Past Simple Passive Voice Exercises
A2-B1 Level
English Exercises is teacher-led by Charlie. About the teacher · How content is made
For example, "The bridge was built in 1890" focuses on the bridge and the date, not on the builders. "The letters were sent yesterday" highlights the letters and the timing. To form negatives, add "not" after was/were: "The parcel wasn't delivered on time." For questions, put was/were before the subject: "Was the window broken during the storm?" The past simple passive is one of the most common passive forms in English and is tested in Cambridge B1 and B2 exams. Practising it helps you describe past events clearly and naturally, especially when the doer is unknown or less important than the action itself.
Quick Rule
Subject + was/were + past participle (+ by agent)
- 1.The letter was posted yesterday morning.
- 2.They were sold at the auction last week.
- 3.Was the report finished before the deadline?
- 4.We weren't told about the surprise.
- 5.This castle was built by the Romans in 43 AD.
All 20 questions
Rewrite the active sentence in the passive voice. Start your answer after the prompt. Include 'by + agent' only when specified or important.
Someone stole my wallet yesterday. (My wallet...)
My wallet
They built this house in 1920. (This house...)
This house
The police arrested two men last night. (Two men...)
Two men
Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. (Hamlet...)
Hamlet
They cancelled the flight due to bad weather. (The flight...)
The flight
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. (The telephone...)
The telephone
They destroyed the bridge during the war. (The bridge...)
The bridge
The company fired 50 employees last month. (50 employees...)
50 employees
They sold the painting for millions. (The painting...)
The painting
Someone broke the window during the night. (The window...)
The window
They announced the results this morning. (The results...)
The results
A local company sponsored the event. (The event...)
The event
They gave her a promotion last week. (She...)
She
The storm damaged many houses. (Many houses...)
Many houses
They told us to wait outside. (We...)
We
Someone left this package at the door. (This package...)
This package
The critics praised the film highly. (The film...)
The film
Millions of people saw the broadcast. (The broadcast...)
The broadcast
They chose her as team captain. (She...)
She
The earthquake shook the entire city. (The entire city...)
The entire city
Continue Practising
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