Active voice
Pasive voice
Use the verb "be" for the Pasive voice
First move the object in the active voice to the subject position. Use the appropriate ‘be’ verb
(is/am/are/was/were/has been/have been/shall be/will be)
How to form passive forms of verbs?
Changes of Pronuns:
Rules for changing Active Voice into Passive Voice:
Imperative Sentence :
If the given sentence in the active voice is in the imperative, to get the passive voice use ‘Let’. Hence
Passive Voice = Let + Object + be + Past Participle
If a sentence contains two objects namely Indirect Object and Direct Object in the Active Voice, two forms of Passive Voice can be formed.
The passive construction is quite common in scientific / technical / business writing. In these types of objective writing the emphasis is usually on the action or process or thing that is described. So the ‘by’ phrase is generally omitted in these writings. It is called Impersonal Passive.They say that might is right.
How to form passive forms of verbs?
When using the active voice, the subjects are the ones performing the action.
God loves all men.
Birds build nests.
Dog eats bones.
Birds build nests.
Dog eats bones.
In these three sentences the subject does the action. Hence they are in the active avoice.
Pasive voice
In the passive voice, the verb takes an object.
All men are loved by God.
Nests are built by birds.
Bones are eaten by dog.
Nests are built by birds.
Bones are eaten by dog.
These sentences are in passive voice. The Passive voice is used in English
(a) To stress the action done rather than the doer of the action
(b) If the doer is unknown
(c) When it is more convenient.
(b) If the doer is unknown
(c) When it is more convenient.
Use the verb "be" for the Pasive voice
(is/am/are/was/were/has been/have been/shall be/will be)
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| Columbus discovered America. | America was discovered by Columbus |
| Who did this work? | By whom was this work done? |
| Open the window | Let the window be opened |
| He is writing a letter | A letter is being written by him |
| The work will be finished by me | I will finish the work |
| Somebody cleaned the room yesterday | The room was cleaned yesterday. |
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present Tense | go, goes | is gone (Singular) are gone (Plural) |
| Past Tense | went | was went (Singular) were went (Plural) |
| Future Tense | will / can / may / must => go | will / can etc. => be gone |
| Present Continuous Tense | am going is going | is being going (Singular) are being going (Plural) |
| Past Continuous Tense | are going was going were eating | was being gone (Singular) were being gone (Plural) |
| Future Continuous Tense | will be going shall be going | No Passive Voice |
| Present Perfect Tense | have gone has gone | have been gone (Plural) has been gone (Singular) |
| Past Perfect Tense | had gone | had been gone |
| Future Perfect Tense | shall have gone will have gone | will have been gone |
| Present Perfect Continuous Tense | has been going have been going | No Passive Voice |
| Past Perfect Continuous Tense | had been going | No Passive Voice |
| Future Perfect Continuous Tense | shall have been going will have been going | No Passive Voice |
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I | me |
| we | us |
| you | you |
| he | him |
| she | her |
| it | it |
| they | them |
- Identify the subject, the verb and the object: SVO
- Change the object into subject
- Put the suitable helping verb or auxiliary verb. In case helping verb is given, use the same. But note that the helping verb given agrees with the object.
- Change the verb into past participle of the verb.
- Add the preposition "by"
- Change the subject into object.
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I write a letter | A letter is written by me |
| We must keep the rule | The rule must be kept by us |
| You have bought a book | A book has been bought by you |
| He closed the window | The window was closed by him |
| She was writing letters | Letters were being written by her |
| I had posted a letter | A letter had been posted by me |
| I do not drink tea | Tea is not drunk by me |
| She does not eat a mango | A mango is not eaten by her |
| He will have finished his work | The work will have been finished by him |
| They are digging a well | A well is being dug by them |
If the given sentence in the active voice is in the imperative, to get the passive voice use ‘Let’. Hence
Passive Voice = Let + Object + be + Past Participle
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| Help me | Let me be helped |
| Sing a song | Let a song be sing |
| Open the door | Let the door be opened |
| Don’t eat this fruit | Let not this fruit be eaten |
Questions in the Passive :
If the question in the Active Voice begins with a Helping verb the Passive voice must also begin with a suitable helping verb. Supposing the question begins with ‘Wh or How’ form (what, when, how ...) the Passive Voice must begin with the same.
If the question in the Active Voice begins with a Helping verb the Passive voice must also begin with a suitable helping verb. Supposing the question begins with ‘Wh or How’ form (what, when, how ...) the Passive Voice must begin with the same.
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| Are you writing a letter? | Is a letter being written by you? |
| Is she beating the child? | Is the child beaten by her? |
| Will you accept the position? | Will the position be accepted by you? |
| Who broke the window? | By whom was the window broken? |
| Why did you write such a letter? | Why was such a letter written by you? |
| Where can you hide this box? | Where can this box be hidden by you? |
- She brought me a cup of coffee. (AV)
I was brought a cup of coffee by her. (PV) (or)
A cup of coffee was brought [to] me by her. (PV) - The teacher teaches us grammar. (AV)
We are taught grammar by the teacher. (PV) (or)
Grammar is taught [to] us by the teacher. (PV) - They made him king. (AV)
He was made king by them. (PV)
- I want to shoot the tiger. (AV)
I want the tiger to be shoot. (PV) - I remember my father taking me to the theatre. (AV)
I remember being taken to the theatre by my father. (PV) - While changing Passive Voice into Active Voice, we must keep in mind all the rules of the Active Voice in the reverse order. We come across sentences in the Passive Voice without subject or agent. In this case, supply the appropriate subject.
- 1. is, was ,are, were, am + past participle
- 2. be + past participle
- 3. being + past participle
- 4. been + past participle
- 5. Let ...be + past participle
| Passive Voice | Active Voice |
|---|---|
| The thief was finally arrested | The police finally arrested the thief |
| We were taught grammar | The teacher taught us grammar |
| My purse has been stolen | Somebody has stolen my purse |
| The patients were looked after | The doctor looked after the patients |
- Last year, the Green-India scheme was announced by the Government.
- Rare plants are found in Silent Valley.
The passive construction is quite common in scientific / technical / business writing. In these types of objective writing the emphasis is usually on the action or process or thing that is described. So the ‘by’ phrase is generally omitted in these writings. It is called Impersonal Passive.They say that might is right.
- It is said that might is right.
- One finds mosquitoes everywhere.
Mosquitoes are found everywhere. - He gave us a cheque.
A cheque was given to us.
How to form passive forms of verbs?
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