What are Interrogative Sentences Voice Change?

The process where interrogative sentence voice changes from active to passive is known as
interrogative sentence voice change. This includes the process involving the alteration of
word order and introducing auxiliary verbs depending on the type of interrogative sentence.
Interrogative Sentence Voice Change Important Notes
When learning English Grammar, there are multiple rules or guidelines one should follow
to make the learning process more efficient.
The following points mentioned below are brief guidelines for interrogative sentence voice
change.
 The first step is to identify the object of the active sentence.
 Put the object of the active sentence in the subject position in the passive sentence.
 Use the appropriate form of the verb “to be” (e.g., is, are, was, were, has been, have been,
had been) to form the passive auxiliary verb.
 You also need to add the past particle of the main verb to form a passive auxiliary verb.
 If necessary, add an agent phrase to the passive sentence to identify who or what acted. The
agent phrase is always introduced by the preposition “by.”

Interrogative Sentence Voice Change (Do/Does/Did)

The questions that begin with do/does, follow a specific structure. The normal structure of the
interrogative sentence in active voice is:
Do/Does/Did + Subject + Verb + Object?
(Active Voice)
Am/Is/Are + Subject + V-3 + By + Agent?
(Passive Voice)

Examples of Interrogative Voice Change Using Do\Does\Did

Read the examples below for a better understanding of interrogative sentence voice changes.
Active Voice:
1. Does the cat catch mice?
 2. Did the teacher explain the lesson clearly?
3. Do you understand the instructions?
4. Does the painting depict a historical scene?
5. Did the students solve the math problems correctly?
Passive Voice:
1. Are mice caught by the cat?
2. Was the lesson explained clearly by the teacher?
3. Are the instructions understood by you?
4. Is a historical scene depicted in the painting?
5. Were the math problems solved correctly by the students?

Interrogative Sentence Voice Change (“Wh” Questions)

The questions starting with what, why, where, when, who, whom, etc are referred to as “wh”
questions. Find the structure for interrogative “why” questions below:
‘Wh’ word + auxiliary + subject + verb + object (Active Voice)
‘Wh’ word + Auxiliary + Subject + V-3 + by + Agent ? (Passive Voice)

Examples of Interrogative Voice using “Wh” Questions

Have a look at the examples given below for a better understanding of interrogative sentence
voice changes.
Active Voice:
1. Where did you leave your keys?
2. Who painted this beautiful picture?
3. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
4. How did the fire start?
5. Why did the dog run away?
Passive Voice:
1. Where were your keys left by you?
2. By whom was this beautiful picture painted?
3. What did you have for breakfast this morning by you?
4. How was the fire started?
 5. Why was the dog run away by you?

Credit: JLS

Exercises for Interrogative Voice Change

Here are some exercises to practice changing interrogative sentences from active voice to
passive voice. Both the active and passive versions of each sentence are given along with an
explanation.
Exercise 1: Change the following interrogative sentences from active to passive voice.
Active: Are they repairing the car?
Passive: Is the car being repaired by them?
Active: Did she write the letter?
Passive: Was the letter written by her?
Active: Does he teach the class?
Passive: Is the class taught by him?
Active: Have they cleaned the house?
Passive: Has the house been cleaned by them?
Active: Will she sing the song?
Passive: Will the song be sung by her?
Exercise 2: Change the following complex interrogative sentences from active to passive
voice.
Active: Is she going to send you the invitation when the party is planned?
Passive: Are you going to be sent the invitation when the party is planned by her?
Active: Did the chef prepare the special dish you ordered for the event?
Passive: Was the special dish you ordered for the event prepared by the chef?
Active: Can you fix the computer, which was damaged by the power surge?
Passive: Can the computer, which was damaged by the power surge, be fixed by you?
Active: Will they announce the winner of the competition at the end of the ceremony?
Passive: Will the winner of the competition be announced at the end of the ceremony by
them?
Active: Have you invited him to the meeting that we scheduled for next week?
Passive: Has he been invited to the meeting that we scheduled for next week by you?
Exercise 3: Change the following indirect questions from active to passive voice.
Active: She asked, “Can you pass me the salt?”
Passive: She asked if the salt could be passed by you.
Active: He wanted to know, “Did you finish the report?”
Passive: He wanted to know if the report had been finished by you.
Active: She inquired, “Has the package arrived?”
Passive: She inquired if the package had arrived.
Active: They wondered, “Will you join us for dinner?”
Passive: They wondered if you would join them for dinner.
Active: I asked, “Is the project due tomorrow?”
Passive: I asked if the project was due tomorrow.
Download and Learn in depth about Voice Rules Here!
Active-and-Passive-Voice-Rules-ChartDownload

FAQs
What is interrogative sentence voice change?

Interrogative sentence voice change refers to the conversion of an interrogative sentence from
active voice to passive voice or vice versa. Interrogative sentences are questions, and they can
be formed using different interrogative words, such as “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,”
“how,” and “why.”
What is the difference between active voice and passive voice?

In active voice, the subject acts as the verb. In passive voice, the object of the action is
emphasized, and the subject becomes the agent of the action.
Can I use interrogative sentence voice change in all types of sentences?

No, interrogative sentence voice change is not appropriate for all types of sentences. For
example, it is not typically used in imperative sentences or declarative sentences.

Changing interrogative sentences into the passive

MARCH 24, 2015 -

Read the following sentences.

Active voice: Did she recognize you?

Passive voice: Were you recognized by her?

Active voice: Can anybody cure it?

Passive voice: Can it be cured (by anybody)?

 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?

Active voice: When will they announce the results?

Passive voice: When will the results be announced (by them)?

Notes

The primary auxiliary verbs do, does or did does not appear in the passive form.

The verbs has, have, 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.
Active voice: Have you invited them?
Passive voice: Have they been invited by you?

Active voice: Will you help him?

Passive voice: Will he be helped by you?

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.

What did he say? (Active Voice)

What was said by him? (Passive Voice)

Whom did you invite? (Active Voice)

Who was invited by you? (Passive Voice)