💁Active and Passive Voice in English, including their types and examples

Active and Passive Voice

1. Active Voice

In Active Voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action.

  • Structure: Subject + Verb + Object

  • Example:

    • "She (subject) eats (verb) an apple (object)."

2. Passive Voice

In Passive Voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action, and the focus is on the object or the action itself, rather than who is performing it.💁

  • Structure: Subject + Auxiliary verb (is/are/was/were) + Past Participle of the Main Verb + (by + Agent)

  • Example:

    • "An apple (subject) is eaten (verb) by her (agent)."

How to Convert Active to Passive Voice

To convert a sentence from active to passive, follow these steps:

  1. Identify the subject, verb, and object in the active sentence.

  2. Move the object of the active sentence to the subject position.

  3. Change the verb to the appropriate form of the verb “be” + past participle of the main verb.

  4. If necessary, add the agent (the person performing the action) using “by”.

Types of Sentences in Active and Passive Voice

Let’s go over the different types of sentences (tenses) and how they change from Active Voice to Passive Voice.

1. Present Simple Tense

  • Active Voice:

    • She writes a letter.

    • Passive Voice:

    • A letter is written by her.

2. Present Continuous Tense

  • Active Voice:

    • They are playing football.

    • Passive Voice:

    • Football is being played by them.

3. Present Perfect Tense

  • Active Voice:

    • He has finished the work.

    • Passive Voice:

    • The work has been finished by him.

4. Past Simple Tense

  • Active Voice:

    • She taught the students.

    • Passive Voice:

    • The students were taught by her.

5. Past Continuous Tense

  • Active Voice:

    • They were watching a movie.

    • Passive Voice:

    • A movie was being watched by them.

6. Past Perfect Tense

  • Active Voice:

    • He had completed the project.

    • Passive Voice:

    • The project had been completed by him.

7. Future Simple Tense

  • Active Voice:

    • She will finish the report.

    • Passive Voice:

    • The report will be finished by her.

8. Future Continuous Tense

  • Active Voice:

    • They will be helping the customers.

    • Passive Voice:

    • The customers will be helped by them.

9. Future Perfect Tense

  • Active Voice:

    • He will have completed the task.

    • Passive Voice:

    • The task will have been completed by him.

Special Cases

  1. Imperative Sentences (Commands/Requests)
    In imperative sentences, the subject (usually "you") is not stated. The passive voice is formed by adding "let" before the verb in the passive form.

    • Active:

      • Close the door.

    • Passive:

      • Let the door be closed.

Examples of Active and Passive Voice-

Active VoicePassive Voice
She sings a song.A song is sung by her.
The chef is preparing the meal.The meal is being prepared by the chef.
I have read the book.The book has been read by me.
They built the house last year.The house was built by them last year.
We were studying the lessons.The lessons were being studied by us.
The manager will deliver the speech tomorrow.The speech will be delivered by the manager tomorrow.
They had finished their homework.Their homework had been finished by them.
I will write the letter.The letter will be written by me.
Someone is going to fix the car.The car is going to be fixed by someone.
She told me to open the window.I was told to open the window by her.

Key Points to Remember

  1. Active Voice: The subject performs the action.

    • Example: She writes a letter.

  2. Passive Voice: The object becomes the subject, and the action is received by the subject.

    • Example: A letter is written by her.

  3. Verb Tenses: When converting to passive, the tense of the verb changes according to the tense in active voice (e.g., present simple becomes "is/are" + past participle).

  4. Agent (optional): In passive voice, the agent (the doer) is often optional. If included, it follows the verb with "by" (e.g., "by her," "by them").

  5. Imperatives: In passive voice for commands or requests, "let" is used.

Practice Time!

Convert the following active voice sentences into passive voice

  1. Active Voice: The teacher explains the lesson
    Passive Voice: The lesson is explained by the teacher.

  2. Active Voice: They are making a cake.
    Passive Voice: A cake is being made by them.

  3. Active Voice: He will clean the room.
    Passive Voice: The room will be cleaned by him.

  4. Active Voice: The children played football.
    Passive Voice: Football was played by the children.

  5. Active Voice: We had completed the assignment.
    Passive Voice: The assignment had been completed by us.

Explanation of Changes:

  • Tense: In each sentence, the verb changes based on the tense of the active sentence:

    • Present Simple ("explains") → Present Simple passive ("is explained")

    • Present Continuous ("are making") → Present Continuous passive ("is being made")

    • Future Simple ("will clean") → Future Simple passive ("will be cleaned")

    • Past Simple ("played") → Past Simple passive ("was played")

    • Past Perfect ("had completed") → Past Perfect passive ("had been completed")

  • Agent: The agent (the person doing the action) is mentioned at the end of the sentence in passive voice using "by."