Active and Passive Voice

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

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.

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

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.

Example.
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.

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. 

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”

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?	Passive voice: CAN BE A violin can be played by her. A violin cannot be played by her. Can a violin be played by her?
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: MAY HAVE BEEN The opportunity may have been availed by you. The opportunity may not have been availed by you.
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.

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20.I bought the potatoes yesterday.

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21.They sell milk in this shop.

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22.I have translated the whole text.

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23.By six o’clock they had finished the work.

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24.They will show this film on TV.

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25.We received his letter after his departure.

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26.The dogs have never attacked the people here.

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27.She had showed me the dress after I came home.

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28.The doctor will prescribe the new medicine tomorrow.

………………………………………………………………………………

29.Bees gather honey from flowers.

………………………………………………………………………………

30.They broke the window last week.

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31.When I came home they had eaten the sweets.

………………………………………………………………………………

32.We shall do the work in the evening.

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33.Teachers usually do corrections in red ink.

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34.They haven’t brought my skates back yet.

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35.We will insist on strict discipline.

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36.They had switched the light before they came in.

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37.The old man has just showed us the way out of the wood.

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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.

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3. The actor’s contract has been expired.

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4. Pam got her nails do yesterday.

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5. Statistics predict that the crisis get even worse next year.

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6. Is lunch being cooked by he?

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7. Candy can’t be teach. She never listens!

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8. Will the children be invited to the birthday party by she?

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9. The actress was thought to been frequently blackmail.

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10. The members of the club have to be elected the chairman.

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·        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.

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3. Peter has been given a promotion.

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4. It’s believed that there is life in the afterlife.

…………………………………………………………………….

5. Will you send me a postcard from New York?

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6. Nothing is done to help the homeless.

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7. People think that unemployment is increasing.

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8. Popular TV series are broadcast on AXN.

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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).