.
Wrong!
Use "was not informed" because the CEO received the information rather than gave it.
4The suspect ............... to the station for questioning, but no charges were filed.
Wrong!
Use "was taken" because the suspect received the action in the past.
5The conference room ............... when I arrived, so we had to meet in the lobby.
Wrong!
Use "was being cleaned" for an action in progress at a specific time in the past.
6The final decision ............... by the board, not by the project team.
Wrong!
Use "was made" because the decision received the completed action.
7The witness ............... to repeat the statement word for word, but she refused.
Wrong!
Use "was asked" because the witness received the request.
8The documents ............... in a locked cabinet, so no one could access them without permission.
Wrong!
Use "were kept" because the documents received the action or state.
9No one knows who started the rumor, but it ............... by thousands of users on social media within hours.
Wrong!
Use "was spread" because the rumor was passed around by other people; the agent is introduced with "by".
10The new interns ............... a tour of the building on their first day.
Wrong!
Use "were given" because the interns received the tour.
11The proposal ............... before it can be approved.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "needs to be revised" or "needs revising" because both give a passive meaning after "needs".
12The software update ............... to have caused the outage, according to the initial report.
Wrong!
Use "is believed" in the passive reporting structure before "to have caused".
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- By the time the auditors arrived, the missing invoices had been filed.
- The new safety protocol will be implemented across all departments starting next Monday.
- The CEO was not informed about the merger until the press release went out.
- The suspect was taken to the station for questioning, but no charges were filed.
- The conference room was being cleaned when I arrived, so we had to meet in the lobby.
- The final decision was made by the board, not by the project team.
- The witness was asked to repeat the statement word for word, but she refused.
- The documents were kept in a locked cabinet, so no one could access them without permission.
- No one knows who started the rumor, but it was spread by thousands of users on social media within hours.
- The new interns were given a tour of the building on their first day.
- The proposal needs to be revised / needs revising before it can be approved.
- The software update is believed to have caused the outage, according to the initial report.