Unit 9.

THE PASSIVE
Exercise 1. Choose the correct word or phrase.
1. The prime minister was / has criticised for his recent actions.
2. When I walked past the Wilsons’ house, their new sofa was / has being delivered.
3. Our teacher was / has told us to take our favourite book to school tomorrow.
4. I think my mobile was / has been stolen!
5. Jonathan was / has chosen to play the lead role in the school play.
6. I’m sleeping downstairs because my bedroom is being painted / has been painting.
7. This picture was / has probably taken during the winter.
8. Your essays must be / have handed in on Friday morning.
9. Someone was / has left their wallet on the floor.
10. Did you hear about the bank being / having robbed?
11. Treasure Island was / has written by Robert Louis Stevenson.
12. It was a real shock when my dad was / has fired from his job.
13. The Vikings had visited America before it was / has discovered by Columbus.
14. When we got to the airport, we learned that our flight was / had been delayed.
15. Was / Has your ticket for the concert tomorrow paid for by you or your parents?
Exercise 2. Choose the correct answer.
1. We _____ a swimming pool put in this week.
A. get B. are having C. have D. have got
2. Why don’t you get a doctor _____ at your arm?
A. to look B. looked C. look D. be looking
3. My teeth were a little yellow so I _____ by the dentist.
A. had cleaned them B. have them cleaned C. was cleaned them D. got them cleaned
4. Stuart’s thinking of having _____!
A. shaved his head B. his head shaving C. his head shaved D. shaved to his head
5. My sister _____ her ear pierced last weekend.
A. made B. got C. did D. took
6. Mum and Dad didn’t fancy cooking, so we got a pizza _____.
A. be delivered B. to be delivered C. delivered D. deliver
7. You should _____ a professional to check your house for earthquake damage.
A. have B. make C. take D. get
8. Kelly wanted to have a live band _____ at her wedding.
A. to play B. play C. played D. to be playing

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 9. Can we _____ this summer?
A. get installed air-conditioning C. have installed air-conditioning
B. get air-conditioning to install D. have air-conditioning installed
10. We _____ while we were on holiday.
A. were burgled our house C. had burgled our house
B. had our house burgled D. got burgled our house
11. Brian will _____ by the dentist tomorrow.
A. get his teeth polished C. have his teeth to be polished
B. polish his teeth D. make his teeth polish
12. When _____ your new carpet fitted?
A. had you B. were you getting C. did you help D. did you have
13. He often _____ at the dry cleaner’s.
A. has his suits cleaned C. cleans his suits
B. has cleaned his suits D. gets his suits cleaning
14. Debbie knows how to sew and _____ herself.
A. has all her dresses made C. helps her dresses be made
B. gets all her dresses made D. makes all her dresses
15. Please _____ the accounts checked by the accountant first thing tomorrow morning.
A. you have B. get your C. have D. do you have
16. Jake _____ his passport renewed last week.
A. didn’t have B. hadn’t C. hasn’t had D. wasn’t
17. We postponed _____ because didn’t have enough money.
A. having painted our house C. to get our house painted
B. having our house painted D. to get our house to paint
18. She _____ while shopping yesterday.
A. had stolen her wallet C. had her wallet steal
B. got her wallet to be stolen D. got her wallet stolen
19. The teacher _____ the board.
A. had John clean B. got John clean C. let John cleaning D. made John to clean
20. If you feel dizzy, you should _____.
A. make your blood pressure check C. have your blood pressure checked
B. help your blood pressure to check D. got your blood pressure checked
Exercise 3. Underline the best word or phrase in italics. Sometimes both are grammatically correct, but one
answer is more suitable.
HOW IS PAPER MADE?
Everyone enjoys reading fashion magazines and newspapers. But have you ever thought about how the paper (0)
we print them / they are printed on is made?

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Most paper (1) is made / makes from wood. First, (2) they cut the wood / the wood is cut into small pieces.
These (3) mix / are mixed with water and heated to produce a kind of thick paste. Then chemicals (4) we add
them / are added to clean the paste and make it white. Next the paste is spread on a screen and (5) dried / is
dried. The water drains away or evaporates and (6) are left / leaves a thick layer of paper. (7) We then pass this
/ This is then passed between two large rollers (circular machines) to make it thinner and flatter.
(8) The paper can then be cut / They can then cut the paper into the correct sizes.
Exercise 4. Identify the SIX mistakes in the conversation and correct them.
EXPERT Well, this is an interesting fashion print. Did you buy it?
OWNER No, it was given to me of [=> by] my grandmother just before she died.
EXPERT So she was the person who bought it?
OWNER Not exactly. She found it. It had [been] left on the side of the road by somebody.
EXPERT How amazing. Tell me, is this the original frame?
OWNER No, I think it might change [=> have been changed] when my grandparents moved house. They
had a really good carpenter and he made new frames for all their pictures. It might have been put
into a new frame from [=> by] him.
EXPERT That’s a pity. These prints are always worth more if they’ve been keep [=> kept] in their original
frames. It shouldn’t have been taken out of the original frame, really. But if it was for sale put up
[=> put up for sale] I expect it might fetch several hundred pounds ...
Exercise 5. Read about the club and choose the correct words in italics.

THE SPOIL YOURSELF CLUB

What is the Spoil Yourself Club?
The Spoil Yourself Club is there for your every need. Once you pay the $10,000 membership fee you can call
us at any time and get us (0) arrange / to arrange almost anything you want.
What can you get for me? What about other services?
We can get almost anything for you. For example, if If you’ve had a hard day at the office and just want a
you need a new designer dress for a special party we relaxing massage, we have a team of excellent
can have a top designer (1) produce / produced therapists ready to help. You can have your hair and
something for you within a few days. If you need a make-up (6) to be done / done by our expert
table at a five-star restaurant we can (2) have had / beauticians. But we haven’t forgotten about those
have the best table (3) reserved / to reserve for you at everyday problems. So, if your central heating system
just an hour’s notice. If you’ve had (4) cancelled a breaks down we will get a plumber (7) coming / to
flight / a flight cancelled, we can get one of our pilots come to your house in half an hour. If your car needs
(5) to fly / fly you anywhere you desire in our private (8) servicing / to service, we can have a mechanic
jet. collect your car and return it to you later the same day.

Exercise 6. Choose the correct meaning, A or B.

1. Phillipe Starck is considered to be the world’s greatest designer of household objects.
A. Phillipe Starck thinks this. B. Many people think this.
2. Tom Cruise is said to be the richest film star in the world.
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A. People think this, but it may not be true. B. This is a fact.
3. We’re supposed to take a present with us.
A. Our hosts expect us to take a present. B. We forgot to take a present.
4. It is believed that the government will cancel the high speedrailway line.
A. The government believes this will happen. B. Some people believe this will happen.
5. How annoying. We were meant to have seats in the front row!
A. They’ve given us seats in the front row. B. They haven’t given us seats in the front row.
6. It has been suggested that Martin stole £100,000 from his employer’s bank account.
A. Some people say Martin did this. B. Martin says he did this.
Exercise 7. Complete using the correct passive form of the verbs in brackets.
1. The Earth ________________ (hold) by the gravity of the Sun and orbits around it.
2. The first feature-length comedy film ________________ (create) by Charlie Chaplin.
3. The award for best video ________________ (present) later this evening.
4. By the time you get to Madrid, I ________________ (arrest) for murder.
5. I don’t know whether our tests ________________ (mark) yet or not.
6. Radio waves ________________ (discover) by Marconi.
7. You wouldn’t think it to look at him now, but Jack ________________ (bully) when he was at school.
8. Your application ________________ (consider) and we will let you know as soon as we’ve made a
decision.
9. The roof of the car can ________________ (lower) by pressing this button here.
10. Our tent ________________ (blow) over in the night by the wind.
11. Chess ________________ (play) for around two thousand years now.
12. Two men ________________ (question) at this moment by police in connection with the burglary.
1. is held 2. was created 3. is going to/will be presented
4. will have been arrested 5. have been marked 6. were discovered
7. was bullied 8. is being considered 9. be lowered
10. was blown 11. has been played 12. are being questioned

Exercise 8. Write one word in each gap.

THE EUROPEAN DIET

It’s hard for us to imagine what (1) ________ included in the European diet before America (2) ________
discovered (3) ________ Columbus in 1492. So many ingredients which today (4) ________ grown all over
the world (5) ________ unknown to medieval Europeans. Potatoes, tomatoes, maize and chocolate (6)
________ all originally imported from the New World. Until then, meals had (7) ________ prepared using
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 ingredients native to Europe, such as root vegetables. Of course, spices such as pepper (8) ________ been
traded and added to food for centuries. When the potato (9) ________ first introduced, it was surprisingly
unpopular. It (10) ________ considered to be poisonous and it took a long time to become common. There is
a story of Parmentier, a French army officer, who (11) ________ potatoes planted in the royal garden and (12)
________ Marie Antoinette to wear a potato flower to make them fashionable. The poor peasants were curious
about the new plants and many of them (13) ________ stolen to be planted in their own gardens. It was the
start of French fries!

1. was 2. was 3. by
4. are 5. were 6. were
7. been 8. had 9. was
10. was 11. had/got 12. got
13. were

Exercise 9. Complete using the active or the passive voice of the verbs in brackets.
1. Yesterday, Kelly ____________ (think) that she ____________ (follow), so she ____________ (go) to
the nearest police station.
2. We ____________ (stay) with my parents because our house ____________ (renovate) at the moment.
3. Two new schools ____________ (build) in our area because of the growth in population. Building
____________ (start) next month.
4. The tables ____________ (clean) by the waiters when a group of tourists ____________ (arrive).
5. More chocolate bars ____________ (consume) this year than in any other year.
6. My car ____________ (repair) by the mechanic yesterday but unfortunately I ____________ (crash) it
into a tree this morning.

1. thought, was being followed, went 4. were being cleaned, arrived

2. are staying, is being renovated 5. have been consumed
3. will be built, will start 6. was repaired, crashed

Exercise 10. Complete using the active voice or the causative form of the words given.
1. A: Are you using the computer?
B: Yes, I ____________________ am typing my letters (my letters / type) at the moment.
A: Do you type all your letters yourself? No, I don’t have the time to do that.
B: I usually ____________________ have my letters typed (my letters / type) by my secretary, but she’s
away today.

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 2. A: I ____________________ had my car serviced (my car / service) by the mechanic yesterday. The bad
thing is that I had to pay quite a lot of money for it.
B: Didn’t you know that my brother is training to become a mechanic? He always ____________________
services my car (my car / service) for me. Maybe he could have a look at yours next time, too.
3. A: What are you doing? Are ____________________ you painting the house (the house / paint) yourself?
B: No, of course not. I ____________________ am having the house painted (the house / paint) by a
painter. I’m just helping him. Do you want to come in and have a look?
Exercise 11. Use the information in the email to complete the sentences below.
Subject Wedding plans!

Hi Hilary
I’m so pleased that you can come to our wedding! Jake and I have planned everything over the last few weeks.
At the moment we’re sending out all the final invitations. (Don’t worry, I haven’t invited Jane Anderson. I know
you don’t get on with her!) I was a bit worried about the cost but last month Mum and Dad agreed to pay for the
reception. They paid the deposit last week. That was a relief!
Have you decided what to wear yet? I’ve bought my wedding dress (it’s a bit big so I have to alter it). The shop
had reduced the price so it was only a few hundred pounds.
Do you remember Aunt Terri? Apparently she’s got a fantastic new video camera, so she’s going to film the
ceremony. We’ve got a professional photographer as well. She’ll take the formal photos. And Antonio from the
Italian restaurant is doing the catering, so the food should be great!
I can’t wait to see you there. It’s going to be a great day!
Lucy J

0. Everything _________has been planned________ by Jake and Lucy.

1. The final invitations __________________ at the moment.
2. Jane Anderson __________________ to the wedding.
3. The deposit for the reception __________________ last week.
4. Lucy has bought her wedding dress but it has __________________.
5. The price of the dress __________________ by the shop.
6. The ceremony __________________ by Lucy’s aunt.
7. The formal photos __________________ by a professional photographer.
8. The catering __________________ by Antonio.
1. are being sent out 2. hasn’t been invited 3. was paid 4. to be altered
5. had been reduced 6. is going to be filmed 7. will be taken 8. is being done

Exercise 12. Complete the sentences, using suitable forms of the words in brackets.
1. Your room is filthy! _______________ Get it cleaned up at once! (get / it / clean up)
2. I’m going grey, so I _______________ have my hair coloured every six weeks. (have / my hair / colour)
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 3. Sindy _______________ got her phone stolen while she was at the gym. (get / phone / steal)
4. Something is wrong with your TV. I think it needs checking / to be checked _______________. (it /
need / check)
5. _______________ Did you get those documents copied while you were out? (get / those documents /
copy)
6. Don’t worry. I _______________ will have the porter take your bags up to your room now, sir. (have /
the porter / take)
7. Excuse me. Can I _______________ get my passport photos taken here? (get / my passport photos /
take)
8. He couldn’t find his keys, so he _______________ had a locksmith break in to get inside the house.
(have / a locksmith / break in)
9. Their garden was overgrown, so they _______________ got it tidied up last week. (get / it / tidy up)
10. The CEO insisted that Josh _______________ (should) have the report proofread before the board
meeting. (have / the report / proofread)
11. After the renovation was done, they _______________ got all the furniture reupholstered to match the
new décor. (get / all the furniture / reupholster)
12. I _______________want my luggage (to be) weighed before our flight tomorrow. (want / my luggage /
weigh)
13. Jane was late for work because she _______________ got her car broken down on her way to the office.
(get / her car / break down)
14. My laptop keeps crashing. I’ll _______________ have a technician take a look at it to figure out the
issue. (have / a technician / take)
15. His wedding suit didn’t fit properly, but he _______________ had it altered in time for the ceremony.
(have / it / alter)
16. The author was excited to _______________ get the cover design finalized for her upcoming novel. (get
/ the cover design / finalize)
17. The storm caused so much damage that they _______________ got their roof reinforced by
professionals to prevent further issues. (get / their roof / reinforce)
Exercise 13. Write sentences in the passive.
1. Our car / service / a mechanic / at the moment.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Our car is being serviced by a mechanic at the moment.
2. A man / shoot / an air gun / outside the petrol station last night.
___________________________________________________________________________________
A man was shot with an air gun outside the petrol station last night.
3. Gunpowder / invent / the Chinese.
___________________________________________________________________________________

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 Gunpowder was invented by the Chinese.
4. At the surgery yesterday, I / examine / Dr Peterson / and I / give / a prescription.
___________________________________________________________________________________
At the surgery yesterday, I was examined by Dr Peterson and I was given a prescription.
5. I went to see it because I / tell / it was a good film / all my friends.
___________________________________________________________________________________
I went to see it because I had been told it was a good film by all my friends.
6. This photograph / take / my grandfather.
___________________________________________________________________________________
This photograph was taken by my grandfather.
7. It looked like the window / break / a hammer / some time before.
___________________________________________________________________________________
It looked like the window had been broken with a hammer some time before.
8. Our dog / give / an injection / a special syringe / the vet.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Our dog was given an injection with a special syringe by the vet.
9. The winning goal in last night’s match / score / Donatello / a brilliant free kick.
___________________________________________________________________________________
The winning goal in last night's match was scored by Donatello with a brilliant free kick.
10. Your cheque / send / last Friday and / should / deliver / to you tomorrow.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Your check was sent last Friday and should be delivered to you tomorrow.
Exercise 14. Rewrite using the phrase given.
1. They have been building the new road for a long time now. (under construction)
___________________________________________________________________________________
The new road has been under construction for a long time now.
2. They had been training the horse for the race for over a year. (in training)
___________________________________________________________________________________
The horse had been in training for the race for over a year.
3. They have been discussing the issue in Parliament. (under discussion)
___________________________________________________________________________________
The issue has been under discussion in Parliament.
4. They had been observing the criminal for the past two weeks. (under observation)
___________________________________________________________________________________
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 The criminal had been under observation for the past two weeks.
5. They have been using this plane for over 25 years now. (in use)
___________________________________________________________________________________
This plane has been in use for over 25 years now.
6. They have been developing the Cyborg D423 robot for over ten years. (in development)
___________________________________________________________________________________
The Cyborg D423 robot has been in development for over ten years.
Exercise 15. Rewrite in the passive starting with the words given.
1. People say that Bali is a beautiful island.
It _________________________________________________________________________________
is said that Bali is a beautiful island.
2. People generally think that life won’t be found on Mars.
It _________________________________________________________________________________
is generally thought that life won’t be found on Mars.
3. It is generally said that Christmas is too commercialised
Christmas __________________________________________________________________________
is generally said to be too commercialised.
4. People often argue that prison doesn't work.
It _________________________________________________________________________________
is often argued that prison doesn’t work.
5. People have suggested that the school should start to produce a magazine.
It _________________________________________________________________________________
has been suggested that the school start to produce a magazine.
6. People say that crocodile tastes like squid.
Crocodile ___________________________________________________________________________
is said to taste like squid.
7. It is said that the Vikings discovered America before Columbus.
The Vikings _________________________________________________________________________
are said to have discovered America before Columbus.
8. People think that heart disease is caused by eating the wrong things.
Heart disease ________________________________________________________________________
is thought to be caused by eating the wrong things.
Exercise 16. Rewrite the following sentences using the passive voice. More than one answer is possible in some
cases.
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 1. Everyone knows that fruit and vegetables are high in water content.

It is known that fruit and vegetables are high in water content. / Fruit and vegetables are known to be high in
water content.
2. Mr and Mrs Philips didn’t buy anything from the supermarket.

Nothing was bought from the supermarket by Mr and Mrs Philips.

3. They first published this book in 1867.

This book was first published in 1867.

4. What did they say about the accident?

What was said about the accident?

5. They saw the President leave by the back door.

The President was seen to leave by the back door.

6. The nurse gave the patient a robe to put on.

The patient was given a robe to put on (by the nurse). / A robe was given to the patient to put on (by the nurse).
7. The waiters didn’t seat any of the guests till after the orchestra played the national anthem.

None of the guests were seated by the waiters till after the national anthem was played by the orchestra.
8. Mike will send flowers to Bob, who is in hospital.

Flowers will be sent to Jane, who is in hospital, by Mike. / Jane, who is in hospital, will be sent flowers by
Mike.
9. The government provided the refugees with food.

The refugees were provided with food by the government ./ Food was provided to the refugees by the
government.
10. Who designed this building?

Who was this building designed by?

11. The painter is spraying paint on the door with a spray gun.

Paint is being sprayed on the door with a spray gun (by the painter).
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 12. The hurricane has totally destroyed the town.

The town has been totally destroyed by the hurricane.

13. We could have taken the car to the garage today.

The car could have been taken to the garage today.

14. The children are going to organise a fundraising event.

A surprise party is going to be organised by the children.

15. Local authorities hope that people will recycle more of their rubbish.

It is hoped that people will recycle more of their garbage.

Exercise 17. Rewrite the underlined phrases in the talk, using the words in brackets.
‘Welcome to Candleburgh Hall, the historic home of the Westmoor family. (1) The house is said to have been
designed by Robert Smythson, although we don’t have any proof of that. But we certainly know it was built
around 1570. (2) We were going to visit the stables today, but I’m afraid they are currently closed for repairs. (3)
We think they’ll be finished in April, so you’ll be able to see them then. Today we’re starting in the main drawing
room. In fact, (4) many people think it is the most beautiful room in the house. But it holds a dark secret. (5)
Some people believe that Sir Henry Westmoor died here. In fact, (6) they say he was killed by his own brother.
Now, if you’ll all follow me, we’ll move to the Queen’s Bedroom ... this room got its name because (7) we think
that Queen Elizabeth I slept here in the 1580s ...’
1. The house ___________________________________________________________________ . (supposed)
is supposed to have been designed by Robert Smythson
2. We ___________________________________________________________________________ . (meant)
were meant to visit the stables today
3. The work ____________________________________________________________________ . (expected)
is expected to be finished/to finish in April
4. It _________________________________________________________________________ . (considered)
is considered to be the most beautiful room in the house
5. Sir Henry Westmoor ___________________________________________________________ . (believed)
is believed to have died here
6. It _______________________________________________________________________________ . (said)
is said that he was killed by his own brother
7. Queen Elizabeth I_______________________________________________________________ . (thought)
is thought to have slept here

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Exercise 18. Complete each second sentence using the word given, so that it has a similar meaning to the first
sentence. Write between TWO AND FIVE words in each gap.
1. Someone has scratched my car on the door! BEEN
My car _________________________________________________________________________ on the door!
has been scratched
2. Tommy is having an operation right now. BEING
Tommy __________________________________________________________________________ right now.
is being operated on
3. Has Fiona invited you to her party? BEEN
Have _______________________________________________________________________________ party?
you been invited to Fiona’s
4. Shakespeare probably wrote this play in 1587. WRITTEN
This play ________________________________________________________________ Shakespeare in 1587.
was probably written by
5. The government is considering a new law to ban smoking following new research. CONSIDERED
A new law to ban smoking ________________________________________________ following new research.
is being considered
6. My mum told me to go to Megagrocers. SENT
I _________________________________________________________________________________ my mum.
was sent to Megagrocer’s by
7. I didn’t understand a word so I asked my teacher and she explained it to me. GOT
I didn’t understand a word so I __________________________________________________________ it to me.
got my teacher to explain
8. People believe that the chairman of the committee is involved in the scandal. BE
The chairman of the committee ____________________________________________________ in the scandal.
is believed to be involved
9. She misses her friends visiting her in the evenings. VISITED
She misses ____________________________________________________________________ in the evenings.
being visited by her friends
10. Why did they turn down our offer, Mr Steinberg? TURNED
Why _________________________________________________________________________ , Mr Steinberg?
was our offer turned down
11. The teacher didn’t let us leave before we finished the essay. ALLOWED
We ______________________________________________________________ before we finished the essay.
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were not allowed to leave
12. Nobody in my class can solve this Maths problem. SOLVED
This Maths problem _______________________________________________________________ in my class.
can’t be solved by anyone
13. They were giving the dog a bath when I arrived. GIVEN
The dog _________________________________________________________________ a bath when I arrived.
was being given
14. You know, people say that the Minister of Education is going to resign. IS
You know, _____________________________________________ the Minister of Education is going to resign.
it is said that
15. Karen would have sent me a letter if she had known my address. BEEN
I ________________________________________________ a letter by Karen if she had known my address.
would have been sent
16. Please arrange for these parcels to be posted as soon as possible. HAVE
Please ____________________________________________________________________ as soon as possible.
have these parcels posted
17. My car will need servicing before I go on holiday. GET
I’ll need ________________________________________________________________ before I go on holiday.
to get my car serviced
18. Someone broke Gary’s front teeth while he was playing football. HAD
Gary_____________________________________________________________ while he was playing football.
had his front teeth broken
19. Carl eventually agreed to lend me his motorbike for the day. GOT
I eventually ___________________________________________________________his motorbike for the day.
got Carl to lend me
20. A plumber is repairing my dishwasher this afternoon. REPAIRED
I __________________________________________________________________________ this afternoon.
am having my dishwasher repaired
21. Kelly, does the cleaner clean your house twice a week? HAVE
Kelly,__________________________________________________________________ cleaned twice a week?
do you have your house
22. A bank clerk was cashing my cheque when the robbers entered the bank. CASHED
I _________________________________________________________ when the robbers entered the bank.
was having my cheque cashed
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23. I haven’t been to the hairdresser’s for a haircut lately. CUT
I haven’t ____________________________________________________________________________ lately.
had my hair cut
24. I expected Harriet to send me a parcel, but she didn’t. SUPPOSED
Harriet __________________________________________________________________________me a parcel.
was supposed to send
25. Many fashion writers think that New York is the top fashion city in the world these days. SAID
New York _____________________________________________ the top fashion city in the world these days.
is said to be
26. My landlord doesn’t like me smoking in the house. MEANT
I’m ___________________________________________________________________________ in the house.
not meant to smoke
27. The TV news says that the football club has a new owner. REPORTED
The football club _________________________________________________________________a new owner.
is reported to have
28. They wanted me to go to their party but I was too busy. SUPPOSED
I _____________________________________________________________ their party but I was too busy.
was supposed to go to
29. I’ve been told that Armani designs all her clothes. BELIEVED
All her clothes ____________________________________________________________________ by Armani.
are believed to be designed

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