"Get" Passive vs "Be" Passive in Technical English
5 exercises — practise choosing between the dynamic "get" passive and the formal "be" passive.
0 / 20 completed
1 / 20
Which sentence best fits an informal Slack update announcing that a change of state just happened?
"The build just got fixed after the flaky test was quarantined" is correct: the "get" passive ("got fixed") emphasizes a sudden change of state and fits the informal, event-focused tone of a chat update. Option B misuses "is" with "just", which doesn't mark the completed change naturally. Option C incorrectly stacks "just was" instead of the idiomatic "got" passive or simple past "was fixed". Option D uses present tense "gets", which doesn't match the completed, one-time event described.
2 / 20
Choose the sentence that correctly uses the neutral, formal "be" passive appropriate for an official incident report.
"The affected service was restored at 03:14 UTC after the failover completed" is correct: the standard "be" passive is the expected register for formal incident documentation, stating a fact neutrally. Option B uses the more informal "get" passive, which is stylistically inappropriate for an official report. Option C incorrectly implies an ongoing process at a specific timestamp rather than a completed event. Option D uses present tense, which doesn't match the past, timestamped event.
3 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses "get" + past participle to describe something unpleasant or unexpected happening to the subject?
"Our staging environment got hacked overnight through an exposed debug endpoint" is correct: "get" + past participle ("hacked") is idiomatic for describing an unexpected, often negative event affecting the subject. Option B incorrectly uses the base form "hack" instead of the past participle "hacked". Option C uses present tense with the wrong participle form. Option D incorrectly follows "got" with the present participle "hacking" instead of the past participle "hacked".
4 / 20
Select the sentence where the "get" passive most naturally replaces a reflexive-sounding construction for a self-triggered action.
"The pipeline got triggered automatically whenever a tag is pushed" is correct: "got triggered" is a grammatical "get" passive with the correct past participle form, fitting a description of an automatic system event. Option B uses the base form "trigger" instead of "triggered" after "gets". Option C uses "automatical", not a valid adverb (should be "automatically"). Option D uses the base form "trigger" instead of the required past participle.
5 / 20
Which sentence correctly shows that "be" passive, not "get" passive, is preferred for stating a permanent or official system property in documentation?
"All API responses are encoded in UTF-8 by default" is correct: the "be" passive in the present simple states a stable, permanent system fact, exactly right for reference documentation. Option B's "get encoded" sounds like a repeated dynamic event rather than a fixed, defining property, which is a stylistic mismatch for formal specs. Option C wrongly presents a permanent fact as an ongoing, temporary process. Option D uses the past tense, incorrectly suggesting this was a one-time historical event rather than an always-true default.
6 / 20
Code Review Comment: 'The API endpoint /userswas unexpectedly returned with a 500 status code during testing. We're investigating.' Which sentence best reflects the intended meaning of this comment in a formal code review?
This scenario tests understanding of 'be' passive for reporting an event. The original sentence uses 'was' to describe a past state that has now been addressed. The incorrect options misrepresent the action or attempt to introduce unnecessary phrasing (like 'get'). Crucially, it avoids implying responsibility – the focus is on the *event* itself.
7 / 20
PR Description: 'The database schema update ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN last_login TIMESTAMP;has been deployed to the staging environment.' Which of the following options provides the most accurate and professional description for this change?
This item assesses the appropriate use of 'be' passive for describing a completed action within a technical context. The phrase 'has been deployed' is the standard and most formal way to communicate that an operation has finished in documentation or release notes. Options A and C are too vague, and option D uses less precise language.
8 / 20
Slack Message: 'The build process npm installgot stuck for over an hour. We've escalated to DevOps.' Which sentence best describes the situation in a concise and professional Slack message?
Here, 'get' passive is used to convey an undesirable outcome – the process was *affected* by something. 'Was stuck' implies a state of being that doesn't fit the technical context as well. The other options are overly verbose or focus on blame rather than describing the event. This tests understanding of 'get' passive for negative events.
9 / 20
Standup Update: 'The server nginxwas configured to handle increased traffic.' Which sentence best captures the essence of this update in a stand-up meeting?
This question focuses on the 'be' passive for describing a configuration change. The phrase 'was configured' is concise and appropriate for a stand-up update where brevity is key. It avoids unnecessary detail and clearly states the action taken. The other options are more descriptive than necessary in this context.
10 / 20
API Response (Error): 'The application failed to connect to the external service.' Which sentence best explains this error message in a technical document?
This tests the correct use of 'get' passive to describe an action that resulted in failure. 'Was unable to connect' is a more natural phrasing than describing the state (e.g., 'failed'). The key difference here is that 'get' passive describes the *result* of something happening, while 'be' passive typically describes a state or condition. This highlights the nuance between the two forms.
11 / 20
Code Review Comment: 'The API endpoint /userswas unexpectedly returned with a 500 status code during testing. We're investigating.' Which sentence best reflects the intended meaning of this comment in a formal code review?
This scenario tests understanding of 'be' passive for reporting an event. The original sentence uses 'was' to describe a past state that has now been addressed. The incorrect options misrepresent the action or attempt to introduce unnecessary phrasing (like 'get'). Crucially, it avoids implying responsibility – the focus is on the *event* itself.
12 / 20
PR Description: 'The database schema update ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN last_login TIMESTAMP;has been deployed to the staging environment.' Which of the following options provides the most accurate and professional description for this change?
This item assesses the appropriate use of 'be' passive for describing a completed action within a technical context. The phrase 'has been deployed' is the standard and most formal way to communicate that an operation has finished in documentation or release notes. Options A and C are too vague, and option D uses less precise language.
13 / 20
Slack Message: 'The build process npm installgot stuck for over an hour. We've escalated to DevOps.' Which sentence best describes the situation in a concise and professional Slack message?
Here, 'get' passive is used to convey an undesirable outcome – the process was *affected* by something. 'Was stuck' implies a state of being that doesn't fit the technical context as well. The other options are overly verbose or focus on blame rather than describing the event. This tests understanding of 'get' passive for negative events.
14 / 20
Standup Update: 'The server nginxwas configured to handle increased traffic.' Which sentence best captures the essence of this update in a stand-up meeting?
This question focuses on the 'be' passive for describing a configuration change. The phrase 'was configured' is concise and appropriate for a stand-up update where brevity is key. It avoids unnecessary detail and clearly states the action taken. The other options are more descriptive than necessary in this context.
15 / 20
API Response (Error): 'The application failed to connect to the external service.' Which sentence best explains this error message in a technical document?
This tests the correct use of 'get' passive to describe an action that resulted in failure. 'Was unable to connect' is a more natural phrasing than describing the state (e.g., 'failed'). The key difference here is that 'get' passive describes the *result* of something happening, while 'be' passive typically describes a state or condition. This highlights the nuance between the two forms.
16 / 20
Code Review Comment: 'The API endpoint /userswas unexpectedly returned with a 500 status code during testing. We're investigating.' Which sentence best reflects the intended meaning of this comment in a formal code review?
This scenario tests understanding of 'be' passive for reporting an event. The original sentence uses 'was' to describe a past state that has now been addressed. The incorrect options misrepresent the action or attempt to introduce unnecessary phrasing (like 'get'). Crucially, it avoids implying responsibility – the focus is on the *event* itself.
17 / 20
PR Description: 'The database schema update ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN last_login TIMESTAMP;has been deployed to the staging environment.' Which of the following options provides the most accurate and professional description for this change?
This item assesses the appropriate use of 'be' passive for describing a completed action within a technical context. The phrase 'has been deployed' is the standard and most formal way to communicate that an operation has finished in documentation or release notes. Options A and C are too vague, and option D uses less precise language.
18 / 20
Slack Message: 'The build process npm installgot stuck for over an hour. We've escalated to DevOps.' Which sentence best describes the situation in a concise and professional Slack message?
Here, 'get' passive is used to convey an undesirable outcome – the process was *affected* by something. 'Was stuck' implies a state of being that doesn't fit the technical context as well. The other options are overly verbose or focus on blame rather than describing the event. This tests understanding of 'get' passive for negative events.
19 / 20
Standup Update: 'The server nginxwas configured to handle increased traffic.' Which sentence best captures the essence of this update in a stand-up meeting?
This question focuses on the 'be' passive for describing a configuration change. The phrase 'was configured' is concise and appropriate for a stand-up update where brevity is key. It avoids unnecessary detail and clearly states the action taken. The other options are more descriptive than necessary in this context.
20 / 20
API Response (Error): 'The application failed to connect to the external service.' Which sentence best explains this error message in a technical document?
This tests the correct use of 'get' passive to describe an action that resulted in failure. 'Was unable to connect' is a more natural phrasing than describing the state (e.g., 'failed'). The key difference here is that 'get' passive describes the *result* of something happening, while 'be' passive typically describes a state or condition. This highlights the nuance between the two forms.
What will I practise in ""Get" Passive vs "Be" Passive in Technical English — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise choosing between the dynamic "get" passive (change of state, informal) and the neutral "be" passive (formal, permanent facts) in status updates
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 20 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.