Table of Contents
Active and Passive Voice Rules with examples
In English, the verb represents that subject, whether an object or a person, of a sentence, has done something or something is done by the subject called the voice. A sentence that starts with the subject or the item to decide if the sentence was classified as dynamic or detached voice sentences.
What is the Voice of Verb?
- Active Voice
- Passive Voice
Passive Voice: When the activity communicated by the action word is gotten by the subject, it is a passive voice. Passive voice is utilized when the practitioner of the activity isn’t known and the focal point of the sentence is on the activity and not the subject.
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Active and Passive Voice Examples
| Active Voice Examples | Passive Voice Examples |
| Vishal sings a song | A song is sung by Vishal |
| Ravi reads a book | A book is read by Ravi |
| He writes a letter | A letter is written by him |
| She plays cricket | Cricket is played by her |
| He sells book | Books are sold by him |
| I have made some tea | Tea has been made by me |
Active Voice and Passive Voice Rules Chart
The rules for an active and passive voice for different types of tenses are given here, such as:
- Present simple tense
- Present continuos tense
- Present perfect tense
- Past simple tense
- Past continuous tense
- Past perfect tense
- Future simple tense
- Future perfect tense
But there are no passive voice formation for these tenses:
- Present Perfect Continuous Tense
- Past Perfect Continuous Tense
- Future Perfect Continuous Tense
- Future Continuous Tense
Present Simple Tense
| Active Voice | Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb – is/am/are) | Example |
| Subject + V1+s/es+ object | Object+ is/am/are+ V3+ by + subject | Active: He writes an essay Passive: An essay is written by him |
| Subject + Do/does+ not + V1 + Object | Object + is/am/are+ not + V3+ by Subject | |
| Does+ Subject+ V1+Object | Is/am/are + Object+ V3+ by subject |
Present Continuos Tense
| Active Voice | Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb- is/am/are + being) | Example |
| Subject + is/am/are+ v1+ ing + object | Object+ is/am/are+ being+ V3+ by + subject | Active: Sam is playing guitar Passive: The guitar is played by Sam |
| Subject + is/am/are+ not+ v1+ ing+ object | Object + is/am/are+ not + being+V3+ by Subject | |
| Is/am/are+ subject+v1+ing + object | Is/am/are + Object+ V3+ by subject |
Present Perfect Tense
| Active Voice | Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb- has/have +been) | Example |
| Subject + has/have+ v3+ object | Object+ has/have+ been+ V3+ by + subject | Active: Ram created this masterpiece Passive: The masterpiece is created by Ram |
| Subject + has/have+ not+ v3+ object | Object + has/have+ not + been+V3+ by Subject | |
| Has/have+ subject+ v3 + object | Has/Have + Object+ been+V3+ by subject |
Past Simple Tense
| Active Voice | Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb- was/were) | Example |
| Subject + V2+ object | Object+ was/were V3+ by + subject | Active: Rama paid the bills Passive: The bills were paid by Rama |
| Subject +did+ not+v1+ object | Object + was/were+ not +V3+ by Subject | |
| Did+ subject+V1+ object | Was/were + Object+ V3+ by subject |
Past Continuous Tense
| Active Voice | Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb- was/were + being) | Example |
| Subject + was/were + v1+ing+ object. | Object+ was/were +being+V3+ by + subject | Active: Asha was learning English Passive: English was being learned by Asha |
| Subject +was/were+ not+v1+ing + object | Object + was/were+ not +being+V3+ by Subject | |
| Was/were+ Subject + V1+ing + object | Was/were + Object+ being+v3+ by+ subject |
Past Perfect Tense
| Active Voice | Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb- had +been) | Example |
| Subject + had + v3+ object. | Object+ had+been +V3+ by + subject | Active: Hina won the match Passive: The match had been won by Hina |
| Subject +had+ not+v3+ object | Object + had+ not +been+V3+ by Subject | |
| Had+ Subject + V3+ object | Had + Object+ been+v3+ by+ subject |
Future Simple Tense
| Active Voice | Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb- will+ be) | Example |
| Subject + will+ v1+ object | Object+ will+ be +V3+ by + subject | Active: Manu will write a letter Passive: A letter will be written by Manu |
| Subject +will + not+ V1+object | Object + will+ not +be+V3+ by Subject | |
| Will+ Subject + V1+ object | Will + Object+ be +v3+ by+ subject |
Future Perfect Tense
| Active Voice | Passive Voice | Example |
| Subject + will+ have +v3+ object. | Object+ will+ have+ been +V3+ by + subject | Active: India will have won the match Passive: The match will have won by India |
| Subject + will+ have +not+v3+ object. | Object + will+ have +not+been+v3+ subject | |
| Will+ Subject+have+v3+ object | Will + object+have+been+v3+by +subject |
Noun and Pronoun for Active and Passive
See how the pronoun in active voice has to be converted into pronoun in passive voice with the help of this table.
| Active Voice Pronoun | Passive Voice Pronoun |
| I | Me |
| We | Us |
| He | Him |
| She | Her |
| They | Them |
| You | You |
| It | It |
Active to passive voice change exercise
Change the active sentences into passive sentences, If you think sentences cannot be changed then write “No change“
Questions :
- She writes a letter.
- They go to school every day.
- He doesn`t paint the wall.
- Why are you crying?
- Did the mechanic fix your car?
- You should do your homework.
- Don`t talk so loudly.
- They are painting their house.
- We have drunk milk tea.
- Will you watch TV tonight?
- I am not going to work today.
- He has been teaching English for ten years.
- When are you going to buy a car?
- Who taught you the active and passive sentences?
- She had cleaned the kitchen.
- We will have eaten dinner by the time you get there.
- People speak English in the USA.
- Would you rather learn English or French?
- You must not come late to class.
- She has to pass the test.
- He bought his son a book.
- Vishal teaches us every day.
- Who is your teacher?
- Who fights the coalition forces?
- Who have you invited to the party?
- I`ll build a hospital if I have a million dollars.
- If I had had a million dollars, I would have built a big mosque.
- We will be playing cricket at this time tomorrow.
- Aren’t they going to be building a house?
- It has been raining since yesterday.
- The explosion had killed many people.
- I have never been to Egypt.
- Have you been digging out the ground since morning?
- I will have written a poem by the time you call me.
- The heavy storm damaged a lot of crops in Mumbai.
- I was playing football yesterday.
- Could you help me, please?
- Who can answer my question?
- Will she have been watering the garden?
- Milad is helping me solving the active and passive voice exercise.
Answers:
- A letter is written by her.
- Not Change.
- The wall isn’t painted by him.
- Intransitive verb (Crying)
- Was your car fixed by the mechanic?
- Your homework should be done by you.
- Intransitive verb (talk)
- Their house is being painted.
- Milk tea has been drunk.
- Will TV be watched by you?
- Not change.
- English has been taught by him for ten years.
- When is a car going to be bought by you?
- By whom were you taught the active and passive sentences?
- The kitchen had been cleaned.
- Dinner will have been eaten by the time you get there.
- English is spoken in the USA.
- Would English or French rather be learned by you?
- You are ordered not to come late to class.
- The test has to be passed by her.
- His son was bought a book by him.
- We are taught every day by Vishal.
- No change.
- By whom were the coalition forces fought?
- Who has been invited to the party?
- A hospital will be built if I have a million dollars.
- If I had had a million dollars, a big mosque would have been built.
- Cricket will be played at this time tomorrow by us.
- Isn’t a house be going to be built by them?
- No change.
- Many people had been killed by the explosion.
- No change.
- No change.
- A poem will have been written by me by the time you call me.
- A lot of crops were damaged by the heavy rain in Mumbai.
- Football was being played yesterday by me.
- Could I be helped, please?
- By whom my answer can be answered?
- No change.
- I am being helped by Milad to solve the active and passive voice exercise.
Other Information
How to Use Passive Voice in Your Writing
While most writers use active voice, passive voice is still a popular style. It is a good choice for many reasons, from variety to clarity. Read on to learn about the pros and cons of using passive voice. It can also be useful for thesis statements, and it is an important writing skill to learn how to use effectively. Here are some tips to make passive sentences sound more interesting:(1) Omit the “by” phrase. This is a common sign of passive voice.
Examples of Active Voice Sentences
If you are a writer, you have probably encountered sentences in the Active Voice. This style uses the subject to perform an action, and the tone is clear and strong. Examples of active voice sentences are short and straightforward. The passive voice is used in cases when the verb itself is the action. The passive voice is often used when the action is a subject of the sentence, such as a person’s name or the actions of a character.
What is the Voice of Verb?
What is the Voice of Verb? refers to the way the subject and action relate in a sentence. In the active voice, the subject is doing something; in the passive voice, the person doing the action is being affected by the action. In either case, the subject would normally be the object of the verb. However, some verbs aren’t suitable for passive construction, and in those cases, the active voice is preferred.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My7XX_IzH4U
Frequently Asked Questions
Most frequent questions and answers
What is active voice? Give example.
When an activity performed by the subject is communicated by the action word, it is an active voice. Dynamic voice is utilized when more clear connection and lucidity are needed between the subject and the action word. For example, “Gita is playing badminton” is an active voice.
What is passive voice? Give example.
When the activity communicated by the action word is gotten by the subject, it is a passive voice. Passive voice is utilized when the practitioner of the activity isn’t known and the focal point of the sentence is on the activity and not the subject. For example, “Badminton is being played by Gita”.
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