Passive Voice with Modal Verbs
When we want to focus on an action or the receiver of an action involving modal verbs, we use the passive voice. To form this structure, simply use the modal verb followed by be and the past participle of the main verb. For example, instead of saying "You must wear a helmet," you can say, "A helmet must be worn."
In this challenge, you will practice combining various modal verbs (like must, should, can, will, might, and has to) with the passive voice. You will apply these grammar rules across several fun scenarios, from helping a museum curator write strict rules for a dinosaur exhibit and completing an eccentric billionaire's will, to deciphering a wizard's shipping policies and writing care instructions for an alien pet.
You'll work through 12 questions in a mix of single-choice, multi-choice, drop-down, and drag-and-drop formats.
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
Complete the eccentric inventor's user manual for his new robot butler.
To avoid a messy explosion, the robot's battery ________ with coffee.
The correct answer is should never be replaced.
When giving advice about an object receiving an action, we use the passive voice: modal + be + past participle (should + be + replaced).
Adverbs like "never" go between the modal and "be".
The airlock doors must be sealed completely before you remove your space helmet. Otherwise, you could be sucked into the vacuum of space, which ruins everyone's afternoon!
The passive voice is used because the subject is receiving the action.
The doors don't seal themselves; they must be sealed (modal + be + past participle).
You don't suck anything; you could be sucked out by the vacuum!
The correct answers are The fluffball can be fed up to three times a day and Its fur should be brushed gently with a soft toothbrush.
The passive voice with modals requires the structure modal + be + past participle.
"The creature might frightened..." is missing the verb "be" (might be frightened).
"Water must be give..." uses the base form of the verb instead of the past participle (must be given).
The secret sauce must be kept in the fridge at all times. Please remember that the fancy gold-rimmed plates should not be washed in the dishwasher, or they will lose their sparkle!
To form the passive voice with a modal verb, use modal + be + past participle.
The sauce doesn't keep itself; it must be kept by someone.
The plates don't wash themselves; they should not be washed by someone.
The correct answers are The dinosaur bones must not be touched by anyone and Flash photography cannot be used in the bat cave.
To form the passive voice with modal verbs, we use modal + be + past participle (e.g., must be touched, cannot be used).
"The historical paintings should not touch by visitors" is incorrect because it is missing the verb "be" and uses the active verb "touch" instead of the past participle "touched."
"Food and drinks must left at the entrance" is incorrect because it is missing the verb "be" (must be left).
Help the anxious museum curator finalize the security checklist for the new diamond exhibit by dragging the correct phrases into the blanks.
The famous diamond must not be touched by anyone under any circumstances. To ensure maximum safety, all security cameras should be checked every hour before the doors open. Finally, the emergency alarms can be activated remotely if there's even the slightest hint of trouble.
The famous diamond must not be touched by anyone under any circumstances.
We form the passive voice with modal verbs using modal + be + past participle. Here, "must not be touched" shows that touching the diamond is strictly prohibited.
To ensure maximum safety, all security cameras should be checked every hour before the doors open.
"Should be checked" is the correct passive form to express a strong recommendation or requirement.
Finally, the emergency alarms can be activated remotely if there's even the slightest hint of trouble.
"Can be activated" shows that it is possible for the alarms to be triggered by someone remotely.
Help the museum curator finish the warning sign for the new dinosaur exhibit.
The fragile T-Rex skeleton ________ by visitors under any circumstances!
The correct answer is must not be touched.
We form the passive with modal verbs using modal + be + past participle (must + be + touched).
"Must not touch" is active and would mean the skeleton itself is forbidden from touching things!
Complete the passive-aggressive notes left on the fridge by a frustrated roommate. Drag the correct verb phrases into the blanks.
The mountain of dirty dishes in the sink has to be washed before the mold gains sentience and takes over the kitchen. Furthermore, the overflowing trash cannot be ignored any longer! Lastly, the monthly rent must be paid by Friday, or we'll both be living in a tent.
The mountain of dirty dishes in the sink has to be washed before the mold gains sentience and takes over the kitchen.
"Has to be washed" is the passive form of "has to wash." The dishes receive the action of washing.
Furthermore, the overflowing trash cannot be ignored any longer!
"Cannot be ignored" combines the modal "cannot" with "be" and the past participle "ignored."
Lastly, the monthly rent must be paid by Friday, or we'll both be living in a tent.
"Must be paid" expresses a strong obligation in the passive voice.
Choose the correct phrase to complete the drama teacher's top-secret email.
The surprise ending of our school play ________ to anyone before opening night!
The correct answer is cannot be revealed.
The passive voice with modals is formed with modal + be + past participle.
The ending isn't doing the revealing; it is receiving the action, so we need the passive "be revealed" rather than the active "reveal".
Help the eccentric wizard complete the shipping policies for his online magical potion shop by dragging the correct phrases into the text.
All fragile potions will be packed carefully in premium dragon-scale bubble wrap. Please note that delivery might be delayed if the courier encounters a grumpy troll on the bridge. Refunds may be requested within thirty days, but only if the potion hasn't already turned you into a toad.
All fragile potions will be packed carefully in premium dragon-scale bubble wrap.
"Will be packed" is the future passive form using the modal "will."
Please note that delivery might be delayed if the courier encounters a grumpy troll on the bridge.
"Might be delayed" expresses a possibility in the passive voice.
Refunds may be requested within thirty days, but only if the potion hasn't already turned you into a toad.
"May be requested" uses the modal "may" to express permission or possibility in the passive voice.
My collection of haunted dolls may be sold to a museum to fund your education. However, the giant solid gold statue of my cat cannot be moved from the living room under any circumstances!
When the subject of the sentence receives the action, we use the passive voice. With modal verbs (like may or cannot), the structure is modal + be + past participle.
The dolls may be sold (by the heirs), and the statue cannot be moved (by anyone).
The correct answers are The cake will be delivered to the back door and The balloons might be seen if we put them by the window.
The correct structure is modal + be + past participle (e.g., will be delivered, might be seen).
"The invitations must be send out tonight" is incorrect because "send" is the base form, not the past participle (must be sent).
"The music should kept..." is incorrect because it is missing the verb "be" (should be kept).
Modal verb
- ✅ She can swim. — ❌ She can to swim. (modal + bare infinitive, no to)
- ✅ You must leave now. — strong obligation
- ✅ It might rain. — possibility (~50%)
- ✅ He should apologise. — advice/recommendation
Modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) are auxiliaries expressing ability, permission, possibility, obligation, or speculation. Always + bare infinitive. Never inflected (she can, not she cans).
Rule: modals never take to after them, never add -s for third person, and can't combine directly (must can ❌ — use must be able to).
Negation
- ✅ I don't see anything. — ❌ I don't see nothing. (double negative in standard English)
- ✅ She never goes out. — never already negates (no doesn't needed)
- ✅ He doesn't like coffee. — do-support for negation
- ✅ Nobody came. — negative subject (no auxiliary needed)
Negation uses not after an auxiliary/modal, or do-support when there's no auxiliary. One negative per clause in standard English — never, nobody, nothing already negate without adding not.
Rule: one negative element per clause. I don't see anything or I see nothing — never both together in standard English.
Participle
- ✅ a broken window — past participle as adjective
- ✅ the running water — present participle as adjective
- ✅ I have eaten. — past participle in perfect tense
- ✅ She is sleeping. — present participle in progressive tense
- ❌ I have went. — wrong (past tense, not past participle: use gone)
A participle is a verb form that also works as an adjective. Present (-ing): running, sleeping. Past (-ed or irregular): broken, written, gone. Used in progressive tenses, perfect tenses, passive voice, and as modifiers.
Trap: don't confuse past tense (went) with past participle (gone). After have/has/had → always past participle.
Verb
- walk → walk / walks / walked / walked / walking (5 forms, regular)
- go → go / goes / went / gone / going (5 forms, irregular)
- be → am/is/are/was/were/be/being/been (8 forms)
- can → can / could (modal: only 2 forms, no -s, no -ing)
A verb is the one word class every English sentence requires. Carries tense (when), aspect (duration), mood (attitude), and voice (active/passive). Regular verbs add -ed; ~200 irregular verbs have unpredictable past forms.
Key insight: fix your verbs and most grammar problems disappear. Wrong tense, wrong agreement, wrong form — verb errors account for the majority of grammatical mistakes.
Passive voice
- ✅ The meal was cooked by the chef. — passive (action matters)
- ✅ Mistakes were made. — passive, agent hidden (evasive)
- ✅ Active: The chef cooked the meal. — stronger, clearer
- ❌ The report was being been written. — malformed passive
The passive = be + past participle. Object becomes subject. Use it when the doer is unknown, irrelevant, or obvious. Avoid when it hides responsibility or weakens prose.
Formula: find the active object → make it the subject → use be (matching tense) + past participle → optionally add by + agent.
Word order
- ✅ She (S) eats (V) cake (O). — standard SVO
- ❌ Cake eats she. — SOV (not English)
- ✅ a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife — adjective order (opinion→size→age→shape→colour→origin→material→purpose)
- ✅ Never have I seen… — inversion after negative adverb
English word order = SVO (subject-verb-object) as default. Adjectives follow a fixed sequence (opinion→size→age→shape→colour→origin→material). Adverb placement varies by type. Deviations signal questions, emphasis, or literary style.
Rule: when in doubt, default to SVO. English position = meaning. Move a word and you change the grammar or the emphasis.
B1 | Intermediate
- ✅ If I had more time, I would travel more. — second conditional
- ✅ The bridge was built in 1920. — passive voice
- ✅ She said she was tired. — reported speech with backshift
- ✅ Although it rained, we enjoyed the trip. — complex sentence with concession
These are B1 patterns — the CEFR intermediate level. At B1 you link ideas, use passive voice, handle reported speech, and manage second conditional — enough for travel, work basics, and everyday independence.
Marker: if you can explain why something happened and follow a news story, you're B1.
Medium
- If I were you, I would apologise. — one rule (second conditional), but distractors like was tempt you
- Answers require active thought, not instant pattern recognition
- Vocabulary and context are realistic, not artificially simplified
- Usually tests one rule, but the wrong answers are plausible
Medium marks middle-difficulty challenges: A2–B1, one rule tested, but with realistic distractors that require genuine understanding.
Use "Medium" when Easy feels too obvious but Hard feels overwhelming. This is where most productive learning happens — the sweet spot of difficulty.