15. Active and Passive Voice

Overview

Understanding how to construct sentences in both active and passive voices is essential for clear and versatile communication. This chapter explains the mechanisms of shifting focus between the performer of an action and the recipient. By mastering these transformations across various tenses, you will enhance your writing style and grammatical precision.

Definition

Voice is a grammatical category that describes the relationship between the action expressed by the verb and the participants identified by its arguments. When a sentence is in the active voice, the subject performs the action described by the verb. In contrast, when a sentence is in the passive voice, the subject undergoes or receives the action instead of performing it.

Key Rules

  1. 1. Fundamental Shift in Sentence Structure

    In an active construction, the actor sits in the subject position, followed by the verb and the target of the action. When converting to passive, the target becomes the new subject, the verb is modified to include a form of 'to be' alongside the past participle, and the original actor is placed in a prepositional phrase starting with 'by'.

    Show example Example

    Active: The boy kicks the ball. Passive: The ball is kicked by the boy.

  2. 2. Present Simple Transformation

    For sentences expressing habitual or factual actions in the present tense, active verbs in their base or -s/-es form change in the passive voice to a present form of 'be' (is, am, or are) followed by the past participle of the main verb.

    Show example Example

    Active: Jane cleans the room. Passive: The room is cleaned by Jane.

  3. 3. Past Simple Transformation

    When dealing with completed past actions, the active past tense verb becomes a combination of 'was' (for singular subjects) or 'were' (for plural subjects) and the past participle of the verb in the passive construction.

    Show example Example

    Active: The artist painted a portrait. Passive: A portrait was painted by the artist.

  4. 4. Present Continuous Transformation

    To express ongoing actions, active present continuous verbs (is, am, or are + verb ending in -ing) are converted by placing 'being' between the present form of 'be' and the past participle of the main verb.

    Show example Example

    Active: The chefs are preparing the salad. Passive: The salad is being prepared by the chefs.

  5. 5. Present Perfect Transformation

    For actions completed at an unspecified time in the present, the active verb structure (has or have + past participle) shifts in the passive voice by inserting 'been' between the auxiliary verb and the past participle.

    Show example Example

    Active: The researcher has written the report. Passive: The report has been written by the researcher.

  6. 6. Future Simple Transformation

    For simple future actions, the active combination of 'will' or 'shall' followed by the base verb is converted in the passive voice to 'will' or 'shall' followed by 'be' and the past participle.

    Show example Example

    Active: The committee will approve the project. Passive: The project will be approved by the committee.

  7. 7. Handling Modal Auxiliaries

    When active sentences contain modal verbs such as 'can', 'must', 'should', 'may', or 'could' followed by a base verb, the passive counterpart is formed by keeping the modal verb, adding 'be', and then using the past participle of the main verb.

    Show example Example

    Active: Students must submit the assignment. Passive: The assignment must be submitted by students.

  8. 8. Omission of the Agent

    The prepositional phrase containing the performer of the action (by + agent) is frequently left out in passive sentences if the actor is anonymous, irrelevant, or completely obvious from the context.

    Show example Example

    Active: Someone broke the window. Passive: The window was broken.

Example Sentences

  1. Example 1

    Active: The gardener waters the plants. Passive: The plants are watered by the gardener.

    Why this works

    Shows a simple present tense change where the plural object 'plants' takes 'are' in the passive voice.

  2. Example 2

    Active: The author published a novel. Passive: A novel was published by the author.

    Why this works

    Demonstrates simple past tense conversion using 'was' for a singular past-tense subject.

  3. Example 3

    Active: The mechanic is fixing the vehicle. Passive: The vehicle is being fixed by the mechanic.

    Why this works

    Illustrates the present continuous tense, introducing 'being' to denote ongoing action.

  4. Example 4

    Active: The supervisor has inspected the building. Passive: The building has been inspected by the supervisor.

    Why this works

    Highlights the present perfect tense structure, using 'has been' with the past participle.

  5. Example 5

    Active: The architect will design the library. Passive: The library will be designed by the architect.

    Why this works

    Displays the simple future tense transformation using 'will be' with the past participle.

Common Errors

  • The song was sang by the choir.

    The song was sung by the choir.

  • The email is send by the manager.

    The email is sent by the manager.

  • The report is being finished yesterday.

    The report was being finished yesterday.

  • She was offered a promotion by the company to her.

    She was offered a promotion by the company.

Key Takeaways

  • The active voice highlights who performed the action, whereas the passive voice emphasizes the recipient of the action.
  • The core formula for passive voice consists of the direct object becoming the subject, followed by an appropriate form of 'to be' and the past participle of the action verb.
  • The auxiliary verb 'to be' must be conjugated to match both the grammatical tense of the sentence and the number of the new subject.
  • The actor ('by + agent') should be omitted if their identity is obvious, unknown, or irrelevant to the message.
  • Only transitive verbs, which accept direct objects, are eligible for passive voice transformation.
  • Using the passive voice is common in academic, scientific, or formal contexts where the event or result is more significant than the person performing it.
  • Switching to passive voice shifts the reader's attention from the agent to the action or the entity affected by the action.
  • When converting sentences with modals, insert the word 'be' between the modal auxiliary and the past participle of the main verb.

Practice - Set 1

  1. Convert the following sentence to the passive voice: 'The children paint the murals.'

  2. Convert the following sentence to the passive voice: 'He has washed the dishes.'

  3. Convert the following sentence to the active voice: 'The tree was planted by the gardener.'

  4. Convert the following sentence to the passive voice: 'The workers are paving the street.'

  5. Convert the following sentence to the passive voice: 'The doctor will perform the surgery.'

  6. Identify which of the following sentences is written in the passive voice.

  7. Convert the following sentence to the passive voice, omitting the agent where appropriate: 'Somebody has taken my keys.'

Practice - Set 2

  1. Convert the following sentence to the passive voice: 'You must sign this contract.'

  2. Convert the following sentence to the active voice: 'The concert is being recorded by the crew.'

  3. Select the sentence that CANNOT be transformed into the passive voice.

  4. Convert the following sentence to the passive voice: 'The team could have won the championship.'

  5. Which of the following is the correct passive form of: 'The manager gave the employees a bonus.'

Live speaking practice

Speak it out: Active and Passive Voice

You are at an event management agency in Bengaluru, updating your senior manager about the preparations for a major corporate launch happening tomorrow.

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