There are two types of voice in English. These are
1. Active Voice
2. Passive Voice
Voice is the form, a verb takes to indicate whether the subject of the verb performs or receives the action.
Active Voice:- John repaired the toaster.
Passive Voice:- The toaster was repaired by John.
Active Voice
In a active voice, the subject of a sentence is the Performer of the action indicated by the verb and the object of a sentence receives the action of the verb. John repaired the toaster.
In the above sentence ‘John’ is the subject, who is the Performer of the action and ‘the toaster’ is the object, which is affected by the action. Whereas the verb ‘repaired’ expresses the action done by subject of the sentence.
Passive Voice
In a passive voice, the subject of sentence becomes the passive recipient of the action, because the subject is being ‘acted upon’ or ‘passive’.
The toaster was repaired by John.
‘The toaster’ is a subject in the passive voice becomes the passive recipient of the action.
Let’s Practice
1. Leena dropped the spoons into the sink.
Ans. The Spoons were dropped into sink by Leena.
2. The people elected him.
Ans. He was elected by the people.
3. I received the prize.
Ans. The prize was received by me
4. He writes a letter.
Ans. A letter is written by him.
5. They eat mangoes.
Ans. Mangoes are eaten by them.
General rules
1. Identify the subject, the verb and the object in the main sentence.
2. Change the place of object of the main sentence into the subject of the new sentence.
3. Use the suitable helping verb or auxiliary verb as per the form of tense in the main verb and number (singular, plural) of the object in the main sentence which becomes the subject of new sentence.
4. Change the verb into past participle of the verb in the new sentence.
5. Put the remaining words other than subject, verb & object from the main sentence.
6. Add the preposition ‘by’ before the object.
7. Change the subject of main sentence into the object of new sentence.
8. Use ‘being’ after helping verb, if main sentence is in continuous tense and use ‘been’ if main sentence is in perfect tense.
Useful chart for change the voice.
Verb Tenses used while changing active voice to passive voice.
The rules for using auxiliary verb for passive voice is different for each tense.
Present Tense
Simple Present Tense
Sentence is in the given below form
(subject+base form or-s or, es form+object
Change it as in the given below form
object+am/is/are + past participle+by+subject)
Avtive Voice: Sachin teaches Sonia
Passive Voice: Sonia is taught by sachin
Active Voice: They eat mangoes
Passive Voice: Mangoes are eaten by them.
Present Perfect Tense
Sentence is in the given below form
(subject+have/ has/ + – ed/-en+object
Change it as in the given below form
object+have/ has+been-ed/ en+by+subject)
Active Voice: She has completed the work.
Passive Voice: The work has been completed by her.
Present Progressive (Continuous) Tense
Sentence is in the given below form
(subject+am/is/are+-ing+object
Change it as in the given below form
object+am/is/are+being +-ed/en+by+subject)
Active Voice: They are eating mangoes.
Passive Voice: Mangoes are being eaten by them.
Present Perfect Progressive Tense
Sentence is in the given below form
(subject+have/has+been+-ing+object
Change it as in the given below form
object+have/has/been+being+- ed/en+by+subject)
Active Voice: Harsh has been teaching English for ten years.
Passive Voice: English have been being taught for ten years by Harsh.
Example 1:
Active Voice: The cat chased the mouse.
Passive Voice: The mouse was chased by the cat.
Explanation: In the active voice sentence, “the cat” is the subject performing the action, while “chased” is the verb. In the passive voice sentence, “the mouse” becomes the subject that receives the action, and “was chased” is the passive form of the verb.
Example 2:
Active Voice: She is reading a book.
Passive Voice: A book is being read by her.
Explanation: In the active voice, “She” is the subject, and “is reading” is the verb. In the passive voice, “A book” becomes the subject, and “is being read” is the passive form of the verb.
Example 3:
Active Voice: They built a new house.
Passive Voice: A new house was built by them.
Explanation: In the active voice, “They” is the subject, and “built” is the verb. In the passive voice, “A new house” becomes the subject, and “was built” is the passive form of the verb.
Now, let’s practice converting passive voice sentences into active voice:
Example 4:
Passive Voice: The cake was eaten by Sarah.
Active Voice: Sarah ate the cake.
Explanation: In the passive voice, “The cake” is the subject that receives the action, and “was eaten” is the passive form of the verb. In the active voice, “Sarah” is the subject performing the action, and “ate” is the verb.
Example 5:
Passive Voice: The report will be submitted by John tomorrow.
Active Voice: John will submit the report tomorrow.
Explanation: In the passive voice, “The report” is the subject, and “will be submitted” is the passive form of the verb. In the active voice, “John” is the subject performing the action, and “will submit” is the verb.
Example 6:
Passive Voice: The movie was watched by a large audience.
Active Voice: A large audience watched the movie.
Explanation: In the passive voice, “The movie” is the subject that receives the action, and “was watched” is the passive form of the verb. In the active voice, “A large audience” is the subject performing the action, and “watched” is the verb.
Here are more examples of sentences in both active and passive voice, along with their corresponding counterparts:
Active Voice to Passive Voice:
1. Active: The chef prepared a delicious meal.
Passive: A delicious meal was prepared by the chef.
2. Active: The teacher teaches the students grammar.
Passive: The students are taught grammar by the teacher.
3. Active: They will open the store at 9 AM.
Passive: The store will be opened at 9 AM by them.
4. Active: The company awarded him the Employee of the Year.
Passive: He was awarded the Employee of the Year by the company.
5. Active: She is writing a song.
Passive: A song is being written by her.
6. Active: They built a sandcastle on the beach.
Passive: A sandcastle was built on the beach by them.
7. Active: She sings beautiful songs at the concert.
Passive: Beautiful songs are sung by her at the concert.
8. Active: The chef is cooking a special dish in the kitchen.
Passive: A special dish is being cooked by the chef in the kitchen.
9. Active: The teacher will assign homework to the students.
Passive: Homework will be assigned to the students by the teacher.
10. Active: The gardener has planted colorful flowers in the garden.
Passive: Colorful flowers have been planted in the garden by the gardener.
Passive Voice to Active Voice:
1. Passive: The book was read by me last night.
Active: I read the book last night.
2. Passive: The door was left open by someone.
Active: Someone left the door open.
3. Passive: The letter will be sent by the postman tomorrow.
Active: The postman will send the letter tomorrow.
4. Passive: The project has been completed by the team.
Active: The team has completed the project.
5. Passive: The cake had been eaten by the time we arrived.
Active: We arrived after the cake had been eaten.
6. Passive: The letter was written by her yesterday.
Active: She wrote the letter yesterday.
7. Passive: The car will be fixed by the mechanic tomorrow.
Active: The mechanic will fix the car tomorrow.
8. Passive: A new song is being composed by the musician.
Active: The musician is composing a new song.
9. Passive: The building has been painted by the workers.
Active: The workers have painted the building.
10. Passive: The treasure was discovered by the archaeologists.
Active: The archaeologists discovered the treasure.
Here are some word registers with examples for practice, focusing on changing the voice or perspective:
1. Active Voice Verbs:
– Run
– Write
– Paint
– Sing
– Jump
– Eat
Example (Active Voice): “She runs a marathon every year.”
Example (Passive Voice): “A marathon is run by her every year.”
2. First-Person Pronouns:
– I
– Me
– My
– Mine
– Myself
Example (First Person): “I will finish the project today.”
Example (Third Person): “She will finish the project today.”
3. Direct Speech:
– Said
– Told
– Asked
– Shouted
– Whispered
– Inquired
Example (Direct Speech): “She said, ‘I’ll be there in a minute.'”
Example (Indirect Speech): “She told me that she would be there in a minute.”
4. Question Words:
– Who
– What
– When
– Where
– Why
– How
Example (Question): “Who is coming to the party?”
Example (Statement): “She is coming to the party.”
5. Adverbs of Manner:
– Quickly
– Carefully
– Quietly
– Happily
– Slowly
– Loudly
Example (Adverb of Manner): “He spoke loudly during the presentation.”
Example (Without Adverb): “He spoke during the presentation.”
6. Negative Words:
– Not
– No
– Never
– None
– Neither
– Nowhere
Example (Negative): “She did not attend the meeting.”
Example (Positive): “She attended the meeting.”
7. Comparative Adjectives:
– Better
– Worse
– Smaller
– Larger
– Taller
– Shorter
Example (Comparative): “This car is better than the one we saw yesterday.”
Example (Positive): “This car is good.”
8. Imperative Verbs:
– Stop
– Go
– Listen
– Cook
– Wait
– Read
Example (Imperative): “Please go to the store and buy some milk.”
Example (Statement): “She went to the store and bought some milk.”
9. Conditional Words:
– If
– Unless
– When
– Provided
– Suppose
– Even if
Example (Conditional): “If it rains, we’ll stay indoors.”
Example (Non-Conditional): “We’ll stay indoors.”
10. Abstract Nouns:
– Love
– Happiness
– Freedom
– Knowledge
– Success
– Beauty
Example (Abstract Noun): “Love conquers all.”
Example (Concrete Noun): “The cat conquered the wall.”
These word registers can help you practice changing voice, tense, and perspective in your writing and conversation, which is essential for effective communication and storytelling.