Active & Passive Voice

Active Voice

Called active because the subject is active or doer of the action.

• Ex: Rama helps Hari.

Passive Voice

Called passive because the subject is not active but is acted upon.

The subject receives the action.

• Ex: Hari is helped by Rama.

How to identify Active Voice

• Verb

• Doer of the action

• Check position of doer of the sentence.

How to identify Passive Voice

Only transitive verbs (those that take objects) can be used in the passive voice.

• Ex: Active: She ate an apple.

• Passive: An apple was eaten by her.

Intransitive verbs (those that do not take objects) cannot be changed into the passive voice.

• Ex: She sleeps.

• No passive voice possible.

How to Form the Passive Voice

• Simple Present: V1

am/is/are + V3

Ex: She eats an apple daily.

An apple is eaten by her daily.

How to Form the Passive Voice

• Present Continuous: am/is/are + Ving

am/is/are + being + V3

• Ex: She is teaching students.

• The students are being taught by her.

How to Form the Passive Voice

• Present Perfect: has/have + V3

has/have + been + V3

Ex: She has taken medicine.

The medicine has been taken by her.

How to Form the Passive Voice

• Simple Past: V2

was/were + V3

• Ex: She wrote a letter.

• A letter was written by her.

How to Form the Passive Voice

• Past Continuous: was/were + Ving

was/were + being + V3

• She was playing cricket.

• Cricket was being played by her.

How to Form the Passive Voice

• Past Perfect: had + V3

had + been + V3

Ex: She had eaten lunch before I arrived.

Lunch had been eaten by her before I arrived.

How to Form the Passive Voice

• Future: will + V1

will + be + V3

• Ex: I will eat cookies tomorrow.

• The cookies will be eaten by me tomorrow.

Rule 1: Changing Voice with Modal Auxiliary Verb + Have

Structure:

• Active: Subject + modal verb + have + V3 + object

• Passive: Subject (object of active) + modal verb + have + been + V3 + by + subject (of active)

Ex: I must have done this.

This must have been done by me.

Rule 2: Changing Voice of Infinitives (to + verb)

Structure 1:

• Active: S + helping verb + infinitive ( to + V3 ) + O

• Passive: S + helping verb + to be + V3 + by + O

Ex: We have to finish the work.

The work has to be finished by us.

Rule 2: Changing Voice of Infinitives (to + verb)

Structure 2: (Sentences with “There”)

• Active: There + be verb + subject + infinitive

• Passive: There + be verb + subject + to be + V3

Ex: There is nothing to do.

There is nothing to be done.

Rule 2: Changing Voice of Infinitives (to + verb)

Structure 3: (Sentences with “It is time to”)

• Active: It + be verb + noun + infinitive + object

• Passive: It + be verb + noun + for + object +to be + V3

Ex: It is time to read books.

It is time for books to be read.

Rule 2: Changing Voice of Infinitives (to + verb)

Structure 4: (Verb + noun/Pronoun + infinitive)

• Active: S + Main Verb + noun/pronoun + infinitive + object

• Passive: S + Main Verb + O + to be + V3 + by + noun/pronoun

Ex: I want jack to write a letter.

I want a letter to be written by jack

Rule 3: Changing Voice of Sentences with “let”

Structure:

• Active: Let + indirect object + main verb + direct object

• Passive: Let + direct object + be + V3 + by + indirect object.

Ex: Let me finish my points

Let my points be finished (by me).

Ex: Let her draw a portrait

Let a portrait be drawn by her.

Rule 3: Changing Voice of Sentences with “let”

[ If there is no direct object ]

Structure:

• Active: Let + us + main verb (base form)

• Passive: It is suggested that + we should + main verb (base form)

Ex: Let us swim.

It is suggested that we should swim.