ACTIVE-PASSIVE VOICE FOR ALL CLASSES

 

Image Sourc: Shutterstock

1.       Compare:

 

(a)     Rama helps Hari.

(b)     Hari is helped by Rama.

 

It will be seen that these two sentences express the same meaning.  But, in sentence (a) form of the verb shows that Rama (Sub) does something.  In sentence (b), form of the verb shows that something is done to Hari (Obj).

 

The verb helped is said to be in Passive Voice. It is very important to note that Active Voice is nothing but a Tense.

 

2.  Some mixed sentences at a glance:-                           

Sl. No.	Active Voice	Passive Voice
(a)	Sita loves Savitri.	Savitri is loved by Sita.
(b)	The mason is building the wall.	The wall is being built by the mason.
(c)	The peon opened the gate.	The gate was opened by the peon.
(d)	Some boys were helping the wounded man.	The wounded man was being helped by some boys.
(e)	He will finish the work in a fortnight.	The work will be finished by him in  a fortnight.
(f)	Who did this?	By whom was this done?
(g)	Why did your brother write such a letter?	Why was such a letter written by your brother?

 

Tense		Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Cont.
Present	AV	I study books.	I am studying books.	I have studied books.	I have been studying books since morning.
	PV	Books are studied by me.	Books are being studied by me.	Books have been studied by me.	--
Past	AV	I studied books.	I was studying books.	I had studied books.	I had been studying books since morning.
	PV	Books were studied by me.	Books were being studied by me.	Books had been studied by me.	--
Future	AV	I shall study books.	I shall be studying books.	I shall have studied books.	I shall have been studying books.
	PV	Books shall be studied by me.	--	Books shall have been studied by me.	--

 

3.       How to change voice?

          

         AV:    He                                   declared               the result of lottery.

                  (Sub)                               (Verb)                   (Obj)

        PV:     The result of lottery        was declared         by him.

          (Obj)                               (HV + V3)             (Sub)

 

4.       We are very well aware that there are 12 types of tenses.  Active Voice is nothing but actually it is tense.  While converting from Active Voice to Passive Voice, only 08 tenses can be converted into Passive Voice.

 

 

Tense-Wise Study of the Voices.

        5.      Present Indefinite Tense.

          Rules:         Affirmative Sentences

AV:    Sub + V₁ + Obj

          PV:    Obj + HV (Is/am/are) + V₃ + By + Sub

 

          AV:     Meenu writes a letter.

          PV:     A letter is written by Meenu.

          AV:     Sachin takes exercise daily.

          PV:     Exercise is taken daily by Sachin.

          AV:      He makes chairs for the school students.

          PV:     Chairs for the school students are made by him.

          AV:      I love my children.

          PV:     My children are loved by me.

          AV:     The clock tells time.

          PV:     Time is told by the clock.

 

                   In Active Voice              In Passive Voice

                    I                                     Me

                   We                                  Us

                   You                                 You

                   He                                   Him

                   She                                 Her

                   They                               Them

                   It                                     It

                   Who                                Whom

 

          Rules:         Interrogative Sentences

AV:    HV (do/does) + Sub + V₁ + Obj?

         PV:    HV (Is/am/are) + Obj + V₃ + By + Sub?

 

AV:    Do I disturb you?

PV:    Are you disturbed by me?

AV:    Do you look after your mother?

PV:    Is your mother looked after by you?

AV:    Do we cheat you?

PV:    Are you cheated by us?

AV:    Does this cow give milk?

PV:    Is milk given by this cow?

AV:    Does Ravi trouble his father?

AV:    Is his father troubled by Ravi?    Or

Is Ravi’s father troubled by him?

 

*    If the Interrogative sentence starts with ‘who’, the formula to change AV to PV 

PV:    By whom + HV (is/am/are) + Obj + V₃?

 

AV:    Who beats your son?

PV:    By whom is your son beaten?

AV:    Who teaches you English?

PV:    By whom are you taught English?      Or

By whom is English taught to you?

AV:    Who knocks at the door?

PV:    By whom is the door knocked at?

AV:    Who disturbs you in your work?

PV:    By whom are you disturbed in your work?

 

Rules:  Negative Sentences

AV:    Sub + HV (do/does) +not + V₁ + Obj?

          PV:    Obj+ HV (Is/am/are) + not + V₃ + By + Sub?

 

AV:    He does not pay his fees in cash.

PV:    His fees is not paid in cash by him.

AV:    We don’t cut trees.

PV:    Trees are not cut by us.

AV:    Akbar does not provide music to any film now.

PV:    Music is not provided to any film now by Akbar.

 

6.       Present Continuous Tense.

          Rules:         Affirmative Sentences

AV:    Sub + HV (is/am/are) + V₁ +ing + Obj.

          PV:    Obj + HV (is/am/are) + being + V₃ + By + Sub.

 

          AV:      Sachin is reading a book.

          PV:      A book is being read by Sachin.

          AV:      Sohan is painting a picture.  

          PV:      A picture is being painted by Sohan.

          AV:      Mr Bhatia is delivering a letter. 

          PV:      A letter is being delivered by Mr Bhatia.

          AV:      She is writing a letter.

PV:      A letter is being written by her.

AV:      They are making arrangement for the function.  

PV:      Arrangements for the function are being are being made by them.

 

Rules:         Interrogative Sentences

AV:    HV (is/am/are) + Sub + V₁ + ing + Obj?

          PV:    HV (is/am/are) + Obj + being + V₃ + By + Sub?

 

AV:    Is he disturbing you in your work?  

PV:    Are you being disturbed by him in your work?

AV:    Are you making arrangement for the function?  

PV:    Are arrangements for the function being made by you?

AV:    Are you painting a picture?  

PV:    Is a picture being painted by you?

AV:    Is Shalini asking unnecessary questions?

PV:    Are unnecessary questions being asked by Shalini?

 

*    If the Interrogative sentence starts with ‘who’, the formula to change AV to PV 

 

PV:    By whom + HV (is/am/are) + obj + being + V₃?

 

AV:     Who is knocking at the door?  

PV:     By whom is the door being knocked at?

AV:     Who is abusing you?  

PV:     By whom are you being abused?

 

          Rules:        Negative Sentences

          AV:    Sub + HV (is/am/are) + not + V₁ + ing + obj.

          PV:    Obj + HV (is/am/are) + not + being + V₃ + by + Sub.

 

          AV:     We are not plucking flowers.

          PV:     Flowers are not being plucked by us.

          AV:     You are not speaking the truth.

          PV:     The truth is not being spoken by you.

          AV:     The students are not learning the lessons.

          PV:     The lessons are not being learnt by the students.

          AV:     I am not wasting my time.

          PV:     My time is not being wasted by me.

 

7.       Present Perfect Tense.

Rules:         Affirmative

AV:    Sub + HV (has/have) + V₃ + Obj

PV:    Obj + HV (Ha/have) + been + V₃ + by + Sub

 

AV:     Meenakshi has finished her work.

PV:     Her work has been finished by Meenakshi.

         AV:      We have invited our neighbour.

PV:     Our neighbor has been invited by us.

AV:      I have already approached the Minister.

PV:     The Minister has already been approached by me.

 

AV:     He has put me in trouble.

PV:     I have been put in trouble by him.

 

Rules:         Interrogative Sentences

AV:    HV (Has/have) + Sub + V₃ + Obj?

PV:    HV (Has/have) + Obj + been + V₃ + By + Sub?

 

AV:     Has he finished his work?

PV:     Has his work been finished by him?

 

AV:     Has Sachin written a letter?

PV:     Has a letter been written by Sachin?

 

AV:     Have you approached the Minister?

PV:     Has the Minister been approached by you?

 

*  If the Interrogative sentence starts with ‘who’, the formula to change AV to PV is

PV:    By whom + HV (has/have) + obj + been + V₃?

 

AV:    Who has disturbed you?

PV:    By whom have you been disturbed?

 

AV:    Who has killed the bird?

PV:    By whom has the bird been killed?

 

AV:    Who has torn this book?

          PV:   By whom has this book been torn?

          AV:    Who has cut this tree?

          PV:   By whom has this been cut?

  

8.       Past Indefinite (Simple Past) Tense.

Rules:         Affirmative Sentences

AV:    Sub + V₂ + Obj

PV:    Obj + HV (was/were) + V₃ + By + Sub

 

AV:    Mohan wrote a letter.

PV:    A letter was written by Mohan.

 

AV:    Madhu sang a song.

PV:    A song was sung by Madhu.

 

AV:    He kept his word.

PV:    His word was kept by him.

 

Rules:         Interrogative Sentences

AV:    Did + Sub + V₁ + Obj?

PV:    HV (Was/were) + Obj + V₃ + By + Sub?

 

AV:    Did Radha abuse you?

PV:    Were you abused by Radha?

 

AV:    Did Radha finish the work in time?

PV:    Was the work finished in time by them?

 

AV:    Did we help your brother?

PV:    Was your brother helped by us?

 

*       If the Interrogative sentence starts with ‘who’, the formula to change AV to PV 

PV:    By whom + HV (was/were) + obj + V₃?

 

AV:    Who taught you English?

PV:    By whom was English taught to you?          0r

          

          By whom were you taught English?

 

AV:    Who broke the slate?

PV:    By whom was the slate broken?

 

Rules:         Negative Sentences

AV:    Sub + did + not + V₁ + Obj

PV:    Obj + was/were + not + V₃ + By + Sub?

 

AV:    He did not obey his father.

PV:    His father was not obeyed by him.

 

AV:    I did not commit this mistake.

PV:    This mistake was not committed by me.

 

AV:    He did not serve his old parents.

PV:    His old parents were not served by him.

 

AV:    The hen did not lay an egg.

PV:    An egg was not laid by the hen.

 

9.       Past Continuous Tense.

          Rules:         Affirmative Sentences

AV:    Sub + HV (was/were) + V₁ +ing + Obj.

          PV:    Obj + HV (was/were) + being + V₃ + By + Sub.

 

          AV:    He was breaking the stones.

          PV:    The stones were being broken by him.

          AV:    They were calling me.

          PV:    I was being called by them.

          AV:    They were talking to the Minister.

          PV:    The Minister was being talked to by them.

          AV:    The dog was biting the thief.

PV:    The thief was being bitten by the dog.

 

Rules:         Interrogative Sentences

AV:    HV (Was/were) + Sub + V₁ + ing + Obj?

          PV:    HV (Was/were) + Obj + being + V₃ + By + Sub?

AV:    Was Krishna writing a letter?

PV:    Was a letter being written by Krishna.

AV:    Were they playing chess?

PV:    Was chess being played by them?

AV:    Was he telling a lie?

PV:    Was a lie being told by him?

      

*       If the Interrogative sentence starts with ‘who’, the formula to change AV to PV 

PV:    By whom + HV (was/were) + obj + being + V₃?

AV:     Who was breaking the slate?

PV:     By whom was the slate being broken?

AV:     Who was writing a letter?  

PV:     By whom was a letter being written?

            Rules:        Negative Sentences

          AV:    Sub + HV (was/were) + not + V₁ + ing + obj.

          PV:    Obj + HV (was/were) + not + being + V₃ + by + Sub.

          AV:    Sohan was doing nothing.

          PV:    Nothing was being done by Sohan.

          AV:    Rakhi was not deceiving you.

          PV:    You were not being deceived by Rakhi.

          AV:    They were not admiring us.

          PV:    We were not being admired by them.

 

10.     Past Perfect Tense.

   

Rules:        Affirmative Sentences

AV:    Sub + had + V₃ + Obj

PV:    Obj + had + been + V₃ + by + Sub

 

AV:    Mohan had contacted you.

PV:    You had been contacted by Mohan.

 

AV:    Sohini had presented the cheque.

PV:    The cheque had been presented by Sohini.

 

AV:    We had invited him.

PV:    He had been invited by us.

 

AV:    I had cooked the food.

PV:    The food had been cooked by me.

 

Rules:        Interrogative Sentences

AV:    Had + Sub + V₃ + Obj?

PV:    Had + Obj + been + V₃ + by + Sub?

 

AV:    Had he cheated you?

PV:    Had you been cheated by him?

 

AV:    Had she beaten her brother?

PV:    Had her brother been cheated by her?

 

AV:    Had you finished your work?

PV:    Had your work been finished by you?

 

*       If the Interrogative sentence starts with ‘who’, the formula to change AV to PV 

PV:    By whom + HV (had) + obj + been + V₃?

 

AV:    Who had abused him?

PV:     By whom had he been abused?

 

Rules:        Negative Sentences

AV:    Sub + had + not + V₃ + Obj

PV:    Obj + had + + not + been + V₃ + by + Sub

 

AV:    Anil had not bought the tickets.

PV:    The tickets had not been bought by Anil.

 

AV:    She had never seen the lion.

PV:    The lion never been seen by her.

 

AV:    Rehman had not invited me to the party.

PV:    I had not been invited to the party by Rehman.

 

AV:    Who had contacted you?

PV:    By whom had you been contacted? 

 

11.     Future Indefinite Tense.

 

Rules:         Affirmative Sentences

 

AV:    Sub + will/shall + V₁ + Obj

PV:    Obj + will/shall + be + V₃ + By + Sub

 

AV:    India will help Nepal.      

PV:    Nepal will be helped by India.

 

AV:    Mehta will prepare the duty chart.

PV:    The duty chart will be prepared by Mehta.

 

AV:    I shall give him something.

PV:    He will be given something by me.

 

Rules:         Interrogative Sentences

AV:    Will/shall + Sub + V₁ + Obj?

PV:    Will/shall + Obj + be + V₃ + by + Sub?

 

AV:    Will you keep your promise?

PV:    Will your promise be kept by you?

 

AV:    Will you catch the first bus?

PV:    Will the first bus be caught by you?

 

AV:    When will you take the test?

PV:    When will the test be taken by you?

 

*       If the Interrogative sentence starts with ‘who’, the formula to change AV to PV 

PV:    By whom + HV (will/shall) + obj + be + V₃?

 

AV:    Who will drive the car?

PV:    By whom will the car be driven?        

 

Rules:         Negative Sentences

AV:    Sub + Will/shall + not + V₁ + Obj?

PV:    Obj + will/shal + not + be + V₃ + by + Sub?

 

AV:    Arun will not pay the bill.

PV:    The bill will not be paid by Arun.

 

AV:    I will not give this book to you.

PV:    This book will not be given to you by me.

 

AV:    They will not post the letter. 

PV:    The letter will not be posted by them.

 

12.     Future Perfect Tense.

 

Rules:         Affirmative

AV:    Sub + will/shall + have  + V₃ + Obj.

PV:    Obj + will/shall + have + been + V₃ + by + Sub.

 

*        Always use have after shall/will, if required.  Never use has/had after shall/will.

 

AV:    The gardener will have watered the plants.

PV:    The plants will have been watered by the gardener.

 

AV:    He will have abused me.

PV:    I shall have been abused by him.

 

AV:    Karuna will have finished her syllabus.

PV:    Her syllabus will have been finished by Karuna.

 

AV:    He will have beaten his classmate.

PV:    His classmate will have been beaten by him.

 

AV:    India will have defeated its enemy in the war.

PV:    Its enemy will have been defeated by India in the war.

 

Rules:         Interrogative 

 

AV:    Will/shall + Sub + have  + V₃ + Obj?

PV:    Will/shall + Obj + have + been + V₃ + by + Sub?

 

AV:    Will Zia have done the work by Monday?

PV:    Will the work have been done by Zia by Monday?

 

AV:    Will the Principal have advised us?

PV:    Shall we have been advised by the Principal?

 

*       If the Interrogative sentence starts with ‘who’, the formula to change AV to PV 

PV:    By whom + HV (will/shall) + obj + have + been + V₃?

 

AV:    Who will have stolen her books?

PV:     By whom will her books have been stolen?

 

AV:    Sub + Will/shall + not + have + V₃ + Obj?

PV:    Obj + Will/shall + not + have + been + V₃ + by + Sub?

 

AV:    I will not have read this book.

PV:    This book will not have been read by me.

 

AV:    He will not have missed the bus.

PV:    The bus will not have been missed by him.

 

AV:    She will not have done this blunder.

PV:    This blunder will not have been done by her.

See more

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Active and Passive Voice:

1. What is active voice?

Ans. Active voice is a grammatical structure in which the subject of a sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. For example, "The dog chased the cat." It is nothing but a Tense.

2. What is passive voice?

Ans.  Passive voice is a grammatical structure in which the subject of a sentence is acted upon by the verb. For example, "The cat was chased by the dog."

3. When should I use active voice?

Ans.  Active voice is generally preferred in most writing because it is more direct, clear, and concise. It emphasizes the doer of the action.

4. When should I use passive voice?

   - Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action itself rather than the doer of the action, or when the doer is unknown or less important. It can also be used to create variety in sentence structure.

5. How can I identify passive voice?

Ans.  Passive voice can be identified by the presence of a form of the verb "to be" (e.g., is, are, was, were, be, been, being) followed by a past participle (usually the verb's past tense form).

6. Why is active voice preferred in writing?

Ans.  Active voice is preferred in writing because it is more direct, engaging, and easier to understand. It typically leads to clearer and more concise sentences.

7. What are the common problems associated with passive voice?

Ans.  Passive voice can sometimes lead to vague or awkward sentences, and it may obscure the doer of the action, leading to ambiguity.

8. How can I convert a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence?

Ans. To convert a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence, identify the doer of the action (the subject) and make it the grammatical subject of the sentence, then rewrite the sentence with an active verb.

9. Are there situations where passive voice is appropriate?

Ans. Yes, passive voice can be appropriate in situations where the doer of the action is unknown, irrelevant, or intentionally omitted. It can also be used to create a sense of formality or to shift the focus onto the action itself.

10. Does using passive voice affect the readability of my writing?

Ans. Using excessive passive voice can make writing less engaging and more difficult to follow. It's generally advisable to use active voice where possible to improve readability and clarity.

====