1 The extent of Jane's knowledge on various complex subjects (astounds /astound) me.
2 The subjects you will be studying in this course (is/ are) listed in the syllabus.
3 Massachusetts and Connecticut (is/ are) located in New England.
4 Why (was/ were) Susan and Alex late for the meeting?
5 (Is /Are) having the responsibility for taking care of pets good for young children?
6 A lot of clothing in those stores (is /are) on sale this week.
7 Each of the boys in the class (has /have) his own notebook.
8 Every one of the students (is /are) required to take the final test.
9 There (isn't/ aren't) any letters for you today.
10 There (isn't /aren't) any mail for you today.
11 Why (isn't /aren't) there a hospital close to those villages?
12 Physics (seek/ seeks) to understand the mysteries of the physical world.
13 The English (is/ are) proud, independent people.
14 English (is /are) not my native language.
15 Portuguese (is /are) somewhat similar to Spanish, (isn't /aren't) it?
16 Twenty dollars (is /are) an unreasonable price for the necklace.
Passive – Key
Put the verb into the most suitable passive form.
1 There's somebody behind us. I think we are being followed (follow).
2 A mystery is something that can't be explained (can't/explain).
3 We didn't play football yesterday. The match was cancelled (cancel).
4 The television has been repaired/was repaired (repair). It's working again
now.
5 The church tower is being restored (restore). The work is almost finished.
6 'How old is the tower?' 'It is believed (believe) to be over 600 years old.'
7 If I didn't do my job properly, I would be sacked (would/sack).
8 A: I left some papers on the desk last night and I can't find them now.
B: They might have been thrown (might/throw) away.
9 I learnt to swim when I was very young. I was taught (teach) by my mother.
10 After being arrested (arrest), I was taken to the police station.
11 ' Have you ever been arrested (you/ever/arrest)?' 'No, never.'
12 Two people are reported to have been injured in an explosion at a factory
in Birmingham early this morning.
2 Put the verb into the correct form, active or passive.
1 This house is quite old. It was built (build) over 100 years ago.
2 My grandfather was a builder. He built (build) this house many years ago.
3 'Is your car still for sale?' – 'No, I have sold (sell) it.'
4 'Is the house at the end of the street still for sale?' – 'No, it was sold/has been sold (sell).'
5 Sometimes mistakes are made/will be made (make). It's inevitable.
6 I wouldn't leave your car unlocked. It might be stolen (might/steal).
7 My bag has disappeared. It must have been stolen (must/steal).
8 I can't find my hat. Somebody must have taken (must/take) it by mistake.
9 It's a serious problem. I don't know how it can be solved (can/solve).
10 We didn't leave early enough. We should have left (should/leave) earlier.
11 Every time I travel by plane, my flight is delayed (delay).
12 A new bridge is being built (build) across the river. Work started last year and the bridge is expected (expect) to open next year.
3 Read these newspaper reports and put the verbs into the most suitable form.
CASTLE FIRE
Winton Castle was damaged (damage) in a fire last night. The fire, which (2) was discovered (discover) at about 9 o'clock, spread very quickly. Nobody (3) was injured (injure) but two people had to (4) be rescued (rescue) from an upstairs room. A number of paintings (5) are believed to have been detroyed/were believed to be destroyed (believe/destroy). It (6) is not known (not/know) how the fire started.
ROAD DELAYS
Repair work started yesterday on the Paxham-Longworth road. The road (1) is being resurfaced (resurface) and there will be long delays. Drivers (2) are asked/have been asked/are being asked (ask) to use an alternative route if possible. The work (3) is expected (expect) to last two weeks. Next Sunday the road (4) will be closed (close) and traffic (5) will be diverted (divert).
SHOP ROBBERY
In Paxham yesterday a shop assistant (1) was forced (force) to hand over £500 after (2) being threatened (threaten) by a man with a knife. The man escaped in a car which (3) was stolen/had been stolen (steal) earlier in the day. The car (4) was later found (later/find) in a car park where it (5) had been abandoned (abandon) by the thief. A man (6) has been arrested (arrest) in connection with the robbery and (7) is still being questioned (still/question) by the police.
ACCIDENT
A woman (1) was taken (take) to hospital after her car collided with a lorry near Norstock yesterday. She (2) was allowed (allow) home later after treatment. The road (3) was blocked (block) for an hour after the accident and traffic had to (4) be diverted (divert). A police inspector said afterwards: 'The woman was lucky. She could (5) have been killed (kill).'
