Grammar: active and passive voice

English for Professional Purposes

Author
Affiliation

Ben Stanley

Department of Social Sciences, SWPS University

Published

September 1, 2026

Transform active to passive voice

Convert the following management statements to passive voice:

  1. “The board rejected our budget proposal.”
  2. “HR will implement the new wellbeing programme next quarter.”
  3. “You have consistently missed your sales targets.”
  4. “The IT team created an excellent disaster recovery plan.”
  5. “I require all department heads to submit monthly reports.”
  6. “The CEO announced a major restructuring plan yesterday.”
  7. “Our team exceeded all performance objectives this year.”
  8. “The manager should conduct exit interviews in person.”
  9. “The recruitment team has shortlisted three candidates.”
  10. “You must complete the compliance training by Friday.”

Transform passive to active voice

Convert the following management statements to active voice:

  1. “Training opportunities will be provided to all staff members.”
  2. “Mistakes were made in the financial forecast.”
  3. “It has been decided that the office relocation will be postponed.”
  4. “Contributions to the discussion are expected from everyone.”
  5. “Complaints have been received about the new shift system.”
  6. “A new performance review system is being implemented across all departments.”
  7. “The project deadline was extended by the steering committee.”
  8. “Sensitive information must not be shared with unauthorised parties.”
  9. “Annual bonuses will be determined by individual performance.”
  10. “The decision was taken without proper consultation.”

Transform to “have something done” structure

Transform the following active sentences into the “have something done” structure:

  1. “The manager writes the monthly report.”
  2. “The IT department upgrades our software.”
  3. “The external agency designs our marketing materials.”
  4. “The team leader organises the training sessions.”
  5. “HR reviews all job applications.”
  6. “The finance department processes expense claims.”
  7. “The assistant books meeting rooms.”
  8. “The legal team checks all contracts.”
  9. “The graphic designer creates our presentations.”
  10. “The consultants evaluate our performance.”