ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

Consider the following sentences :

Lata sings a song.

A song is sung by Lata.

There is practically no difference in the meanings of these two sentences. These are
two different ways of presenting the same thing. But in the first sentence the
Subject performs the action while in the second sentence, the Subject of the
Verb is acted upon. It means that it (the Subject:) becomes the object in the
second sentence.

Thus, the voice shows whether the Subject of a Verb acts or is acted upon.

Active Voice : When the Subject of a Verb acts, the Verb is said to be in the Active
Voice ; as— I made a mistake.

Passive Voice : When the object of the Active Voice becomes the Subject, the Verb
is said to be in the Passive Voice ; as— A mistake was made by me.

The Subject dominates in Active Voice but the Object dominates in Passive Voice.

Note. It is only the form of the verb in a sentence which shows whether the subject is
the doer or the receiver of the action. A sentence in passive voice may or may not
have the ‘by’ phrase attached. Thus in the above sentences. A mistake was made’ is
a complete sentence.

Rules for changing a Verb from the Active Voice into 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.

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 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.

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 Becomes Me

We Becomes Us

You Becomes You

She Becomes Her

He becomes Him

They becomes them

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 It becomes It

Who becomes Whom

The following table gives the form of the verb ‘see’ in Passive Voice in the
various Tenses :

Tense chart ( Passive voice)

Tense Simple Continuous Perfect

is/am/are + being

is/am/are + verb in third form + verb in third

has/have + been + V3
is seen form
Present has been seen
am seen is being seen
have been seen
are seen am being seen

are being seen

Past was/were + verb in third form was/were + being had + been + V3

was seen + verb in third

were seen form

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 was being seen
had been seen
were being seen

will/shall + be + verb in third form will/shall + have been + V3

Future will be seen — No change will have been seen

shall be seen shall have been seen

Note. The following four types of sentences cannot he changed into passive voice :

1. Present Perfect Continuous.

2. Past Perfect Continuous.

3. Future Continuous.

4. Future Perfect. Continuous.

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Ex 1: Rewrite the following sentences putting the Verbs given against
them in the appropriate Passive Voice form :

1. She ……….............................. up by her aunt. (bring)

2. Invitation cards .......................................………. to all her friends.

(send)

3. You will............................ ………. to the feast. (invite)

4. The result....................... ………. on Monday. (declare)

5. They ……….............................. at the sight of the gun. (alarm)

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 6. We ………................................. at his failure. (shock)

Ex 2: Change the voice of the following sentences :

Active Passive

1. She sings a sweet song.

2. Do you not play hockey ?

3. Does he sell lottery tickets ?

4. I am bending the branch.

5. Is she boiling potatoes ?

6. Are the servants bringing tea ?

Ex 3: State whether the verbs in the following sentences are in the active
voice or passive voice

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1. The thief has been arrested.

2. The work was finished yesterday.

3. I just received a call from my mother.

4. He wants to start a business.

5. I have known her for several years.

6. We have been invited to their party.

7. She has never been rude to anybody.

8. I am moving to Chicago.

9. The sun was shining.

10. She had finished.

11. He was being interrogated.

12. CBI is probing the case.

13. Mangoes are sold by the dozen.

14. The flower was plucked by the little girl.

15. The flight was delayed by the storm.

Ex 4: Each sentence given below is in the active voice. Change it into passive
voice.

1. He sings a song.

………………………………… .

2. The boy killed the spider.

………………………………… .

3. Help him.

………………………………… .
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4. Farmers sow maize in the rainy season.

………………………………… .

5. Are you writing a letter?

………………………………… ?

6. The workers were digging a canal.

………………………………… .

7. I will finish the job by the end of this week.

………………………………… .

8. Have you finished your job?

………………………………… ?

9. They have informed him of his mother’s death.

………………………………… .

Ex 5: Rewrite the following changing the active sentences to passive and

passive sentences to active.

1. The thieves have been arrested by the police.

2. The marvellous performance delivered by the children enthralled us.

3. He has been invited to their party.

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4. We have shipped your order.

5. The girl recited the poem beautifully.

6. The guests enjoyed the party.

7. The child impressed everyone with his polite manners.

8. A girl from Chennai won the first prize.

9. The readers like the latest book of the writer.

10. They are painting the walls.

11. The car has been fixed by the mechanic.

12. She accepted their invitation with pleasure.

Ex 6: Read the statements given below and tick the correct option :
I. Identify as directed :
Identify the Passive Voice :
Question 1.
(i) Reena sings a song

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(ii) The students were making a chart.
(iii) She lost the match
(iv) A mistake was made by her

Question 2.
(i) A song is sung by Lata
(ii) He bought the pens
(iii) They study the book
(iv) Lalit killed the snake.

Identify the Active Voice :

Question 3.
(i) The rumour has been spread
(ii) The ship had been broken
(iii) Why did the teacher punish you ?
(iv) The noise was made by the class

Question 4.
(i) The letter has been posted
(ii) The thief was arrested
(iii) The song was sung
(iv) They lost everything

II. Fill in the objects :

Question 5.
He ran a ………
(i) scooter
(ii) race
(iii) fight
(iv) building

Question 6.
The police has arrested the ……….
(i) machine
(ii) tree
(iii) bird
(iv) thief

III. Choose the correct option :

Choose the Passive form :
Question 7.
(i) I was spoken by her
(ii) I am spoken by her
(iii) I was spoken to by her
(iv) She was spoken by me

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Question 8.
(i) She was laughed by him
(ii) He is laughed by him
(iii) He was laughed by him
(iv) He was laughed at by her

Which sentence does not make a Passive Voice

Question 9.
(i) Students study a book
(ii) Students will be studying a book
(iii) Students studied a book
(iv) Students are studying a book

Question 10.
(i) The gardener will have been watering the plants
(ii) the gardener waters the plants
(iii) The gardener watered the plants
(iv) The gardener will water the plants

Ex 7: Put the verb into the correct form, present simple or past simple, active
or passive:

1. It’s a big company. Four hundred people …………………............... (employ)

there.
2. Water …………………. (cover) most of the Earth’s surface.
3. Most of the Earth’s surface …………………............. (cover) by water.
4. The park gates …………………........... (lock) at 7 p.m. daily.
5. The letter ............................................................... (post) a week ago and it
…………………. (arrive) yesterday.
6. The boat …………………. (sink) quickly but fortunately everybody
…………………. ...........(rescue).
7. Raman’s parents …………………. (die) when he was very young. He and his
sister …………………............... (bring) up by their grandparents.
8. I was born in Mumbai but I …………………. (grow) up in Delhi.
9. While I was on holiday, my camera …………………. (steal) from my hotel
room.
10. While I was on holiday, my camera …………………. (disappear) from my hotel
room.
11. Why …………………. .........................(Sita / resign) from her job?
12. Why ………………….............................. (Sohan / drop) from the team?

Ex 8: Complete the sentences using one of these verbs in the correct form:

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cause,        damage,        hold,        include,        invite,        make,        overtake,      
show,       translate,      write

1. Many accidents …………………. by dangerous driving.

2. Cheese …………………. from milk.
3. The roof of the building …………………. in a storm a few days ago.
4. There is no need to leave a tip. Service …………………. in the bill.
5. You …………………. to the wedding. Why didn’t you go?
6. A cinema is a place where films ………………….
7. In the United States, elections for President …………………. every four years.
8. Originally the book …………………. in Spanish and a few years ago it
…………………. into
English.
9. We were driving along quite fast but we …………………. by lots of other cars.

Ex 9: Complete these sentences with one of the following verbs (in the correct
form):

carry        cause        do        make        repair        send        spend        wake        up

1. The situation is serious. Something must …………………. before it’s too late.
2. I have not received the letter. It might …………………. to the wrong address.
3. A decision will not …………………. until the next meeting.
4. I told the hotel receptionist that I wanted to …………………. at 8 a.m. the next
morning.
5. Do you think that less money should …………………. on ornaments.
6. This road is in very bad condition. It should …………………. a long time ago.
7. The injured man couldn’t walk and had to ………………….
8. It is not certain how the fire started but it might …………………. by an electrical
fault.

Ex 10: Change the following sentences from the active voice to the passive
voice:

1. The man cut down the tree.

2. Columbus discovered America.

3. His teacher praised him.

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4. The boy teased the dog.

5. The police arrested him.

6. Rama was making a kite.

7. The boy caught the ball.

8. My father will write a letter.

9. I will defeat him.

10. He kept me waiting.

11. He scored twenty runs.

12. Manners reveal character.

13. Everyone loves him.

14. We expect good news.

15. I have sold my bicycle.

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16. We must write to him.

17. They are doing the work.

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