Voice : Active & Passive Voice
Voice :
Definition: Voice in English grammar shows whether the subject performs or receives an action. It has two types — Active Voice (subject does the action) and Passive Voice (subject receives the action).
1. Active Voice: In active voice, the subject performs the action. Structure: Subject + Verb + Object
Ex: i. Ram eats mango.Subject: Ram, Verb: eats, Object: mango. ii. She writes a letter.. iii. They are playing football.
Points: Active voice is direct and clear. Use when the doer of the action is important.
2. Passive Voice: In passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject and receives the action.
Structure: Object (new subject) + form of “be” + past participle + (by + Subject)
Ex: 1. Mango is eaten by Ram. 2. A letter is written by her. 3. Football is being played by them.
Points: · Passive voice focuses on the action or object, not the doer. · Often used in formal writing, reports, or scientific writing.
3. Rules to change Active to Passive
1. Identify Subject, Verb, and Object in the active sentence.
2. Make the object the new subject of the passive sentence.
3. Use the correct form of “be” + past participle of the main verb.
4. Optionally, add “by + original subject”.
5. Keep the tense the same as the active sentence.
4. Tense-wise Conversion Examples
Tense-wise Active → Passive Voice
Present Simple: Active: Ram eats mango. Passive: Mango is eaten by Ram.
Past Simple: Active: She wrote a letter. Passive: A letter was written by her.
Future Simple: Active: He will do the work. Passive: The work will be done by him.
Present Continuous: Active: They are cleaning the room. Passive: The room is being cleaned by them.
Past Continuous: Active: She was reading a book. Passive: A book was being read by her.
Present Perfect: Active: He has completed the work. Passive: The work has been completed by him.
Past Perfect: Active: They had finished the project. Passive: The project had been finished by them.
Future Perfect: Active: She will have submitted the report. Passive: The report will have been submitted by her.
5. Note: Rule: When changing Active → Passive with modals: Modal + base verb → Modal + be + past participle.
6. Tips: Use active voice for direct and strong sentences. Use passive voice to emphasize the action or object, not the doer. Always match tense and subject-verb agreement when changing voice. Memorize the be + past participle forms for all tenses.
7. Practice Examples for Students
1. Active: The teacher explains the lesson. Passive: The lesson is explained by the teacher.
2. Active: They will build a new bridge. Passive: A new bridge will be built by them.
3. Active: She is reading a book. Passive: A book is being read by her.
4. Active: Ram has solved the problem. Passive: The problem has been solved by Ram.