The basic difference between active and passive voice depends on the who is the doer of the action performed. If the action is directly done by the subject itself it is called “active voice.” But, if the doer of the action is unknown and receiver becomes subject is known as “passive voice.” The “active voice” becomes more useful if you want to put direct force with clarity and straightforwardness. Otherwise, “passive voice” would be handy to emphasis unknown or irrelevant doer. So, Understanding Active and passive voice in detail is unavoidable.
“Voice” In English grammar: determines the doer of action
In English grammar, “voice” is a property or form of “verb”. It is an indicator of nature of relationship between “verb and verb participants”. In simple term, “voice” shows whether the action is done by subject or the same subject is receiver of action. Basically, “voice” have two form: active voice and passive voice. The clear understanding of these grammatical term is essential for effective exchange of ideas.
- Saudi Arabia constructs a canal.
- A canal is built by Saudi Arabia.
In the first example, it is clear that subject of the sentence is doing action of “building a canal.” While in second example, the action is received by subject.
The active voice
In “active voice”, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. It provides greater degree of clarity for the reader and listener. The reader easily understand the doer responsible for action, and no need to ponder further.
For example, “Saudi Arabia construcrs a canal” In this example, “Saudi Arabia” is the doer of the action of construction.
Examples of “active voice”
- Ocean offers marine resources
- They are wasting their time
- He won the match.
- Situation teaches many lessons
- Technology has changed our lifestyle.
- Education brings evolutionary change.
Converting Active Voice to Passive Voice: Rules and Examples
Transforming sentences from active to passive voice involves following specific grammatical rules. To begin, it is essential to identify the subject, verb, and object in the active sentence. In the active voice, the subject performs the action expressed by the verb, while in the passive voice, the subject receives the action. This fundamental shift forms the basis of the transformation.
Rules of active and passive voice
1. Change in position of subject and object
While changing to passive voice, the object takes the position of the subject and vice versa.
Teacher warns students. (Active voice)
- Subject: teacher,
- Verb: warns,
- Object: students.
On alternating positions of object to subject and vice versa
- Students are warned by the teacher (passive voice)
2. Change in verb tense
Verb changes according to tense of the sentence and third form of verb (V3)
- Students are warned by the teacher (Passive voice; simple present tense)
3. Connect the object of passive voice with “by”
4. Always use objective case of subject noun of active voice in case of personal pronouns.
- They always support new comers. (Active voice)
- New comers are always supported by them. (Passive voice; them- objective case of pronoun “they”)
5. Take indirect object first if there are two objects used in a sentence.
- “Robin gifted his brother a bike”. In this statement, ” His brother ” is the direct object of subject Robin.
In case of two objects, “indirect object” becomes the recipient of action.
- His brother was gifted a bike by Robin.
Examples of passive voice of assertive sentence
The active voice examples
- Ocean offers marine resources
- They are wasting their time
- He won the match.
- Situation teaches many lessons
- Technology has changed our lifestyle.
The passive voice examples
- Marine resources are offered by the ocean.
- Their time is being wasted by them.
- The match was won by him.
- Many lessons are taught by situation.
- Our lifestyle has been changed by technology.
Formation of Passive voice of imperative sentences
Generally, Imperative sentences are easy and quickly spoken mode of expressions in our day to day life. These types of constructions include expressions like command, order, suggestions, advice, requests etc.
Rules for making passive voice of imperative sentences
1. Begin sentence of passive voice with “Let” (when Active voice includes feeling of command or order) OR
Make following changes according to the sense of the sentence if it includes……
- Command -> you are commanded to
- Order -> you are ordered to
- Request -> you are requested to
- Advice -> you are advised to
- Proposal or Let us -> we should or it is suggested that we should
2. Use object of active voice as subject immediate after “Let”.
Some times there are two objects in the active voice. Then use second object which is the direct object immediate after “Let” and join first object of AV with “by” at last of the PV sentence
- Active voice: Let him focus on his studies.
- Passive voice : Let his studies be focused on by him.
- Active voice: Make him a favor.
- Passive voice: Let a favor be maid to him.
- Active voice: Let us solve the problem.
- Passive voice: It is suggested that we should solve the problem. (as AV starts with “Let us”)
3. Change the case of subject pronouns in active voice to objective case.)
- Use auxiliary verb “be”
- Use third form of verb or past participle.
- Do not use past participle after use of verbs like you are requested, commanded or ordered to.
- Write remaining part of the sentence.
Positive imperative Vs negative imperative sentence
Structure for passive voice of Positive Imperative Sentences
Let + object + be + past participle
Examples of passive voice of Positive Imperative sentences
- Active voice: Keep your eyes on the target
- Passive voice: Let your eyes be kept on the target.
- Active voice : Keep it up.
- Passive voice: Let it be kept up.
- Active voice: Remove your shoes here.
- Passive voice: Let your shoes be removed here.
- Active voice: Break the shackles
- Passive voice: Let the shackles be broken
- Active voice: Please, Help me.
- Passive voice: You are requested to help me
- Active voice: Catch the moment
- Passive voice: Let the moment be caught
Examples of negative imperative sentence
Structure for passive voice of Negative Imperative Sentences
Let + object ( of active voice) + not + be + past participle.
Examples of passive voice of Negative Imperative Sentences
- Active voice: Do not lose your patience
- Passive voice: You are advised not to lose your patience.
- Active voice: Do not play inside the house
- Passive voice: You are ordered not to play inside the house
- Active voice: Do not retreat back (command for soldiers)
- Passive voice: You are commanded not to retreat back.
- Active voice: Do not hesitate to express yourself
- Passive voice: You are advised not to hesitate to express yourself.
Passive voice of interrogative sentences
Understanding Important rules of making passive voice of interrogative sentences.
Active voice is changed according to the number, person of subject and tense of the sentence.
Auxiliary verbs are used according to the person or noun of the sentence.
Structure for active voice to passive voice:
Am/is/are/was/were + subject+ V3 + by + agent.
Useful examples
- Active voice: Is she invited my friends to this Christmas?
- Passive voice: Are my friends invited by her to this Christmas? (passive voice)
- Active voice: Am I made any mistake during the industrial visit?
- Passive voice: Was any mistake made by me during the industrial visit?
1. Passive voice of beginning with do/does/did Sentences
Important rules of conversion
- Object of active voice that is subject of passive voice is taken after auxiliary verb.
- Always use the third form of verb (V3).
- Join agent of sentence using preposition “by” before it.
- When active voice starts with do/does/did then structure for passive voice should be as like this:
- Is/was/were + subject (object of active voice) + V3 + by + agent (subject of active voice with its objective case)
Some useful examples
- Active voice: Does tropical cyclone affect the marine life?
- Passive voice: Is marine life affected by the tropical cyclone?
- Active voice: Did they enjoyed the party last night?
- Passive voice: Was the party enjoyed by them last night?
2. When interrogative sentences starts with Have/Has/Had:
Herein, we have to take “been” (past participle of be= V3 of be) as auxiliary verb before main verb (past participle= V3) of the sentence.
Have/has/had + subject +been + V3 + by + agent
- Active voice: Had the typhoon engulfed entire coastal province last year?
- Passive voice: Had the entire coastal province been engulfed by the typhoon last year?
- Active voice: Has she joined us in our campaign?
- Passive voice: Have we been joined by her in our campaign?
- Active voice: Has she invited my friends to this Christmas?
- Passive voice: Have my friends been invited by her to this Christmas?
3.Passive voice of sentences beginning with modal auxiliary verbs:
Rules of conversion:
Model verb cannot be changed when it comes at the beginning of the interrogative sentence. “Be” is used right before the past participle (V3) in the sentence.
Can + subject + be + V3 + by + agent
- Active voice: Can she train students properly without experience?
- Passive voice: Can the students be trained properly by her without experience?
- Active voice: Could they accept my proposal easily?
- Passive voice: Could my proposal be accepted by them easily?
4. When Interrogative sentences starts with “Wh”:
Rules of conversion:
When interrogative sentences starts with “who”then passive voice always starts with “by whom” Remaining sentence of passive voice is written as it is by using above rules of passive voice.
By whom + subject + be + V3
- Active voice: Who will take the responsibility of conservation of environment?
- Passive voice: By whom will the responsibility of conservation of environment be taken?
- Active voice: Who built this beautiful fort?
- Passive voice: By whom this beautiful fort was built?
5. Passive voice of interrogative begins with whom:
Rules of conversion:
Whom is converted into who As whom is objective case of who. Who becomes the subject of passive voice
Who + aux. verb (if any) +V3 + by +agent
- Active voice: Whom the president has appointed as secretary of the state?
- Passive voice: Who has been appointed as secretary of the state by the president?
- Active voice: Whom the Emperor declared as a real heir of the throne?
- Passive voice: Who was declared as a real heir of the throne by the Emperor?
This is all about the changing active voice to passive voice. It is applicable to assertive, interrogative and imperative sentence in the absolute sense. But, in case of exclamatory sentence, it is relatively applicable.