ACTIVE – PASSIVE VOICE

GENERAL INFORMATION
 With the active voice, you learn ‘who’ or ‘what’ is responsible for the action at the
beginning of the sentence. In other words, when the subject acts, the verb is active.
Sarah wrote the letter.

 With the passive voice, you either learn at the end of the clause or sentence who is
responsible for the action or you aren’t told at all.
The letter was written by the manager.
The decision was made.

 The passive is appropriate

• For typical situations
• Robots are used for repetitive action.
• To avoid direct responsibility
• A mistake was made.
• When who performed the action of the verb isn’t known or is irrelevant
• The decision was made.
• For emphasis
• The yellow car was destroyed by the bus. (not the blue car)
 USE OF PASSIVE
 Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not
important or not known, however, who or what is
performing the action.
My bike was stolen.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike
was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

 Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active

voice, as the following:
A mistake was made.
In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made,
but I do not blame anyone
 FORM OF PASSIVE

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle

A letter was written.
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice:
 the object of the active sentence becomes the
subject of the passive sentence
 the finite form of the verb is changed (to be +
past participle)
 the subject of the active sentence becomes the
object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)
 IMPORTANT! (ACTIVE TO PASSIVE VOICE)
To change a sentence from active to passive voice, do the following:
     1.  Move  the active sentence's direct object into the sentence's subject 
slot
 IMPORTANT!
 Place the active sentence's subject into a  phrase beginning with the 
preposition by
 IMPORTANT
 Add a form of the auxiliary verb be to the main verb and change the  main
verb's form
 IMPORTANT! (PASSIVE TO ACTIVE VOICE)
To change a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence, simply
reverse the steps shown above.
       Move  the passive sentence's subject into the active  sentence's  direct
object slot.
 IMPORTANT!
Remove  the auxiliary verb be from the main verb and change main verb's form
if needed
 IMPORTANT!
Place the passive sentence's object of the preposition by into the subject slot.
 Write passive sentences in Simple Present.

Write passive sentences in Simple Present.

• the documents / print 

• ___________________________________
• the window / open 
• ___________________________________
• the shoes / buy 
• ___________________________________
• the car / wash
• ___________________________________ 
• the litter / throw away 
• ___________________________________
• the letter / send 
• ___________________________________
• the book / read / not 
• ___________________________________
• the songs / sing / not 
• ___________________________________
• the food / eat / not 
• ___________________________________
• the shop / close / not 
• ___________________________________
 Rewrite the sentences in passive voice in Simple Past.

• She sang a song.

• A SONG WAS SUNG BY HER______________________________ 
• Somebody hit me.
• ______________________________ 
• We stopped the bus.
• ______________________________ 
• A thief stole my car.
• ______________________________ 
• They didn't let him go.They let him go /He was let go by them. /He wasn’t let go by them.
• ______________________________ 
• She didn't win the prize.
• ______________________________
• They didn't make their beds.
• ______________________________ 
• I did not tell them.
• ______________________________ 
• Did you tell them?
• ______________________________
• Did he send the letter?
• ______________________________ 
 Rewrite the sentences in passive voice in Present Perfect .

• Kerrie has paid the bill.

• THE BILL HAS BEEN PAID BY KERRIE_____________________________ 
• I have eaten a hamburger.
• _____________________________
• We have cycled five miles.
• _____________________________
• I have opened the present.
• _____________________________
• They have not read the book.
• _____________________________
• You have not sent the parcel.
• _____________________________
• We have not agreed to this issue.
• _____________________________
• They have not caught the thieves.
• _____________________________
• Has she phoned him?
• _____________________________
• Have they noticed us?
• ______________________________
 Rewrite the sentences in passive voice.(mixed)

• John collects money.

• ____________________________
• Anna opened the window.
• ____________________________
• We have done our homework.
• ____________________________
• I will ask a question.
• ____________________________
• He can cut out the picture.
• ____________________________
• The sheep ate a lot of grains.
• ____________________________
• We do not clean our rooms.
• ____________________________
• William will not repair the car.
• ____________________________
• Did Sue draw this circle?
• ____________________________
• Could you feed the dog?
• ____________________________
FATMA SALİHA İŞLEK