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Active and passive voice: overview chart

Here is a quick overview of the active and passive voice verb forms.
Tense

Active voice

Passive voice

Simple
present
tense

Verb form: first form of the


verb

Verb form: is / am / are + past participle


form of the verb

Examples

Examples

They speak English here.

English is spoken here.

He speaks English.

English is spoken by him.

Present
Verb form: is/am/are + -ing
continuous form of the verb
tense

resent
perfect
tense

Simple
past

Verb form: is/am/are + being + past


participle form of the verb

Examples

Examples

She is writing a letter.

A letter is being written by her.

I am learning my lessons.

My lessons are being learnt by me.

You are making a cake.

A cake is being made by you.

Verb form: has/have + past


participle form of the verb

Verb form: has/have + been + past


participle form of the verb

Examples:

Examples:

I have written a novel.

A novel has been written by me.

She has finished the job.

The job has been finished by her.

You have written letters.

Letters have been written by you.

Verb form: past tense form of


the verb

Verb form: was/were + past participle


form of the verb

Examples:
I wrote a letter.

Examples:
A letter was written by me.
1

Ram broke a glass.

A glass was broken by Ram.

You missed the chance

The chance was missed by you.

Past
Verb form: was/were + -ing
continuous form of the verb
tense
Examples

Past
perfect
tense

Simple
future
tense

Future
perfect

Verb form: was/were + being + past


participle form of the verb
Examples

I was learning my lessons.

My lessons were being learnt by me.

She was writing a report.

A report was being written by her.

They were making toys.

Toys were being made by them.

Verb form: had + past


participle form of the verb

Verb form: had + been + past participle


form of the verb

Examples

Examples:

I had finished the project.

The project had been finished by me.

She had learned her lessons.

Her lessons had been learned by her.

Verb form: will/shall + first


form of the verb

Verb form: will/shall + be + past participle


form of the verb

Examples

Examples:

I will finish the job.

The job will be finished by me.

She will solve the problem.

The problem will be solved by her.

Verb form: will/shall + have + Verb form: will/shall + have + been + past
past participle form of the verb participle form of the verb
Examples

Examples

I will have finished the job.

The job will have been finished by me.

She will have solved the problem.

The problem will have been solved by her.

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