Active and Passive Voice Notes

Active and Passive Voice – Explanation and Examples

1. What is Active Voice?

  • Definition: In active voice, the subject performs the action of the verb.

  • Structure: The general sentence structure of active voice is:

    • Subject + Verb + Object

  • Examples:

    • Ian Kiernan started a cleanup campaign.

    • Volunteers collected hundreds of tonnes of waste.

2. What is Passive Voice?

  • Definition: In passive voice, the action is performed on the subject by some other agent.

  • Structure: The general sentence structure of passive voice is:

    • Object + be (am/is/are/was/were) + Past Participle (+ by …)

  • Examples:

    • A cleanup campaign was started by Ian Kiernan.

    • Hundreds of tonnes of waste were collected by volunteers.

3. Active → Passive Voice Transformation

  • Process to change a sentence from active to passive:

    1. Move the object to the subject position.

    2. Change the verb to the correct form of "be" followed by the past participle.

    3. Add “by + subject” (this part is optional).

  • Examples from the Reading Text:

    • Active: Volunteers pick up garbage from beaches.

    • Passive: Garbage is picked up from beaches (by volunteers).

    • Active: Kiernan started a community event.

    • Passive: A community event was started by Kiernan.

    • Active: Companies need to take more responsibility.

    • Passive: More responsibility needs to be taken by companies.

4. Practice Activity

  • Objective: Change the following sentences from active to passive voice:

    1. People clean the environment every year.

    2. Volunteers collected plastic bottles yesterday.

    3. The organisation launched a global program.

    4. They recycle old mobile phones.

    5. Students will organise a cleanup event.

5. Answers

  • The passive transformations of the practice sentences are:

    1. The environment is cleaned every year.

    2. Plastic bottles were collected yesterday.

    3. A global program was launched (by the organisation).

    4. Old mobile phones are recycled.

    5. A cleanup event will be organised by students.