ACTIVE AND PASSIVE FORM EXAMPLE:

1. To describe action by mentioning the doer.

Noun Subject verb Noun object
A. The snake bit the little boy. (ACTIVE)
The girl draws the picture. (ACTIVE VOICE) The little boy was bitten by the snake. (PASSIVE)

Doer action receiver B. Someone stole the royal crown from the royal treasury.
(ACTIVE)
The royal crown was stolen from the royal treasury by
someone. (PASSIVE)
** ‘Doer’ is the person, people, animals, things or other elements that
take the action. The sentence is known as ACTIVE VOICE if the subject is C. Mr. Wilson wrote the song for the famous singer in her new
the ‘doer’. album.(ACTIVE)
The song was written for the famous singer in her new album
by Mr Wilson. (PASSIVE)

2. To describe actions by unknown doer ( not mentioning the

‘doer’)
Noun Subject verb Prep Noun object

The picture is drawn by the girl. (PASSIVE VOICE) A. The snake bit the little boy. (ACTIVE)
The little boy was bitten. (PASSIVE)
Receiver action Doer
B. Someone stole the royal crown from the royal treasury.
(ACTIVE)
The royal crown was stolen from the royal treasury. (PASSIVE)
** The sentence is known as PASSIVE VOICE when the doer of the action
in the sentence becomes the object of the sentence. The subject of the C. Mr. Wilson wrote the song for the famous singer in her new
sentence is the receiver. album.(ACTIVE)
The song is written for (the famous singer in) her new album.
(PASSIVE)
 TENSES ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE TENSES ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE
SIMPLE John (eats) the apple. The apple is eaten by John. SIMPLE PAST John ate the apple. The apple was eaten by
PRESENT s.n s.v (participle) TENSE John.
TENSE John eats all the apples.All the apples are eaten by John ate all the apples.
John. The apples were eaten by
The boys eat the cake. The cake is eaten by the The boys ate the cake.
John.
p.n p.v boys. The cake was eaten by the
The boys eat the cakes. The cakes are eaten by the The boys ate the cakes. boys.
boys. The cakes were eaten by
PRESENT John is eating the apple. The apple is being eaten by the boys.
CONTINUOUS John is eating all the John. PAST John was eating the The apple was being eaten
TENSE. apples. The apples are being eaten CONTINUOUS apple. by John.
Verb –to-(be) by John. TENSE The apples were being
(is,am,are) The boys are eating the John was eating all the eaten by John.
cake. The cake is being eaten by apples.
the boys. The cake was being eaten
The boys are eating the The boys were eating by the boys.
cakes. The cakes are being eaten the cake.
by the boys. The cakes were being eaten
The boys were eating by the boys.
PRESENT John has eaten the The apple has been eaten the cakes.
PERFECT apple. (participle) by John. John had eaten the The apple had been eaten
TENSE PAST apple. by John.
John has eaten all the The apples have been PERFECT
apples. eaten by John. TENSE John had eaten all the The apples had been eaten
apples. by John.
The boys have eaten The cake has been eaten by
the cake. the boys. The boys had eaten the The cake had been eaten
cake. by the boys.
The boys have eaten The cakes have been eaten
the cakes. by the boys. The boys had eaten the The cakes had been eaten
cakes. by the boys.
 TENSES ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE
SIMPLE John will eat the apple.
The apple will be eaten by EXERCISE 1
FUTURE John.
TENSE John will eat all the The apples will be eaten by Identify the ‘doer’, ‘receiver’ and ‘action’ of the sentences and fill up the
apples. John. table.

The boys will eat the The cake will be eaten by 1. Albert grows beans in his garden.
cake. the boys. 2. We built that tree-house last summer.
3. They make pots from clay.
The boys will eat the The cakes will be eaten by 4. Jerry broke the window.
cakes. the boys. 5. The bulldozers knocked down the old building.
Present John will be eating the The apple will being eaten
6. Pak Abu plants cocoa trees around his house.
Future apple. by John.
7. I finally found the missing gold watch.
Continuous John will be eating all The apples will being eaten
the apples. by John. 8. The hunter accidentally shot the grizzly bear.- The grizzly bear was
shot accidently by the hunter.
The boys will be eating The cake will being eaten 9. The miners dig into the ground to find gold.
the cake. by the boys. 10. She writes all the letters- All the letters are written by her.

The boys will be eating The cakes will being eaten DOER ACTION (VERB) RECEIVER
the cakes. by the boys. 1.
Future John will have eaten The apple will have been 2.
Perfect the apple. eaten by John. 3.
4.
John will have eaten all The apples will have been 5.
the apples. eaten by John. 6.
7.
The boys will have The cake will have been 8.The hunter Shot (simple past) The grizzly bear
eaten the cake. eaten by the boys. 9.
10.She writes All the letters
The boys will have The cakes will have been
eaten the cakes. eaten by the boys.
 8. Juana sucked out the scorpion’s poison from Coyotito.

EXERCISE 2
EXERCISE 3
Rewrite these sentences into PASSIVE VOICE.
Rewrite these sentences using ACTIVE VOICE.
1. (Melisa) bought (those fresh mangoes) at the wet market.
Those fresh mangoes were bought by Melisa at the wet market. 1. The wedding cake (was decorated) by Madam Khoo.
Madam Khoo decorated the wedding cake.
2. Vultures ate up the carcasses of animals that died in the drought.
2. The bridge was designed by Quantum Holdings architects.

3. He washes his shoes once a week.

3. The top-selling novel was written by the late Hamadi.

4. They cut down the trees to make way for the highway.

4. The army was led to victory by General Lincoln.

5. Volunteers are helping the flood victims at the center.

5. The bushes had been trimmed by the gardener yesterday.

6. The helicopter will carry the wounded soldiers back to their
camp. 6. Dinner at the hotel will be served by uniformed staff.

7. Mathilde lost that diamond necklace in the party.

7. The Amateur Golf Tournament was won by a newcomer.
8. Her clothes were soaked by the sudden downpour.