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Active and Passive Voice.
What
is Voice?
Voice shows whether the subject performs the action or receives
the action.
- Active Voice:
The subject does the action.
- Example: Ali writes a letter.
- Passive Voice:
The subject receives the action.
- Example: A letter is written by Ali.
Formula
Active
Voice
Subject + Verb + Object
Example:
- Sara cleans the room.
Passive
Voice
Object + Helping Verb + Past
Participle (V3) + by + Subject
Example:
- The room is cleaned by Sara.
Rules for Changing Active to Passive
- The object of the active sentence becomes the subject
of the passive sentence.
- Use the correct helping verb according to the
tense.
- Change the main verb into its Past Participle (V3).
- The subject comes after by (if necessary).
- If there is no object, the sentence usually
cannot be changed into passive.
Example:
- Active: The teacher teaches English.
- Passive: English is taught by the teacher.
Tense-wise Rules
|
Tense |
Active Voice |
Passive Voice |
|
Present Simple |
writes |
is/am/are + V3 |
|
Present Continuous |
is writing |
is/am/are being + V3 |
|
Present Perfect |
has written |
has/have been + V3 |
|
Past Simple |
wrote |
was/were + V3 |
|
Past Continuous |
was writing |
was/were being + V3 |
|
Past Perfect |
had written |
had been + V3 |
|
Future Simple |
will write |
will be + V3 |
|
Future Perfect |
will have written |
will have been + V3 |
|
Modal Verbs |
can write |
can be + V3 |
Examples
Present
Simple
Active:
- He eats an apple.
Passive:
- An apple is eaten by him.
Present
Continuous
Active:
- She is washing the clothes.
Passive:
- The clothes are being washed by her.
Present
Perfect
Active:
- They have finished the work.
Passive:
- The work has been finished by them.
Past
Simple
Active:
- Ahmed wrote a letter.
Passive:
- A letter was written by Ahmed.
Past
Continuous
Active:
- She was reading a book.
Passive:
- A book was being read by her.
Past
Perfect
Active:
- They had completed the project.
Passive:
- The project had been completed by them.
Future
Simple
Active:
- I will buy a car.
Passive:
- A car will be bought by me.
Future
Perfect
Active:
- She will have completed the work.
Passive:
- The work will have been completed by her.
Modal
Verbs
Active:
- You can solve the problem.
Passive:
- The problem can be solved by you.
Pronoun Changes
|
Active |
Passive |
|
I |
me |
|
We |
us |
|
You |
you |
|
He |
him |
|
She |
her |
|
They |
them |
|
It |
it |
Example:
- I wrote the letter.
- The letter was written by me.
Imperative Sentences
Active:
- Open the door.
Passive:
- Let the door be opened.
Active:
- Finish the work.
Passive:
- Let the work be finished.
Interrogative Sentences
Active:
- Did Ali write the letter?
Passive:
- Was the letter written by Ali?
Active:
- Is she cooking food?
Passive:
- Is the food being cooked by her?
Negative Sentences
Active:
- He does not play cricket.
Passive:
- Cricket is not played by him.
Sentences That Cannot Be Changed into Passive
These usually have no object:
- He sleeps.
- Birds fly.
- The baby cried.
- She laughed.
Common Verb Forms (V1 – V2 – V3)
|
V1 |
V2 |
V3 |
|
Write |
Wrote |
Written |
|
Eat |
Ate |
Eaten |
|
See |
Saw |
Seen |
|
Make |
Made |
Made |
|
Do |
Did |
Done |
|
Go |
Went |
Gone |
|
Buy |
Bought |
Bought |
|
Read |
Read |
Read |
|
Take |
Took |
Taken |
|
Give |
Gave |
Given |
|
Speak |
Spoke |
Spoken |
|
Drive |
Drove |
Driven |
|
Choose |
Chose |
Chosen |
|
Break |
Broke |
Broken |
|
Build |
Built |
Built |
Exam Tips
- Identify the object first.
- Use the correct helping verb according to the
tense.
- Always use the Past Participle (V3) in passive
voice.
- Use by + subject only when it is important to
mention who performed the action.
- Practice identifying the tense before changing the
sentence.
These notes cover the essential
Active and Passive Voice rules commonly taught at the 1st Year Commerce
level and are useful for exams.
