Active and Passive voice
The active voice, in a sentence, denotes that the noun or pronoun that acts as the subject in the sentence is the doer of the action. Active Voice – Subject + Verb + Object The passive voice, on the other hand, represents that the subject is one acted upon by the action or verb in the sentence. Passive Voice – Object + Verb + Subject
| - The active voice does not require a linking verb to make sense. | - The passive voice uses a linking verb followed by the past participle of the main verb. |
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When to Use Passive Voice
- To emphasize the action or result: The paintings were stolen. (Focus on the event, not the thief.)
- When the doer is unknown or unimportant: The book was left on the table.
- In formal or scientific writing: The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions.
There are changes in the tenses and pronouns used in the sentences.
Change of Pronouns
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I | Me |
| We | Us |
| He | Him |
| She | Her |
| They | Them |
| It | It |
| You | You |
General Rules
- When converting a sentence in the active voice to the passive voice, the first thing that you have to do is interchange the subject and the object.
- The next part of speech you have to focus on is the verb. When converting the active voice into the passive voice, you just have to convert the main verb into its past participle or its third form. The third form of the main verb is the past participle form of the verb.
- When you are changing the tense of the main verb, make sure you use an auxiliary verb which maintains the tense the sentence represents.
- Always use the preposition, ‘by’ before the subject in a passive sentence.
- If there are any adverbs used in the sentence with the active voice, be sure to include it in the passive voice as well. Do not just drop it when you convert a sentence in the active voice to the passive voice or vice-versa.
| Tense | Active Voice | Passive Voice | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Subject + Verb + Object | Object + is/am/are + V3 + by Subject | Active: I eat mangoes Passive: Mangoes are eaten by me. |
| Present Continuous Tense | Subject + is/am/are + verb + ing + Object | Object + is/am/are + being + V3 + by Subject | Active: Ramesh is calling Neena. Passive: Neena is being called by Ramesh |
| Present Perfect Tense | Subject + have/has + V3 + Object | Object + has/have + been + V3 + by Subject | Active: I have made some cakes. Passive: Some cakes have been made by me. |
| Simple Past tense | Subject + Verb(past tense) + Object | Object + was/were + V3 + by Subject | Active: Preeti stole my clothes. Passive: My clothes were stolen by Preeti |
| Past Continuous Tense | Subject + was/were + Verb + ing+ Object | Object + was/were + being + V3 + by Subject | Active: The postman was delivering the letters. Passive: The letters were being delivered by the postman. |
| Past Perfect Tense | Subject + had + V3 + Object | Object + had been + V3 + by subject | Active: The girls had eaten all the muffins. Passive: All the muffins had been eaten by girls. |
| Simple Future Tense | Subject + shall /will +V1 + Object | Object + shall/will + be +V3 + by subject | Active: We shall finish the whole work by 6 pm. Passive: The whole work will be finished by us by 6 pm |
| Future Perfect Tense | Subject + shall/will + have + V3 + Object | Object + shall/will + have been + V3 + by subject | Active: They will have won the football match. Passive: The football match will have been won by them. |
| No passive Voice formation for the following tenses can be formed, |
- Present Perfect Continuous Tense,
- Past Perfect Continuous Tense,
- Future Perfect Continuous Tense, and
- Future Continuous Tense
Interrogative Sentences
Yes/No Questions Active: Did he call you? Passive: Were you called by him?
WH- Questions Active: Who helped her? Passive: By whom was she helped?
Imperatives with Pronouns
Active: Help me. Passive: Let me be helped.
Active: Follow us. Passive: Let us be followed.
Sentences with Two Objects:
Direct Object (DO): The thing being given or acted upon. Indirect Object (IO): The person receiving the direct object
Active: She gave me a gift. Passive 1: I was given a gift by her. Passive 2: A gift was given to me by her.
General Rule
- If the Indirect Object is more important, make it the subject in the passive voice.
- If the Direct Object is more important, make it the subject in the passive voice.
Simple Present Tense Active: She gives him a book.
Passive 1 (Indirect Object as Subject): He is given a book by her. Passive 2 (Direct Object as Subject): A book is given to him by her. 2. Simple Past Tense Active: The teacher taught us a lesson.
Passive 1 (Indirect Object as Subject): We were taught a lesson by the teacher. Passive 2 (Direct Object as Subject): A lesson was taught to us by the teacher. 3. Simple Future Tense Active: They will offer me a job.
Passive 1 (Indirect Object as Subject): I will be offered a job by them. Passive 2 (Direct Object as Subject): A job will be offered to me by them. 4. Present Perfect Tense Active: He has sent her an invitation.
Passive 1 (Indirect Object as Subject): She has been sent an invitation by him. Passive 2 (Direct Object as Subject): An invitation has been sent to her by him. 5. Past Perfect Tense Active: The company had given the employees a bonus.
Passive 1 (Indirect Object as Subject): The employees had been given a bonus by the company. Passive 2 (Direct Object as Subject): A bonus had been given to the employees by the company. 6. Modal Verbs Active: They can show you the way.
Passive 1 (Indirect Object as Subject): You can be shown the way by them. Passive 2 (Direct Object as Subject): The way can be shown to you by them. 7. Present Continuous Tense Active: She is telling him a story.
Passive 1 (Indirect Object as Subject): He is being told a story by her. Passive 2 (Direct Object as Subject): A story is being told to him by her. 8. Past Continuous Tense Active: They were giving her some advice.
Passive 1 (Indirect Object as Subject): She was being given some advice by them. Passive 2 (Direct Object as Subject): Some advice was being given to her by them.
