Active and Passive Voice: Full-Length Notes

Topic: Changing the Voice of Sentences

1. What is Voice in Grammar?

Voice refers to the form of a verb that shows whether the subject of a sentence performs the action (active voice) or receives the action (passive voice).

2. Active Voice

The subject performs the action.
The focus is on the doer (subject).
Structure: Subject + Verb + Object

Examples:

The chef cooked the meal.
The teacher explains the lesson.

3. Passive Voice

The subject receives the action.
The focus is on the receiver (object).
Structure: Object + Form of ‘be’ + Past Participle + (by + Subject)

Examples:

The meal was cooked by the chef.
The lesson is explained by the teacher.

4. Why Use Passive Voice?

When the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious.
To emphasize the action or the receiver.
To sound more formal or objective (common in scientific and official writing).

5. Rules for Changing Voice

A. Identify the Subject, Verb, and Object

Active: The dog (subject) bit (verb) the man (object).
Passive: The man (subject) was bitten (verb) by the dog (agent).

B. Move the Object to the Subject Position

The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

C. Change the Verb Form

Use the appropriate form of “be” + past participle of the main verb.
Tense of the verb remains the same.

D. Add “by + Agent” (if needed)

The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent in the passive sentence, introduced by “by.”
If the agent is unknown or unimportant, it can be omitted.

6. Passive Voice Structures for Different Tenses

Tense	Active Voice Example	Passive Voice Example
Simple Present	She writes a letter.	A letter is written by her.
Present Continuous	She is writing a letter.	A letter is being written by her.
Present Perfect	She has written a letter.	A letter has been written by her.
Simple Past	She wrote a letter.	A letter was written by her.
Past Continuous	She was writing a letter.	A letter was being written by her.
Past Perfect	She had written a letter.	A letter had been written by her.
Simple Future	She will write a letter.	A letter will be written by her.
Future Perfect	She will have written a letter.	A letter will have been written by her.

7. Changing Imperative Sentences

Active: Open the door.
Passive: Let the door be opened.
Active: Please help me.
Passive: You are requested to help me.

8. Changing Interrogative Sentences

Active: Did she write the letter?
Passive: Was the letter written by her?
Active: Who broke the window?
Passive: By whom was the window broken?

9. When Not to Use Passive Voice

When the doer is important or needs emphasis.
In informal or direct instructions.
To avoid awkward or unclear sentences.

10. Common Errors and Tips

Do not change the tense when changing the voice.
Use the correct form of “be” (is, am, are, was, were, been, being).
Do not use “by” if the agent is unknown, general, or not needed.
Some verbs (intransitive) cannot be changed into passive voice (e.g., sleep, go, arrive).

11. Practice Examples

Active to Passive:

The manager will approve the proposal.
→ The proposal will be approved by the manager.
They are painting the house.
→ The house is being painted by them.

Passive to Active:

The song was sung by the child.
→ The child sang the song.
The results have been announced.
→ Someone has announced the results.

12. Summary Table: Steps to Change Voice

Step	Action
1. Identify	Subject, verb, object in the sentence
2. Swap	Move object to subject position
3. Verb Form	Use correct “be” form + past participle
4. Agent	Add “by + subject” if necessary
5. Tense	Keep the original tense

Summary:
Active and passive voice are essential for clear and effective communication. Mastering the rules for changing voice helps you write more precisely and understand sentence structure better. Practice regularly to recognize and convert between active and passive forms with ease.

A. Convert Active to Passive Voice (1–15)

The chef prepares the meal.
The students complete their assignments.
The company launches a new product.
The artist paints the mural.
The teacher grades the exams.
The manager will approve the proposal.
The children are watching a movie.
The team was building a new playground.
The mechanic repairs the car every week.
The gardener waters the plants daily.
She has written a letter to her friend.
The police caught the thief.
They are organizing a meeting.
The workers have finished the project.
The dog bit the boy.

B. Convert Passive to Active Voice (16–30)

The meal is being prepared by the chef.
The assignments have been completed by the students.
A new product is being launched by the company.
The mural was painted by the artist.
The exams have been graded by the teacher.
The proposal will be approved by the manager.
A movie is being watched by the children.
A new playground was being built by the team.
The car is repaired by the mechanic every week.
The plants are watered by the gardener daily.
A letter has been written by her to her friend.
The thief was caught by the police.
A meeting is being organized by them.
The project has been finished by the workers.
The boy was bitten by the dog.

C. Fill in the Blanks (Choose the correct passive or active form) (31–40)

The report __________ (write) by the manager yesterday.
The house __________ (paint) by the workers right now.
The documents __________ (review) by the committee next week.
The song __________ (perform) by the band tonight.
The students __________ (study) for their exams at the moment.
The cake __________ (bake) by my mother.
The book __________ (read) by the students when the teacher arrived.
The project __________ (complete) by the end of the week.
The car __________ (wash) by the staff tomorrow.
The presentation __________ (prepare) by the team this week.

D. Identify the Voice (Active or Passive) (41–45)

The letter was posted by John.
The children are playing in the park.
The homework has been completed by the students.
The teacher explains the lesson.
The results were announced yesterday.

E. Mixed Sentence Transformation (46–50)

Change to passive: "She will deliver the message."
Change to active: "The book was written by the author."
Change to passive: "People speak English all over the world."
Change to active: "The match was won by the team."
Change to passive: "They are building a bridge over the river."

Instructions:

For conversion questions, rewrite the sentence in the required voice.
For fill-in-the-blanks, use the correct tense and voice.
For identification, state whether the sentence is active or passive.
For mixed transformation, perform the required change.

If you need answers or explanations for any question, just ask!

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GOVERNMENT EXAMS 2025

Active/Passive Voice • Changing the voice of sentences