Passive Voice Basics Exercises PDFSet 4: The "by" Agent

20 questions·14 min·Answers included·Explanations included

Preview: Questions

Fill in the blank with the correct option.

1.The novel was written ___ Charles Dickens.

a) fromb) withc) byd) for

2.The car was washed ___. (We don't know who did it.)

a) by someoneb) by themc) No 'by' phrase is needed.d) by people

3."Guernica" was painted ___ Pablo Picasso in 1937.

a) fromb) byc) withd) of

4.Which sentence sounds more natural?

a) My wallet was stolen by someone.b) My wallet was stolen.c) My wallet was stolen by a person.d) My wallet was stolen by somebody.

5.The window was broken ___ a ball.

a) withb) byc) fromd) of

... and 15 more questions in the PDF

1.by

2.No 'by' phrase is needed.

3.by

4.My wallet was stolen.

5.by

... and 15 more answers in the PDF

1."by"(c)

Use 'by' to introduce the agent (the person who does the action) in passive sentences. 'By Charles Dickens' tells us who wrote the novel.

2."No 'by' phrase is needed."(c)

When the agent is unknown or unimportant, we simply omit the 'by' phrase. 'The car was washed' is a complete sentence.

3."by"(b)

Use 'by' before the agent. Picasso is an important, specific agent — we want to say who painted it.

4."My wallet was stolen."(b)

When the agent is unknown or vague (someone, people, somebody), we usually omit the 'by' phrase. 'My wallet was stolen' is more natural.

5."by"(b)

Use 'by' when the agent is the cause or thing that performed the action. The ball caused the window to break.

... and 15 more explanations in the PDF

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