What is Voice Change?

When we change the actie ioice into passiie ioice or passiie ioice into actie ioice without changing
the meaning is called ioice change.

What you should know before learning ioice change.

Subject

Verb

Object

Verb3 (Past Partciplee

They should identfy the ierb and make past partciple form.

They should also identfy the object from a sentence.

Kind of Voice

There are three kinds of ioice in English grammar.

Actie Voice

Passiie Voice

Quasi-passiie Voice

Actie ioice:i A ierb in the actie ioice when its form shows that the person or thing denoted by the
subject does something; or, in other words, is the doer of the acton.

Example:i

I haie got a new job.

Passiie ioice:i A ierb is in the passiie ioice when its form shows that something is done to the person or
thing denoted by the subject.

Example:i

A new job has been got by me.

Quasi-passiie ioice:i A sentence that does not menton a doer, the acton term itself acts like a doer, is
called an ofcial word.
Example

The cow is milking.

Voice Change

Actie:i I take a cup of tea daily.

Passiie:i A cup of tea is taken by me daily.

Example of afrmatie sentences:i

Actie:i I eat two mangoes.

Passiie:i Two mangoes are eaten by me.

Actie:i Rahul takes a cup of tea daily.

Passiie:i A cup of tea is taken daily by Rahul.

Actie:i I am writng a leter.

Passiie:i A leter is being writen by me.

Actie:i You haie bought a camera.

Passiie:i A camera has been bought by you.

Actie:i The cat killed a rat.

Passiie:i A rat was killed by the cat.

Actie:i They were cooking meat.

Passiie:i Meat was being cooked by them.

Actie:i She had washed the cloths.

Passiie:i The cloths had been washed by her.

Actie:i We shall sell the old house.

Passiie:i The old house will be sold by us.

Actie:i Mina will haie seen the Tajmahal.

Passiie:i The Tajmahal will haie been seen by Mina.

Actie:i You can sing a song.

Passiie:i A song can be sung by you.

Actie:i We should plant trees.

Passiie:i Trees should be planted by us.

Examples:i

Actie:i I do not like cofee.

Passiie:i Cofee is not liked by me.

Actie:i He does not play cricket.

Passiie:i Cricket is not played by him.

Actie:i We are not learning English now.

Passiie:i English is not learning by us now.

Actie:i You haie not taught me Sanskrit.

Passiie:i I haie not been taught Sanskrit by you.

Actie:i Gopal did not eat rice yesterday.

Passiie:i Rice was not eaten by Gopal yesterday.

Actie:i They were not driiing the cars.

Passiie:i The cars were not being driien by them.

Actie:i My brother had not broken the cup.

Passiie:i The cup had not been broken by my brother.

Actie:i Tony will not read the book.

Passiie:i The book will not be read by Tony.

Actie:i You should not call me.

Passiie:i I should not be called by you.

Voice Change of Interrogatie Sentences

Interrogatie sentence is two kinds 1. With wh-words interrogatie sentence 2. Without wh-words
interrogatie sentence

01. Without wh-words Interrogatie Sentences

These types of interrogatie sentences always giie the answer “Yes/No”.

Examples:i

Actie:i Do you like cofee?

Passiie:i Is cofee liked by you?

Actie:i Does he play football?

Passiie:i Is football played by him?

Actie:i Can you cross the road?

Passiie:i Can the road be crossed by you?

02. With wh-words Interrogatie Sentences

We can not giie the answer of these types of interrogatie sentences with “Yes/No”. The answer of
those kind of questons are narratie.

Examples:i

Actie:i What do you say?

Passiie:i What are said by you?

Actie:i Which book will you buy?

Passiie:i Which book will be bought by you?

Actie:i Whose cycle are you using now?

Passiie:i Whose cycle is being used by you now?

Actie:i When did you sell the house?

Passiie:i When was the house sold by you?

Actie:i Where haie they lost the key?

Passiie:i Where has the key been lost by them?

Actie:i Why did you insult the girl?

Passiie:i Why was the girl insulted by you?

Actie:i How did he solie it?

Passiie:i How was it solied by him?

Actie:i How much water will Ramen take?

Passiie:i How much water will be taken by ramen?

Who and Whom

If we notce the sentence begins with “Who” in actie ioice, the term “Who” will turn into “By whom” in
passiie ioice.

Again if we fnd the sentence starts with “Whom” in actie ioice, the word “Whom” will turn into
“Who”.

Example:i

Actie:i Who broke the glass?

Passiie:i By whom was the glass broken?

Actie:i Whom haie the police arrested?

Passiie:i Who haie been arrested by the police?

Voice Change of Imperatie Sentence

Imperatie sentences are three types like order, request and adiice.

If you want to know more about imperatie sentence in detail, click here……..

Transitie ierb:i This type of ierb has an object.

Intransitie ierb:i This type of ierb has no object.

01/2. Order/Adiise

If the ierb is transitie, this rule is suitable.

Af:i Let Object be V-3.

Neg:i Let not Object be V-3.

Actie:i Change the ioice.

Passiie:i Let the ioice be changed.

Actie:i Dontt open the door.

Passiie:i Let not the door be opened.

If the ierb is intransitie, the rule is applicable.

For Afrmatie Sentences

Voice Change Rule

You are told to …………..

You are ordered to ……………

You are adiised to …………..

Actie:i Come in.

Example:i

Passiie:i You are told to come in.

Actie:i Go to bed.

Passiie:i You are ordered to go to bed.

Actie:i Follow me.

Passiie:i You are ordered to follow me.

For Negatie Sentences

Voice Change Rule

You are told not to …………..

You are ordered not to ……………

You are adiised not to …………..

Example:i

Actie:i Dontt talk.

Passiie:i You are told not to talk.

Actie:i Dontt play here.

Passiie:i You are ordered not to play here.

Actie:i Dontt misbehaie.

Passiie:i You are adiised not to misbehaie.

03. Request

If the imperatie sentences express request [Please/Kindly], this rule is follow.

Voice Change Rule

Afrmatie:i You are requested to …………….

Negatie:i You are requested not to …………….

Example:i

Actie:i Please help me.

Passiie:i You are requested to help me.

Actie:i Please dontt smoke here.

Passiie:i You are requested not to smoke here.

Voice Change [Sentence with “Let”]

If the actie ioice begins with “Let”, the following rule is used.

Voice Change Rule :i Let Object(Nonliiinge V-3 by Object (Liiinge.

Actie:i Let me do the work now.

Passiie:i Le the work be done by me now.

Actie:i Let us forget the mater.

Passiie:i Let the mater be forgoten by us.

Voice Change Sentence [With Infnitie]

If we fnd infnitie in actie ioice, we haie to use “Be” afer Tot and turn the infnite ierb into past
partciple at the tme of changing from actie ioice to passiie ioice.

For example:i

Actie:i You haie to do this sum.

Passiie:i This sum has to be done by you.

Actie:i They wanted to win the match.

Passiie:i They wanted to be won the match.

Voice Change of Verbal Noun Sentences

If we fnd the ierbal noun in actie ioice, we haie to use “Being” afer the object and then the past
partciple form of the ierbal noun.

Actie:i I saw the feeding of the monkeys.

Passiie:i I saw the monkeys being fed.

Actie:i They heard the opening of the coaching centre.

Passiie:i They heard the coaching centre being opened.

We can not change the ioice if the sentences are with below ierb and ierbal noun.

The ierbs die, appear, disappear, belong, despair, wonder, result, indulge, seem, happen, allude, occur,
ensure, comprise, perish, issue and etc are intransitie ierbs. So the sentences with these ierbs are not
changed into passiie ioice.

Voice Change of Complex Sentence

There are two ways to do ioice change of complex sentence. I haie showed the ways. If you read the
example, you can understand the process.

Example:i

Actie:i I know that she will sing a song.

Passiie:i That a song will be sung by her is known to me.

Or

It is known to me that a song will be sung by her.

Actie:i They consider that he is honest.

Passiie:i It is considered by them that he is honest.

Passiie to Actie [Without Subject]

Many tmes we notce that who has completed the work is not mentoned in passiie ioice. When we
change the passiie ioice into the actie ioice, we haie to menton the subject. But there is no partcular
rule to select the subject. We can use one, someone, people, they, circumstance and so on as a subject
depending on the situaton.
Example:i

Actie:i Trafc rules should be obeyed.

Passiie:i People should obey trafc rules.

Actie:i They were misguided.

Passiie:i Someone misguided them.

Voice Change Without “By” Prepositon

At the tme of ioice change we normally use “By” before the subject of the actie ioice in passiie ioice.
But we do not use “By” prepositon in case of some ierbs. I haie giien the ierbs below. Read the
examples carefully.

Examples:i

Actie:i I know the man.

Passiie:i The man is known to me.

Actie:i The dust coiers the table.

Passiie:i The table is coiered with the dust.

Actie:i The mater interested the girl.

Passiie:i The girl was interested in the mater.

List the ierbs:i

Marry, know – to

Alarm, surprise, annoy, shock,- at

Interest, pleased, change, ofend, disgust, contain – with

Quasi-passiie Voice Change Rule

Normally the sentences of quasi-passiie ioice are formed with the ierbs like taste, feel, read, read,
smell, cost, sound and so on. When we change those quasi-passiie, we are taken the help of “When”. If
you read the examples and try to understand the process. I hope it will be clear.

Examples:i

Actie:i Honey tastes sweet.

Passiie:i Honey is sweet when it is tasted.

Actie:i The bed feels sof.

Passiie:i The bed is sof when it is felt.

Quasi-passiie Voice Without Complement

There are such sentences that haie no complement in quasi-passiie. And we use “Being” afer helping
ierb and then past partciple form of ierb at the tme of ioice change of those sentences.

Example:i

Actie:i The book is printng.

Passiie:i The book is being printed.

Actie:i The cows are milking.

Passiie:i The cows are being milked.

Actie Sentence With Two Objects [Voice Change]

We get sometmes two objects in a sentence of actie ioice. But most of the students get nerious and
they can not understand which object they will write frst in passiie ioice. I hope you will easily
understand the mater if you read the examples.

Examples:i

Actie:i He gaie me a book.

Passiie:i A book was giien me by him. / I was giien a book by him.

Actie:i Biplab teaches us English.

Passiie:i English is taught us by Biplab./ We are taught English by Biplab.

Actie Voice With Phrasal Verb [Voice Change]

If we notce phrasal ierb in actie ioice, the prepositons that are with the phrasal ierb are writen.
Eien though we get more than one prepositons, we can not reject them.

Read the examples and then you can understand it.

Actie:i We should not look down upon the poor.

Passiie:i The poor should not be looked down upon by us.

Actie:i The boy laughed at the bagger.

Passiie:i The bagger was laughed at by the boy.

Actie Voice With Relexiie Objects [Voice Change]

Read the below passage. There Voice change Rule of this type of actie ioice are mentoned.

If we fnd relexiie object in actie ioice, we should not use the relexiie object as a subject in passiie
ioice. In this case we haie to put a “Be ierb” according to tense and use “By” before relexiie object.
You can follow the examples.

Example:i

Actie:i He killed himself.

Passiie:i He was killed by himself.

Actie:i They punish themselies.

Passiie:i They are punished by themselies.

Optatie Sentence [Voice Change]

There is a ioice change rule of optatie sentence. Read and follow the rule and match with the
examples.

Learn more about optatie sentence clicking here……..

Voice Change Rule:i May Object be V-3 by Subject.

Actie:i May God bless you.

Passiie:i May you be blessed by God.

Actie:i May they win the match.

Passiie:i May the match be won by them.