ACTIVE AND PASSIVE

VOICE

Institut Teknologi Del

Jl. Sisingamangaraja, Sitoluama-Laguboti
Toba Samosir, 22381 Sumatera Utara
 English 2_Active and Passive Voice

What is an active voice?

It is a form of a verb in which the subject is typically the
person or thing performing the action and which can take a
direct object.

e.g. They sent us a beautiful red valentine card.

 English 2_Active and Passive Voice

What is a passive voice?

It is a form of a verb in which the subject
undergoes the action of the verb.

e.g. A beautiful red valentine card was sent to us.

 English 2_Active and Passive Voice

How to make active voice into passive?

1. An active voice can be turned into a passive voice if the
active voice has a transitive verb.

What is a ‘transitive’ verb?

It is an action verb that has an object to receive that action.
e.g. I wrote two novels.

What is ‘intransitive verb?’

It is an action verb that has no object to receive that action.
e.g. I wrote happily.
 English 2_Active and Passive Voice

How to make active voice into passive?

2. The tense of the passive voice remains the same with
the active voice (no change of tense)
e.g.
Active voice Passive voice
She is painting the wall The wall is being painted blue by
blue. her.
They left the door open. The door was left opened.
The nurse cleans the bed. The bed is cleaned by the nurse.
 English 2_Active and Passive Voice

How to make active voice into passive?

3. The passive form is made up of the verb be with a past
participle
e.g.
Subject Be Past
participle
The wall is being painted blue by her.
The door was left opened.
The bed is cleaned by the nurse.
Pattern:

SUBJECT + Be auxiliary + Past Participle

 English 2_Active and Passive Voice

How to make active voice into passive?

4. The subject of the active voice becomes the object of
the passive and vice versa.
e.g.
Active Passive
Anita brings a bunch of A bunch of flower is
flower to the dinner brought by Anita to the
party. dinner party.
 English 2_Active and Passive Voice

Make sure you understand the form of a

passive voice and how it is different from
the active voice.

So, the characteristics of a passive voice

are:
1. …..
2. …..
3. …..
4. …..