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Passive Voice - mixed tenses - free English online grammar exercise.

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Passive voice. All forms. EBAU-Selectivity exercises worksheet

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LiveWorksheets transforms your traditional printable worksheets into self-correcting interactive exercises that the students can do online and send to the teacher.

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Tips

1. Focus on the most important facts. Don't give unnecessary background information.

2. Make sure you include:

the reason for writing (e.g. I am writing to ...)

what went wrong

what you would like to happen now.

3. Complaint letters are usually written in a formal style.

4. Use passives to be less direct and more formal, e.g. I was served quickly.

5. Use Yours faithfully to sign off if you don't know the name of the person you're writing to.

Discussion

Language level

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Learn how to write a letter of complaint.

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Writing a formal letter of Complaint

Example

123 Filmore Road

Chadthorpe

Lancs.

5th September 2022

Feel Free Travel

253B Delaware Buildings

Portree

Dear Sir / Madam,

I'm writing to express my dissatisfaction at the service I received on my holiday with Feel Free Travel. My friend and I went on the 8-day tour of Greece, reference GR36A, from the 5 th to the 13 th of August and we were extremely disappointed with the accommodation and the food.

First of all, your brochure said that we would stay in 'clean, mid-range hotels'. However, my bedroom was dirty in the Olympia Hotel, and the Opera Hotel was in a noisy and unsafe part of town, which made me feel very anxious.

Secondly, although the brochure stated that all meals were included, I was shocked by the food that we were served at the hotel restaurant. For lunch, we were given a small, squashed sandwich and a carton of juice. To make matters worse, when we complained to the tour guide, we were told to buy more food at the supermarket.

I feel that I am entitled to a refund to compensate for this terrible service.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Julie Watkins

➪ Explain that you are making a complaint and state what you want to happen next.

➪ Use adjectives to show your feelings

➪ Use connectors to move from one problem to the next

➪ Use passive voice to explain what happened to you

➪ Use reported speech to describe information from a website, brochure, etc.

Elements of a Formal Letter

When you write a formal letter, you should include these elements:

Write your own address in the top right-hand corner

Write the date under your address

Write the address of the recipient, i.e., the person you are writing to, on the left-hand side, below your address

Start the letter with Dear... if you know the name of the recipient or Dear Sir / Madam if you don't know the name of the recipient.

Sign off your letter with Yours sincerely if you know the recipient, or with Yours faithfully if you don't know the recipient.

The structure of a letter of complaint

Your letter should be divided into paragraphs. In the first paragraph you should:

➪ explain that you are making a complaint.

➪ give essential details such as the location, time and any reference numbers of the incident.

My friend and I went on the 8-day tour of Greece, reference GR36A, from the 5th to the 13th of August.

➪ introduce what you are complaining about.

In the next paragraph(s) give further details of the problem. If there were several problems, use connectors like Firstly, Secondly, Additionally, Furthermore, To make matters worse, Finally, to move from one problem to the next.

End your letter by stating what you want to happen next. Here are some useful phrases:

Describing what happened to you (Passive Voice)

Usually, you have a bad experience because something happened to you - you didn't do something yourself. For example, in the sentence:

The writer did not do anything. Someone else gave the writer a small, squashed sandwich and a carton of juice. And in the sentence:

Someone else told the writer to buy more food.

In this situation, it's common to use the passive voice in formal writing.

When complaining about a past situation, use the past simple passive: was/were + the past participle of the main verb.

You may also need to use the past perfect passive: had been + the past participle of the main verb.

If you want to include who did the action, use the preposition by.

Describing printed information (Reported speech)

In your letter, you can refer to information printed in a brochure or advertisement. To do this, you should use reported speech. You can do this using phrases like:

Imagine what is written in the printed information. For example:

"All meals are provided."

"You will stay in clean, mid-range hotels".

When you report this information in your letter, use reported speech and change the present tense to the past tense, and change will to would.

"All meals are included". ➪ The brochure stated that all meals were included.

"You will stay in clean, mid-range hotels". ➪ The brochure stated that we would stay in clean, mid-range hotels.

Contrasting printed information with your experience

In your letter, you can contrast the information in a brochure or advert with your own experience by using link words like .

Although the brochure stated that all meals were included, we only received lunch twice during the holiday.

Note that we use however and although in different ways. However is normally used at the beginning of a sentence, before a comma (,) and after a full stop (.) or a semicolon (;). Although can be used at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. We do NOT use a comma after although; we use although + subject + verb.

Describing feelings and situations

You can use adjectives to show how you felt during a situation such as:

You can add adverbs like very or extremely to make the feelings stronger.

You should also use adjectives to describe the problems you experience. Choose adjectives that describe the situation clearly.

You should describe your dissatisfaction and frustration about the events, but you should always keep a calm and polite tone if you want your letter to be effective.

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Writing formal letter of complaint - Tips, examples and exercises - Test-English

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Learn how to write a formal letter of complaint with our useful tips and expressions, examples and exercises.

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Look at these examples to see how must, might, may, could, can't and couldn't are used in the past.

An earthquake? That must have been terrifying!
We don't know for sure that Alex broke the coffee table. It might have been the dog.
How did she fail that exam? She can't have studied very much.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

We can use modal verbs for deduction - guessing if something is true using the available information. The modal verb we choose shows how certain we are about the possibility. This page focuses on making deductions about the past.

We use must have + past participle when we feel sure about what happened.

Who told the newspapers about the prime minister's plans? It must have been someone close to him.
The thief must have had a key. The door was locked and nothing was broken.
Oh, good! We've got milk. Mo must have bought some yesterday.

We can use might have or may have + past participle when we think it's possible that something happened.

I think I might have left the air conditioning on. Please can you check?
Police think the suspect may have left the country using a fake passport.

May have is more formal than might have. Could have is also possible in this context but less common.

We use can't have and couldn't have + past participle when we think it's not possible that something happened.

She can't have driven there. Her car keys are still here.
I thought I saw Adnan this morning but it couldn't have been him - he's in Greece this week.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Language level

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Do you know how to use modal verbs to show how certain you are about past events? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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If only - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary

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Look at these examples to see how wish and if only are used.

That guy is so annoying! I wish he'd stop talking.
I wish I lived closer to my family.
If only I hadn't lost her phone number. She must think I'm so rude for not calling her.
I wish they wouldn't park their car in front of my house.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

We use wish and if only to talk about things that we would like to be different in either the present or the past. If only is usually a bit stronger than wish.

In the present

We can use wish/if only + a past form to talk about a present situation we would like to be different.

I wish you didn't live so far away.
If only we knew what to do.
He wishes he could afford a holiday.

In the past

We can use wish/if only + a past perfect form to talk about something we would like to change about the past.

They wish they hadn't eaten so much chocolate. They're feeling very sick now.
If only I'd studied harder when I was at school.

Expressing annoyance

We can use wish + would(n't) to show that we are annoyed with what someone or something does or doesn't do. We often feel that they are unlikely or unwilling to change.

I wish you wouldn't borrow my clothes without asking.
I wish it would rain. The garden really needs some water.
She wishes he'd work less. They never spend any time together.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Language level

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Do you know how to use wish and if only to talk about things you would like to change? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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LiveWorksheets transforms your traditional printable worksheets into self-correcting interactive exercises that the students can do online and send to the teacher.

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LiveWorksheets transforms your traditional printable worksheets into self-correcting interactive exercises that the students can do online and send to the teacher.

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Do you know how to use could, was able to and managed to to talk about past abilities? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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Gerunds and Infinitives Exercise 2 - GrammarBank

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Gerunds and Infinitives Exercise with answers 2-- Fill in the blanks with gerund or infinitive form of the verbs.

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🤐 Stop Saying... The future without 'will'

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How to talk about the future - 6 Minute Grammar

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Be going to vs Present continuous - English In A Minute

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Will vs Be going to - English In a Minute

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Future forms – will, be going to, present continuous - Test-English

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Future forms – will, be going to, present continuous, etc. English intermediate grammar exercises. Predictions, offers, promises, plans, arrangements, etc.

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Look at these examples to see how will, going to and the present continuous are used.

Oh great! That meeting after work's been cancelled. I'll go to that yoga class instead.
I'm going to try to visit my relatives in Australia this year.
The restaurant is reserved for 8. We're having a drink at Beale's first.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar explanation

We use different verb forms to talk about our plans for the future, depending on what kind of plan it is: a spontaneous plan, a pre-decided plan or an arrangement.

We use will to talk about spontaneous plans decided at the moment of speaking.

Oops, I forgot to phone Mum! I'll do it after dinner.
I can't decide what to wear tonight. I know! I'll wear my green shirt.
There's no milk. I'll buy some when I go to the shops.

We use going to to talk about plans decided before the moment of speaking.

I'm going to phone Mum after dinner. I told her I'd call at 8 o'clock.
I'm going to wear my black dress tonight.
I'm going to go to the supermarket after work. What do we need?

Present continuous

We usually use the present continuous when the plan is an arrangement - already confirmed with at least one other person and we know the time and place.

I'm meeting Jane at 8 o'clock on Saturday.
We're having a party next Saturday. Would you like to come?

We often use the present continuous to ask about people's future plans.

Are you doing anything interesting this weekend?

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Language level

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Future forms: 'will', 'be going to' and present continuous

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Do you know how to talk about future plans using will, going to and the present continuous? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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Sıkça Sorulan Sorular - Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğü

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mgm.gov.tr Hava, Hava Durumu Hava Tahmini Sıcaklık, Yağmur Kar Dolu Şimşek Gökgürültüsü Rüzgar Fırtına Denizcilik Havacılık Tarım

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The Saudi Gate - Your gateway to Saudi Arabia Business

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Cloud Seeding in Saudi Arabia: Opportunities in Weather Modification and Market Growth - The Saudi Gate

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Saudi Arabia is rapidly advancing its weather modification efforts through cloud seeding, a technology that enhances rainfall in arid regions. As the Kingdom continues to diversify its economy and address water scarcity, cloud seeding is becoming an essential tool to ensure sustainable water resources. This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia’s broader Vision 2030 goals, which

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Experiments to ‘dim the Sun’ one step closer in the UK

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Geo-engineering experiments such as Solar Radiation Modificaton could be happening in the UK after major government funding

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Intermediate Grammar | Passive / Active Exercise | esl-lounge Student

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Passive Voice Exercise | English4u | English4u

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Passive Voice - change the given active sentence into a passive one.

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Passive Voice - Grammar Exercise | English4u

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Passive Voice Exercise - fill in the present or past tense of the verbs.

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Passive in English - Grammar Exercise | English4u

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Passive Voice in English - complete the sentences with the correct tenses.

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Passive Voice - mixed tenses - free English online grammar exercise.

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Forming Present Progressive Passive

Something is being done by someone at the moment.

Active : The postman is delivering the mail.
Passive: The mail is being delivered by the postman.

Active : Harry Potter is measuring the room.
Passive: The room is being measured by Harry Potter.

Active : The coach is congratulating the team at the moment.
Passive: The team is being congratulated by the coach.

Active : Are they opening the gifts now?
Passive: Are the gifts being opened by them ? (now)

Quick Exercise

Put the following sentences into passive voice. (present continuous passive)
Site Search

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Present Continuous Passive - GrammarBank

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Something is being done by someone at the moment. Active : The postman is delivering the mail. Passive: The mail is being delivered by the postman. Active : Harry Potter is measuring the room. Passive: The room is being measured by Harry Potter. Active : The coach is congratulating the team at the moment.

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English grammar exercise about passive verbs with mixed tenses

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English grammar exercise about passive verbs with the future simple tense

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English grammar exercise about passive verbs with the present perfect tense

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English grammar exercise about passive verbs with the past simple tense