What are Active and Passive voice?

• Active and passive voice refers to whether the subject or the object
in the sentence performs the action of the verb
• In active voice the subject performs the action of the verb
• In passive voice the object performs the action of the verb

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Active Voice

• The subject performs the action of the verb

• Example:

The student presented the talk.

The subject
The action of the verb

2
Active Voice

• The subject performs the action of the verb

• Example:

The article summarized the research

The subject
The action of the verb

3
Passive Voice

• The object performs the action of the verb

The talk was presented by the student

The action of the verb The object

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Passive Voice

• The object performs the action of the verb

• Example:

The research was summarized by the article

The object
The action of the verb

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How do Active and Passive voice Differ?

• The examples just shown are the same in terms of what actually
happens
• In both cases the student did the presenting
• In both cases the article did the summarizing
• So how are they different?

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How do Active and Passive Voice
Differ?
• Active voice is direct
• The subject directly acts on the object
• The tone is clear and immediate
• As if you throw a ball directly at a target
• The target gets all the force of the ball

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Active Voice

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How do Active and Passive voice differ?

• Passive voice is indirect

• The subject is acted ON by the object
• The tone is roundabout
• As if you bounce a ball off a wall to hit a target
• The wall and the target both get some of the force of the ball
• So the impact is not as strong or clear

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Passive Voice

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Changing Passive to Active Voice-Example

• Here is a bad example of using passive voice in a psychology paper

Depression has been researched by scientists for decades.
• There is no reason to use passive voice, it makes the sentence harder
to follow. A preferred version uses active voice:
Scientists have researched depression for decades.

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Changing Passive to Active Voice-Example 2

• Here is a 2nd bad example of using passive voice in a psychology

paper
Surveys were handed out to participants by research assistants.
• This sentence makes the research process sound rather mysterious.
A preferred version uses active voice:
Research assistants handed surveys out to the participants.

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Active & Passive Voice
Change of auxiliary verbs:
Infinitive To be washed
Simple present It is washed.
past It was washed.
future It will be washed.
conditional It would be washed.
Continuous present It is being washed.
past It was being washed.
future It will be being washed.
conditional It would be being washed.
Perfect present It has been washed.
simple past It had been washed.
future It will have been washed.
conditional It would have been washed.
Perfect present It has been being washed.
continuous past It had been being washed.
future It will have been being washed.
conditional It would have been being washed.
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Active & Passive Voice
Change of Pronouns:

Active Voice Passive Voice

I me
we us
you you
he him
she her
it it
they them

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 Active & Passive Voice

Rules for changing Active Voice into Passive Voice:

• Identify the subject, the verb and the object: SVO

• Change the object into subject
• Put the suitable helping verb or auxiliary verb. In case helping verb
is given, use the same. But note that the helping verb given agrees
with the object.
• Change the verb into past participle of the verb.
• Add the preposition "by"
• Change the subject into object

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Active to Passive Voice
Declarative sentences:

Active Voice Passive Voice

I write a letter A letter is written by me

We must keep the rule The rule must be kept by us

You bought a book A book have been bought by you

He closed the window The window was closed by him

Letters were being written by

She was writing letters
her

I had posted a letter A letter had been posted by me

I do not drink tea Tea is not drunk by me

She does not eat a mango A mango is not eaten by her

 Active to Passive Voice
Imperative sentences

If the given sentence in the active voice is in the imperative, to get the passive
voice use ‘Let’. Hence, Passive Voice = Let + Object + be + Past Participle

Active Voice Passive Voice

Help me Let me be helped

Open the door Let the door be opened

Don’t eat this fruit Let not this fruit be eaten
Sing a song Let a song be sung
 Active to Passive Voice
Interrogative sentences

If the question in the active voice begins with a helping verb the passive voice
must also begin with a suitable helping verb. Supposing the question begins with
‘Wh or How’ form (what, when, how ...) the Passive Voice must begin with the same.

Active Voice Passive Voice

Are you writing a letter? Is a letter being written by you?

Is she beating the child? Is the child beaten by her?

Will the position be accepted by

Will you accept the position?
you?

By whom was the window

Who broke the window?
broken?

Why was such a letter written

Why did you write such a letter?
by you?