There
are two ways to express an action of a subject in relation to its object
• Active voice
• Passive voice
In
“active voice” subject acts upon object, while in
“passive voice” object is acted upon by subject. It can also be said, in
“active voice” subject does a work on object, while in “passive voice” object
is worked on by subject. The normal structure of an active voice sentence is subject
+ verb + object but in passive the normal structure of sentence is reversed
according to certain rules and becomes like object + verb + subject. The real
meaning of a sentence does not change if the sentence is expressed either by active
voice or by passive voice. The active voice is mostly used in writing because
it gives a direct and more concise meaning. Passive voice is used sometimes due
to the following reasons.
When
intentionally hiding the subject of sentence. For example, a student who failed
in exam might say, some chapters were not studied.
Another example. Women were not treated as equals
Another example. Women were not treated as equals
When
passive voice better explain thought of sentence. For example, to say, cloth is
sold in yards, is more meaningful than to say, Shop keepers sell cloth in yards.
When
passive voice better emphasizes the main though of the sentence. For example, a
man who is being teased by another person might say in anger, “you will be
beaten by me” When subject is not exactly known. For example, His watch was
stolen. It is not known that who stole his watch, the subject (thief) is not
exactly known so it is better to use passive voice for such sentence. There are
certain rules for expressing a thought in passive voice or for changing a
sentence from active voice to passive voice.
Fundamental
Rules for changing from active voice to passive voice the places of subject and
object are interchanged i.e. the object shifts to the place of subject and
subject shifts to the place of object in passive voice.
Example.
Active voice: I write a letter.
Passive voice: a letter is written by me.
Subject (I) of sentence shifted to the place of object (letter) and object (letter) shifted to the place of subject (I) in passive voice.
Active voice: I write a letter.
Passive voice: a letter is written by me.
Subject (I) of sentence shifted to the place of object (letter) and object (letter) shifted to the place of subject (I) in passive voice.
Sometimes
subject of sentence is not used in passive voice. Subject of sentence can be
omitted in passive voice, if without subject it can give enough meaning in
passive voice.
Examples.
Passive voice: cloth is sold in yards
Passive voice: cloth is sold in yards
3rd
form of verb (past participle) is always used as main verb in sentences of
passive voice for all tenses. Base form of verb or present participle will be
never used in passive voice.
The word “by” is used before subject in sentences in passive voice.
The word “by” is used before subject in sentences in passive voice.
Example.
Active voice: He sings a song.
Passive voice: A song is sung by him.
Active voice: He sings a song.
Passive voice: A song is sung by him.
The
word “by” is not always used before subject in passive voice. Sometimes words
“with, to, etc” may also be used before subject in passive voice.
Examples.
Active voice: The water fills the tub.
Passive voice: The tub is filled with water.
Active voice: He knows me.
Passive voice: I am known to him.
Examples.
Active voice: The water fills the tub.
Passive voice: The tub is filled with water.
Active voice: He knows me.
Passive voice: I am known to him.
Auxiliary
verbs are used passive voice according to the tense of sentence.
Note: First 5 rules are usually same for all tenses in passive voice.
Note: First 5 rules are usually same for all tenses in passive voice.
Rule No.
6 is about the use of auxiliary verb in passive voice which differs for each
tense. The auxiliary verbs of passive voice are used according to tense of
sentence of its active voice form. The auxiliary verb for each tense is given
in the following table with explanation and examples. Click on the following
links.
PASSIVE VOICE FOR ALL TENSES RULES
The
places of subject and object in sentence are inter-changed in passive voice.
3rd
form of verb (past participle) will be used only (as main verb) in passive
voice.
Auxiliary
verbs for each tense are given below in the table.
Present
Simple Tense (passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: am/is/are |
|
Active
voice:
He sings a song. He does not sing a song.Does he sing a song? |
Passive
voice:
A song is sung by him. A song is not sung by him. Is a song sung by him? |
Present
Continuous Tense (passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: am being/is being/are being |
|
Active
voice:
I am writing a letter I am not writing a letter. Am I writing a letter? |
Passive
voice:
A letter is being written by me. A letter is not being written by me. Is a letter being written by me? |
Present
Perfect Tense (passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: has been/have been |
|
Active
voice:
She has finished his work She has not finished her work. Has she finished her work? |
Passive
voice:
Her work has been finished by her. Her work has not been finished by her. Has her work been finished by her? |
Past
Simple Tense (passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: was/were |
|
Active
voice:
I killed a snake I did not kill a snake. Did I kill a snake? |
Passive
voice:
A snake was killed by me. A snake was not killed by me. Was a snake killed by me? |
Past
Continuous Tense (Passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: was being/were being |
|
Active
voice:
He was driving a car. He was not driving a car. Was he driving a car? |
Passive
voice:
A car was being driven by him. A car was not being driven by him. Was a car being driven by him? |
Past
Perfect Tense (Passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: had been |
|
Active
voice:
They had completed the assignment. They had not completed the assignment. Had they completed the assignment? |
Passive
voice:
The assignment had been completed by them. The assignment had not been complete by them. Had the assignment been completed by them? |
Future
Simple Tense (Passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: will be |
||
Active
voice:
She will buy a car. She will not buy a car. Will she buy a car? |
Passive
voice:
A car will be bought by her. A car will not be bought by her. Will a car be bought by her? |
|
Future
Perfect Tense (passive Voice)
Auxiliary verb in passive voice: will have been |
||
Active
voice:
You will have started the job. You will have not started the job. Will you have started the job? |
Passive
voice:
The job will have been started by you. The job will not have been started by you. Will the job have been started by you? |
|
Note:
The following tenses cannot be changed into passive voice.
Present
perfect continuous tense
Past
perfect continuous tense
Future
continuous tense
Future
perfect continuous tense
Sentence
having Intransitive verbs
Fundamental Rules
The
places of subject and object in sentence are inter-changed in passive voice.
3rd
form of verb (past participle) will be used only (as main verb) in passive
voice.
Auxiliary
verbs for each tense are given below in the table.
Passive voice for Present/Future Modals
“CAN, MAY, MIGHT, SHOULD, MUST, OUGHT TO”
“CAN, MAY, MIGHT, SHOULD, MUST, OUGHT TO”
The
places of subject and object in sentence are inter-changed in passive voice.
3rd
form of verb (past participle) will be used only (as main verb) in passive
voice.
To
change sentences having present/future modal into passive voice, auxiliary verb
“be” is added after modal in sentence.
Passive
voice for Present/Future Modals
“CAN, MAY, MIGHT, SHOULD, MUST, OUGHT TO”
Auxiliary
verb in passive voice: be
|
||
Active
voice: CAN
She can play a violin. She cannot play a violin. Can she play a violin? |
|
|
Active
voice: MAY
I may buy the computer. I may not buy the computer. May I buy the computer? |
Active
voice: MAY BE
The computer may be bought by me. The computer may not be bought by me. May the computer be bought by me? |
|
Active
voice: MIGHT
Guests might play chess. Guests might not play chess. |
Active
voice: MIGHT BE
Chess might be played by guests. Chess might not be played guests. |
|
Active
voice: SHOULD
Students should study all lessons. Students should not study all lessons. Should students study all lessons? |
Active
voice: SHOULD BE
All lessons should be studied by students. All lessons should not be studied by students. Should all lessons be studied by students? |
|
Active
voice: MUST
You must learn the test-taking strategies. You must not learn the test-taking strategies. |
Active
voice: MUST BE
Test-taking strategies must be learnt by you. Test-taking strategies must not be learned by you. |
|
Active
voice: OUGHT TO
They ought to take the examination. |
Active
voice: OUGHT TO BE
The examination ought to be taken by them. |
|
Passive voice for Past Modals
“MAY HAVE, MIGHT HAVE, SHOULD HAVE, MUST HAVE, OUGHT TO HAVE”
The
places of subject and object in sentence are inter-changed in passive voice.
3rd
form of verb (past participle) will be used only (as main verb) in passive
voice.
To
change sentences having past modal into passive voice, auxiliary verb “been” is
added after modal in sentence.
Passive
voice for Present/Future Modals
“MAY HAVE, MIGHT HAVE, SHOULD HAVE, MUST HAVE, OUGHT HAVE TO”
Auxiliary
verb in passive voice: been
|
||
Active
voice: MAY HAVE
You may have availed the opportunity. You may not have availed the opportunity. |
|
|
Active
voice: MIGHT HAVE
He might have eaten meal. He might not have eaten meal. |
Active
voice: MIGHT HAVE BEEN
Meal might have been eaten by him. Meal might not have been eaten by him. |
|
Active
voice: SHOULD HAVE
You should have studied the book. You should not have studied the book. |
Active
voice: SHOULD HAVE BEEN
The book should have been studied by you. The book should have not been studied by you. |
|
Active
voice: MUST HAVE
He must have started job. He must not have started job. |
Active
voice: MUST HAVE BEEN
Job must have been started by you. Job must not have been started by you. |
|
Active
voice: OUGHT TO HAVE
You ought to have helped him. |
Active
voice: OUGHT TO HAVE BEEN
He ought to have been helped by you |
|
* Change
into passive voice
1. He sings a song.
………………………………………………………………………………
2. The boy killed the
spider.
………………………………………………………………………………
3. Help him.
………………………………………………………………………………
4. Farmers sow maize
in the rainy season.
………………………………………………………………………………
5. Are you writing a
letter?
………………………………………………………………………………
6. The workers were
digging a canal.
………………………………………………………………………………
7. I will finish the
job by the end of this week.
………………………………………………………………………………
8. Have you finished
your job?
………………………………………………………………………………
9. They have informed
him of his mother’s death.
………………………………………………………………………………
10. They took all the
necessary precautions.
………………………………………………………………………………
11. The
committee presented the report
……………………………………………………………………………
12. Karl watched the
scary movie alone.
………………………………………………………………………………
13. The burglar stole
the television in the house.
………………………………………………………………………………
14. I opened the
window in the study for some fresh air.
………………………………………………………………………………
15. The tornado
lifted the house into the air.
………………………………………………………………………………
16. Elizabeth wrote
the song as part of a holiday celebration.
………………………………………………………………………………
17. Philip and Daisy
selected the music for the dance.
………………………………………………………………………………
18. While eating
dinner, the family discussed the day’s events.
………………………………………………………………………………
19.
They teach three languages at school.
………………………………………………………………………………
20.I
bought the potatoes yesterday.
………………………………………………………………………………
21.They
sell milk in this shop.
………………………………………………………………………………
22.I
have translated the whole text.
………………………………………………………………………………
23.By
six o’clock they had finished the work.
………………………………………………………………………………
24.They
will show this film on TV.
………………………………………………………………………………
25.We
received his letter after his departure.
………………………………………………………………………………
26.The
dogs have never attacked the people here.
………………………………………………………………………………
27.She
had showed me the dress after I came home.
………………………………………………………………………………
28.The
doctor will prescribe the new medicine tomorrow.
………………………………………………………………………………
29.Bees
gather honey from flowers.
………………………………………………………………………………
30.They
broke the window last week.
………………………………………………………………………………
31.When
I came home they had eaten the sweets.
………………………………………………………………………………
32.We
shall do the work in the evening.
………………………………………………………………………………
33.Teachers
usually do corrections in red ink.
………………………………………………………………………………
34.They
haven’t brought my skates back yet.
………………………………………………………………………………
35.We
will insist on strict discipline.
………………………………………………………………………………
36.They
had switched the light before they came in.
………………………………………………………………………………
37.The
old man has just showed us the way out of the wood.
………………………………………………………………………………
38.The
storm drove the ship against the rock.
………………………………………………………………………………
·
Underline the best
option:
1.
The book was published/published in 2010.
2. My
parents will lend/will be lent me some money to
buy a new car.
3. It
is said /says that some sports involve serious
risks.
4.
Lots of workers have been made/have made
redundant as a result of the crisis.
5. My
father was bought/ bought me a CD.
6.
Fewer letters are written/write nowadays.
7.
The TV presenter has been made/has made lots of
mistakes today.
8.
Where are you being lived/are you living?
9. My
children are liked/like pasta.
10.
Emails are sent/send more and more.
* Say if the
sentences are Right or Wrong. Correct the mistakes.
1. It is believed that
he to be a millionaire.
……………………………………………………………………
2. My father is worked
in an office.
……………………………………………………………………
3. The actor’s contract
has been expired.
……………………………………………………………………
4. Pam got her nails do
yesterday.
……………………………………………………………………
5. Statistics predict
that the crisis get even worse next year.
……………………………………………………………………
6. Is lunch being
cooked by he?
……………………………………………………………………
7. Candy can’t be
teach. She never listens!
……………………………………………………………………
8. Will the children be
invited to the birthday party by she?
……………………………………………………………………
9. The actress was
thought to been frequently blackmail.
……………………………………………………………………
10. The members of the
club have to be elected the chairman.
…………………………………………………………………
·
Change the sentences from active to passive
& vice versa.
1. I
have had my hair cut.
……………………………………………………………………
2.
Politicians say that teachers don’t work hard.
……………………………………………………………………
3.
Peter has been given a promotion.
……………………………………………………………………
4.
It’s believed that there is life in the afterlife.
…………………………………………………………………….
5.
Will you send me a postcard from New York?
……………………………………………………………………
6.
Nothing is done to help the homeless.
……………………………………………………………………
7.
People think that unemployment is increasing.
……………………………………………………………………
8.
Popular TV series are broadcast on AXN.
……………………………………………………………………
9.
Something like that can’t be done.
……………………………………………………………………
10.
My husband was cooking dinner when someone knocked at the door.
……………………………………………………………………
* Put the verb in bracket in the correct
active/passive voice & tense.
1.
The watch ………………. I’ll take it to the watchmaker (break).
2.
Someone ……………… at you. Do you know him? (look)
3.
The stain on my coat ……………… (remove).
4.
The criminal ………………… (catch) yesterday.
5.
REM …………… a compilation album (release)
6. This castle ………………… in 1639 (build).
7.
Mary ……………… a nice birthday present (give).
8.
These laptops ……………… in China (make).
9.
The plane …………… (just/ land).
10.
Something strange ……………… to Susan this morning (happen).