FCE (First Certificate) Passives
Make sure you understand how and when to use passive structures. There is lots more information about each of these in the main grammar pages of this website.
A kind man took us to the airport.
= We were taken to the airport by a kind man.
For more information and practice, look at the passives pages.
We also use passives to report what people think / say.
People believe that chewing gum improves your memory.
= It is believed that chewing gum improves your memory.
= Chewing gum is believed to improve your memory.
Finally, we can make passives with the structure "to have something done".
The hairdresser cut my hair.
= I had my hair cut.
= My hair was cut by the hairdresser.
For more information and practice, look at the get/have something done pages.
Practice 1
In the FCE exam, you might get questions for this in part 2 (open cloze). Choose the best word to complete these sentences.
Practice 2
You might also get this tested in the Key Transformations. Rewrite these sentences using 2-5 words. Be very careful that you keep the tenses the same!!!