VOICE : ACTIVE VOICE and PASSIVE VOICE

 !! What is Active and Passive Voice !!

A. Definition :

Active Voice: In active voice, the subject performs the action of the verb.

Example: Ravi (subject) sings (verb) a song (object).

Passive Voice: In passive voice, the object of the action becomes the subject of the sentence, and the subject either becomes the agent or is omitted if it's not necessary to mention.

Example: A song (subject) is sung (verb) by Ravi (agent).

B. Steps to Convert Active Voice to Passive Voice :

1. Identify the Subject, Verb, and Object: In the active sentence, the subject performs the action on the object.

2. Interchange Subject and object : The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

And subject of the active voice becomes the object of the passive voice .

Use " by before the new object ".

Here is the list of Pronoun's subjective and objective cases for conversion :

3. Change the main Verb: Always use past participle form (V3) of the main verb.

4. Change Helping Verb (Tense) : 

For Assertive and Interrogative sentences, Helping verb will convert according to the following list -

Active    ~      Passive

(Any)Indefinite ~ Continuous 

          Continuous ~  + being

          Perfect ~ Perfect Continuous 

          Perfect continuous ~ No change 

5. Syntax of sentence will remain same :

Syntax of passive voice will remain same as of the active voice. i.e. 

If Active voice is in interrogative then passive voice will also be in interrogative.

Here is list of syntax -

Affirmative (Positive) Sentence

 Subject + HV + MV + Object + Other + .

Negative Sentence

Sub+ HV + not + MV + Object + Other +.

Interrogative Sentence

Type 1 : HV + Sub + not(if) + MV + Object + other + ?

Type 2 : Question Word + HV + Sub + not(if) + MV +object + other + ?

*NOTE - If HV is more then one words (eg.will have been) then only one word will come forward and rest the words will remain after the subject.

C. Rules for Converting Active Voice to Passive Voice (Tense-wise)

a. Present Tense

1. Simple Present Tense

Active: Subject + V1 + object.

Passive: Object + is/am/are + V3 + by + subject.

Example:

Active: She writes a letter.

Passive: A letter is written by her.

2. Present Continuous Tense

Active: Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + object.

Passive: Object + is/am/are + being + V3 + by + subject.

Example:

Active: He is eating an apple.

Passive: An apple is being eaten by him.

3. Present Perfect Tense

Active: Subject + has/have + V3 + object.

Passive: Object + has/have + been + V3 + by + subject.

Example:

Active: They have completed the task.

Passive: The task has been completed by them.

b. Past Tense

1. Simple Past Tense

Active: Subject + V2 + object.

Passive: Object + was/were + V3 + by + subject.

Example:

Active: The police caught the thief.

Passive: The thief was caught by the police.

2. Past Continuous Tense

Active: Subject + was/were + V1 + ing + object.

Passive: Object + was/were + being + V3 + by + subject.

Example:

Active: She was reading a book.

Passive: A book was being read by her.

3. Past Perfect Tense

Active: Subject + had + V3 + object.

Passive: Object + had + been + V3 + by + subject.

Example:

Active: He had completed the project.

Passive: The project had been completed by him.

c. Future Tense

1. Simple Future Tense

Active: Subject + will/shall + V1 + object.

Passive: Object + will/shall + be + V3 + by + subject.

Example:

Active: She will write a novel.

Passive: A novel will be written by her.

2.  Future continuous Tense

Active: Subject + will /shall + (*not) + be + V ing + object.

Passive: Object + will/shall + *not + being + V3 + by + subject .

Example:

Active: She will not be  writing a novel.

Passive: A novel will not being written by her.

3. Future Perfect Tense

Active: Subject + will/shall + have + V3 + object

Passive: Object + will/shall + have + been + V3 + by + subject.

Example:

Active: They will have finished the task.

Passive: The task will have been finished by them.

D. Conversion of Interrogative Sentences

Interrogative sentences can be divided into two types: Yes/No questions and Wh-questions.

i. Yes/No Questions

1. Present Simple

Active: Do/Does + subject + V1 + object?

Passive: Is/Am/Are + object + V3 + by + subject

Example:

Active: Does he eat apples

Passive: Are apples eaten by him?

2. Past Simple

Active: Did + subject + V1 + object?

Passive: Was/Were + object + V3 + by + subject?

Example:

Active: Did they complete the task?

Passive: Was the task completed by them?

3. Present Continuous

Active: Is/Am/Are + subject + V1 + ing + object?

Passive: Is/Am/Are + object + being + V3 + by + subject?

Example

Active: Is he cleaning the room?

Passive: Is the room being cleaned by him?

ii. Wh-questions

1. Who: When the question starts with "who" (the subject), it becomes "by whom" in the passive voice

Active: Who + V1 + object ?

Passive: By whom + is/am/are/was/were + object + V3 ?

Example:

Active: Who wrote the letter?

Passive: By whom was the letter written?

2. What/Which: These words become the subject of the passive sentence.

Active: What/Which + do/does/did + subject + V1?

Passive: What/Which + is/am/are/was/were + V3 + by + subject?

Example:

Active: What did he paint?

Passive: What was painted by him?

3. When/Where/Why: The structure remains the same, but the sentence is converted as usual from active to passive.

Active: Where did she keep the keys?

Passive: Where were the keys kept by her?

E. Conversion of Modals

Active: Subject + modal (can, may, must, etc.) + V1 + object.

Passive: Object + modal + be + V3 + by + subject.

Example:

Active: She can solve the problem.

Passive: The problem can be solved by her.

F. Imperative Sentences (Commands and Requests)

1. Commands:

Active: Verb (base form) + object.

Passive: Let + object + be + V3.

Example

Active: Close the door.

Passive: Let the door be closed.

2. Requests

Active: Please + verb + object.

Passive: You are requested to + V1 + object.

Example:

Active: Please help me.

Passive: You are requested to help me.

G. Conversion of Exclamatory Sentences:

Exclamatory sentences can be converted to passive voice with some rephrasing.

Active: What a beautiful painting she created!

Passive: What a beautiful painting was created by her!

H. Conversion of Optative Sentences:

Optative sentences express a wish, hope, or prayer, and they can be converted into passive voice when possible, although the agent is often omitted in such cases.

Active: May God bless you!

Passive: May you be blessed by God!

I. Important Points to Remember

Only transitive verbs (those that take an object) can be converted into passive voice.

Modals (can, may, must, etc.) are followed by "be" in the passive voice.

Exercise 

Active to Passive Voice: Solved Examples

1. Active: She writes a letter.

Passive: A letter is written by her.

(Simple Present Tense)

2. Active: They are painting the house.

Passive: The house is being painted by them.

(Present Continuous Tense)

3. Active: He has completed the assignment.

Passive: The assignment has been completed by him.

(Present Perfect Tense)

4. Active: The teacher praised the student.

Passive: The student was praised by the teacher.

(Simple Past Tense)

5. Active: She was washing the clothes.

Passive: The clothes were being washed by her.

(Past Continuous Tense)

6. Active: They had cleaned the room.

Passive: The room had been cleaned by them.

(Past Perfect Tense)

7. Active: She will write the report.

Passive: The report will be written by her.

(Simple Future Tense)

8. Active: They will have finished the project by tomorrow.

Passive: The project will have been finished by tomorrow by them.

(Future Perfect Tense)

9. Active: The chef can cook the meal.

Passive: The meal can be cooked by the chef.

(Modal Verb - Can)

10. Active: She should complete the work.

Passive: The work should be completed by her.

(Modal Verb - Should)

11. Active: Does he read the book?

Passive: Is the book read by him?

(Interrogative - Simple Present)

12. Active: Did they finish the task?

Passive: Was the task finished by them?

(Interrogative - Simple Past)

13. Active: Who opened the door?

Passive: By whom was the door opened?

(Wh-question - Who)

14. Active: Why did she cancel the meeting?

Passive: Why was the meeting cancelled by her?

(Wh-question - Why)

15. Active: Where did they keep the files?

Passive: Where were the files kept by them?

(Wh-question - Where)

16. Active: Please close the door.

Passive: You are requested to close the door.

(Request - Imperative)

17. Active: Shut the windows.

Passive: Let the windows be shut.

(Command - Imperative)

18. Active: May God bless you!

Passive: May you be blessed by God!

(Optative Sentence)

19. Active: What a wonderful book she wrote!

Passive: What a wonderful book was written by her!

(Exclamatory Sentence)

20. Active: People speak English all over the world.

Passive: English is spoken all over the world.

(General Statement)**

Passive to Active Voice : Solved Examples

1. Passive: The letter was written by him.

Active: He wrote the letter.

(Simple Past Tense)

2. Passive: The cake is being baked by her.

Active: She is baking the cake.

(Present Continuous Tense)

3. Passive: The homework has been completed by them.

Active: They have completed the homework.

(Present Perfect Tense)

4. Passive: The project will be completed by the team.

Active: The team will complete the project.

(Simple Future Tense)

5. Passive: The room was cleaned by John.

Active: John cleaned the room.

(Simple Past Tense)

6. Passive: The job must be finished by tomorrow.

Active: They must finish the job by tomorrow.

(Modal Verb - Must)

7. Passive: A letter is written by her.

Active: She writes a letter.

(Simple Present Tense)

8. Passive: The car was being repaired by the mechanic.

Active: The mechanic was repairing the car.

(Past Continuous Tense)

9. Passive: The documents have been sent by her.

Active: She has sent the documents.

(Present Perfect Tense)

10. Passive: Is the song sung by him?

Active: Does he sing the song?

(Interrogative - Simple Present)

Here’s a list of active-passive voice questions from previous UP Board exams, including imperative, exclamatory, optative, and modal sentences. 

Try to solve it : 

Active-Passive Voice Questions:

Assertive Sentences:

1. Active: She is reading a book.

2. Active: The teacher praised the boy.

3. Active: They will finish the work by tomorrow.

4. Active: He has completed the homework.

5. Active: The government built the bridge in 2010.

Interrogative Sentences:

6. Active: Who broke the window?

7. Active: Did they buy a new car?

Imperative Sentences:

8. Active: Please close the door.

9. Active: Do not waste your time.

10. Active: Finish the assignment quickly.

Exclamatory Sentences:

11. Active: What a beautiful painting she has made!

12. Active: How wonderful the performance was!

Optative Sentences:

13. Active: May God bless you with success.

14. Active: Wish you a happy journey!

Modals:

15. Active: He can solve this problem.

16. Active: You should follow the rules.

17. Active: They must complete the project by next week.

Match your answers :

Answers (Passive Voice):

Declarative Sentences:

1. Passive: A book is being read by her.

2. Passive: The boy was praised by the teacher.

3. Passive: The work will be finished by tomorrow by them.

4. Passive: The homework has been completed by him.

5. Passive: The bridge was built by the government in 2010.

Interrogative Sentences:

6. Passive: By whom was the window broken?

7. Passive: Was a new car bought by them?

Imperative Sentences:

8. Passive: Let the door be closed.

9. Passive: Let not your time be wasted.

10. Passive: Let the assignment be finished quickly.

Exclamatory Sentences:

11. Passive: What a beautiful painting has been made by her!

12. Passive: How wonderful the performance was made by them!

Optative Sentences:

13. Passive: May you be blessed with success by God.

14. Passive: May you be wished a happy journey!

Modals:

15. Passive: This problem can be solved by him.

16. Passive: The rules should be followed by you.

17. Passive: The project must be completed by next week by them