ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

I. Active Voice:

In most English sentences with an action verb, the subject perform the action
denoted by the verb.
These examples show that the subject is doing the verb’s action.

The man must have eaten five hamburgers.

- The man (subject) is doing the eating (verb).

Marylin mailed the letter.

- Marylin (subject) is doing mailing (verb).

Colourful parrots live in the rain forests.

- Parrots (subject) are doing the living (verb).

Because the subject does or “acts upon” the verb in such sentences, the
sentences are said to be in the active voice.

II. Passive Voice:

One can change the normal word of order of many active sentences (those with a
direct object) so that the subject is no longer active, but is, instead, being acted
upon by the verb – or passive.

NOTE – In these examples how the subject – verb relationship has changed.

Five hamburgers must have been eaten by the man.

- Hamburgers (subject) are being eaten (verb).

The letter was mailed by Marylin.

- The letter (subject) was being mailed (verb).

Because the subject is being “acted upon” (or is passive), such sentences are said
to be in the passive voice.
 NOTE: Colourful parrots live in rain forests cannot be changed to passive voice
because the sentence does not have a direct object.

* To change a sentence from active to passive voice do the following.

1. Move the active sentence’s direct object into the sentence’s subject slot.

ACTIVE VOICE > PASSIVE VOICE

Marylin mailed the letter(direct object) > The letter (subject) was mailed by
Marylin

2. Place the active sentence’s subject into a phrase beginning with preposition ‘by’.

ACTIVE VOICE > PASSIVE VOICE

Marylin (subject) mailed the letter > The letter was mailed by Marylin.
(Prepositional Phrase)

3. Add a form of auxiliary verb be to the main verb and change the main verb’s
form.

ACTIVE VOICE > PASSIVE VOICE

Marylin mailed (verb) the letter, > The letter was mailed (verb + be
auxiliary) by Marlin.

ACTIVE VOICE
At each concert, the Soprano (doer of action) sang (action) atleast one tune
(receiver of action) from a well – known opera.

PASSIVE VOICE
At each concert, at least one tune (receiver of action) from a well – known
opera was sung (action) by the Soprano (doer of action).

** To change a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence, simply reverse
the steps shown above.

1. Move the passive sentence’s subject into the active sentence’s direct object slot.
 PASSIVE VOICE > ACTIVE VOICE

The letter (subject) was mailed by Marylin mailed the letter(direct object)
Marylin.

2. Remove the auxiliary verb be from the main verb’s form if needed.

PASSIVE VOICE > ACTIVE VOICE

The letter was (be auxiliary) mailed by > Marylin mailed the letter.
Marylin.

3. Place the passive sentence’s object of the preposition by into the subject slot.
PASSIVE VOICE > ACTIVE VOICE

….by Marylin (object of preposition > Marylin (subject) mailed…..

by)

Rules for changing a verb from the Active Voice to the Passive Voice:

1. The object of the Active Verb is made the subject of the Passive Verb.
2. The subject of the Active Verb is made the object of some preposition (generally
‘by’).
3. The Verb of the Active Voice gets the Past Participle form of the Finite Verb and
some form of the verb ‘to be’ [ be, is, am, are, has been, was, were, had been, will
be, is being etc] will be used before it in the Passive Voice.
4. Some vague and indefinite subjects like ‘everyone’, ‘they’, ‘people’, ‘someone’,
‘somebody’, ‘everybody’, ‘anybody’, etc….are dropped if they are the subjects of
the Active Voice. If so, the preposition ‘by’ is also not used.
5. The Tense of the Verb does not change.
 Example: He has done his work. (Active)
His work has been done by him. (Passive)

 The Pronouns (when these act as subject) are changed as given below:

SUBJECT OBJECT
I Me
We Us
 You You
She Her
He Him
They Them
It It
Who Whom

NOTE: The following 4 types of sentences cannot be changed into passive voice:

1. Present Perfect Continuous

2. Past Perfect Continuous.
3. Future Continuous
4. Future Perfect Continuous.

EXERCISE – 1
Change the voice of the following sentences:
 She sings a sweet song.
A sweet song is sung by her.

 Do you not play hockey?

Is hockey not played by you?

 Does he sell lottery tickets.

Are lottery tickets sold by him.

 I am bending the branch.

The branch is being bent by me.

 Is she boiling potatoes?

Are the potatoes being boiled by her?

 Are the servants bringing tea?

Is tea being brought by the servants?