Active and Passive Voice Notes with Questions Free e-book

ACTIVE VOICE | PASSIVE VOICE

The form of a verb that indicates when a grammatical subject performs the action or is the
receiver of the action.

Active Voice: The subject of the sentence is the one performing the action.

Passive Voice: The subject is in the position affected by the action in that sentence.

If you want to highlight whether the action was done and not the person who did the action
in a sentence, or if you don’t want to send directly to the person.

Active Voice Passive Voice

A sentence starts with a subject, Action
is performed by the subject.
It follows a clear subject + verb + object
construct.
Example:
A sentence starts with an object.
The action expressed by a verb is
received by a subject.
It follows object + verb + subject
construct.
Example:

1. I will clean the house. 1. The house will be cleaned by me.

2.The kangaroo (Subject) carried her 2. The baby (Subject) was carried
baby (Object) by the kangaroo (Object)

RULES

Use of Auxiliary verb ‘be’:

The passive voice is formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb “be” (be, am, is, are, was,
were, being, been) followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Active Passive

A thief stole my purse. My money was stolen.

He remembers his grandmother. His grandmother is remembered.

Note: Only verbs that are followed by an object can be used in the passive. It is not possible
to use verbs such as come, exist, happen, seem, and sleep (intransitive verbs) in the passive.
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Active and Passive Voice Notes with Questions Free e-book

General Rules for Verb Tense:

Indefinite Tense Active Passive

Present Subject + verb 1st or 5th form+ Object + is/am/are+ verb 3rd
object form+ by + subject.

Example: Shanaya eats burger. Example: Burger is eaten by

Shanaya.

Past Subject + verb 2nd form+ object Object + was/were+ verb 3rd form
+ by+ subject.
Example: Sheetal punished her
brother. Example: Her brother was
punished by Sheetal.

Future Subject + will/shall + verb 1st Object + will/shall + be + verb 3rd

form + object. form+ subject.

Example: I will not tolerate this Example: This behaviour will not be
behaviour. tolerated by me.

Note:

1. Certain actions are done by a particular subject only. In such cases ‘by subject’ must not
be mentioned in the passive voice.

A teacher teaches French there. French is taught here.

2. In many cases subject is unclear, so it is not required to mention it in

passive voice.

People speak English in the college English is spoken in the

college

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Active and Passive Voice Notes with Questions Free e-book

Continuous Tense Active Passive

Subject + is/am/are + verb 4th Object + is/am/are + being+ verb

Present
form + object. 3rd form+ by + subject.

Example: We are going to Example: A movie is going to be

watch a movie tonight. watched by us tonight.

Subject + was/were+ verb 4th Object + was/were + being+ verb

Past
form + object. 3rd form + by+ subject.

Example: The clerk was helping Example: The customer was being
the customer. helped by the clerk.

Subject + will/shall + be + verb Not possible

Future
4th form + object.

Example: We will be dancing

tonight.

Note:
Use the preposition in Passive Voice that follows the verb in Active Voice.
They are laughing at you ----------- You are being laughed at by them.

Perfect Tense Active Passive

Subject + had + verb 3rd form+ Object + had + been + verb 3rd
Past
object form+ by + subject.

Example: They had already Example: The movie had already

watched the movie. been watched by them.

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Active and Passive Voice Notes with Questions Free e-book

Subject + will/shall + have + Object + will/shall + has/have + been

Future
verb 3rd form + ing+ object + verb 3rd form + by + subject.

Example: The children will Example: The show will have been
have seen the show. seen by the children.

Passive Voice in Imperative sentences

An imperative sentence in the passive voice has the following form:

a. Let + object + be + past participle.

Do not starve the cow. Let the cow not be starved.

b. You are requested/ordered/forbidden/advised +to + verb 1st form + object.

Here the active verb does not have an object. Therefore, the passive form should begin with
you.

Don’t touch it. You are warned not to touch it.

Passive Voice in Interrogative sentences

c. The primary auxiliary verbs do, does or did does not appear in
thepassive form.

Active voice: Did she recognize you?

Passive voice: Were you recognized by her?

d. When the Interrogative Sentence starts from is/are/am/was and were, then we
should use being after the subject and is/are/am/was and were in starting of the
sentences.

Active voice: Are you doing this work?

Passive voice: Is this work being done by you?

e. The verbs have, has, had, will, shall, can, may etc., do not change their position at the
beginning of the sentence when the active voice is changed to the passive voice.

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Active and Passive Voice Notes with Questions Free e-book

Active voice: Have you finished work?

Passive voice: Has the work been finished by you?

d. The question words when, why, where, how or what does not change their position
at the beginning of the sentence when the active voice is changed into the passive
voice. Note that who changes to by whom and whom into who.

Active voice: Who wrote this book?

Passive voice: By whom was this book written?

Active voice: Have you finished work?

Passive voice: Has the work been finished by you?

Conversion of Subject in Passive Voice

ACTIVE PASSIVE
I ME
HE HIM
SHE HER
THEY THEM
WE US

Note:
Sometimes in the Passive Voice, we would have to use ‘at/with/to/in’ instead of ‘by’ according
to the Expression of the Active Sentence.

e. We should use ‘at’ when there are expressions of ‘surprising, astonishing, shocking,
alarming, disappointment’.

f. We should use ‘to’ after ‘known’ and ‘obliged’ while converting into Passive Voice from
Active Voice.

Active voice: I know him.

Passive voice: He is known to me.

g. We should use ‘with’ after ‘pleased, satisfied, disgusted, impressed, annoyed’.

Active: Your honesty has pleased me.
Passive: I have been pleased with your honesty.
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Active and Passive Voice Notes with Questions Free e-book

h. We should use ‘in’ after ‘Interested, and ‘contained’.

Active: This Job interests me.

Passive: I am interested in this job.

Practice from the sample questions given below:

Directions:
In the following questions, a sentence has been given in Active/Passive voice. Out of the four
alternatives suggested below, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in
Passive/Active voice.

1. Lower the boats.

a. The boats would be lowered.

b. Let the boat be lowered.
c. The boat be lowered please.
d. Please let the boat be lowered.

Answer: b

2. She always cooks delicious food.

a. delicious food has been cooked by her.

b. delicious food was being cooked by her.
c. delicious food is cooked by her always.
d. delicious food is always being cooked by her.

Answer: c

3. Never disobey your elders.

a. You are asked not to disobey your elders.

b. You are not to disobey your elders.
c. Do not to disobey your elders.
d. You are ordered not to disobey your elders.

Answer: a

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Active and Passive Voice Notes with Questions Free e-book

4. We have already done the exercise.

a. The exercise has already been done by us.

b. Already the exercise has been done by us.
c. The exercise is already done by us.
d. The exercise had been already done by us.

Answer: a

5. You can all buy your tickets at this counter.

a. Your ticket can be bought at this Counter by you.

b. All tickets are bought by you at this counter.
c. All your tickets can be bought at this counter by you.
d. Your tickets can be bought by all of you at this counter.

Answer: c

6. Do not laugh at others.

a. You are asked not to laugh at others.

b. You should not to laugh at others.
c. You are requested not to laugh at others.
d. You laugh not at others.

Answer: a

7. For a long-time people believed the earth to be flat.

a. The earth had been believed to be flat for a long time.

b. The earth was being believed to be flat for a long time
c. The earth was believed to be flat for a long time.
d. The earth was believed to be flat for a long time

Answer: d

8. Not a word was spoken by the criminal in self defence.

a. The criminal in self defence spoke no word.

b. The criminal did not speak a word in self defence.
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Active and Passive Voice Notes with Questions Free e-book

c. The criminal spoke in self defence not a word.

d. The earth was believed to be flat for a long time

Answer: b

9. He decided to sell the car.

a. It was decided that the car should be sold

b. He decided that the car should be sold.
c. The decision was made by him to sell the car.
d. The decision that the car must be sold was made by him.

Answer: c

10. I should have met him yesterday.

a. He should have met by me yesterday.

b. He should have been meeting by me yesterday.
c. He should have been met by me yesterday.
d. He should be meeting me yesterday.

Answer: c

11. You should follow all the instructions carefully.

a. All the instructions were carefully followed by you

b. All the instructions should be carefully followed by you
c. All the instructions are carefully followed by you
d. All the instructions can be carefully followed by you.

Answer: b

12. The painter painted the entire bungalow.

a. The entire bungalow was painted by the painter.

b. Painting of the entire bungalow was done by the painter.
c. Painting of the entire bungalow is done by the painter.
d. The entire bungalow is painted by the painter.

Answer: a

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Active and Passive Voice Notes with Questions Free e-book

13. English is spoken all over the world.

a. All over the world English speaks

b. People speak English all over the world.
c. The whole world speaks English.
d. The entire bungalow is painted by the painter.

Answer: b

14. He is not a man whom you should invite.

a. He is not the man who is be invited by you.

b. This man who should not be invited by you.
c. He is should not be invited by you.
d. He is not the man who should be invited by you.

Answer: d

15. Don't speak until someone speaks to you.

a. Don't speak until someone is spoken to

b. Don't speak until someone has been spoken to
c. Don't speak until you are spoken to
d. Don’t speak until you have been spoken to

Answer: a

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