ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE In English language verbs can be used in two ways. That is active voice and passive voice. ACTIVE VOICE When the subject of a sentence is active and given more importance is known as Active voice. Ex I eat a Samosa. Subject Verb Object In the above sentence I is the subject and it is active. Subject is responsible and important to perform the action. So it is called as ACTIVE voice. PASSIVE VOICE When in a sentence the action is more important than the subject of the sentence and Subject acts passively in the sentence, it is known as Passive voice. Ex A Samosa is eaten by me. Object Verb Subject The above sentence is in passive voice as the object and the action performed on the object is given more importance. Subject of the sentence seems passive. The action of eating Samosa seems to be getting done from the subject. GUIDELINES TO CHANGE THE VOICE Page 1
To change the voice of any sentence there must be a TRANSITIVE verb in the active voice. Sentence without transitive verb cannot be changed into passive voice. Verbs are of two type 1) Transitive 2) Intransitive When a verb needs an object to fulfill the meaning of the sentence that verb is known as Transitive verb. Ex. Rama eats a banana I drive a car In the above example Vreb eat and Drive are transitive verb which needs an object to give complete meaning to the sentence. If the sentence ends without an object it will be incomplete. Ex. Rama eats. I drive. The above sentence seems incomplete as we are not able to give the answer the question: Rama eats what? What I drive? Following are the examples of some Intransitive Verbs Bring, Take, drink, beat, steal, take, learn, teach etc When a verb does not need an object to fulfill the meaning of the sentence that verb is known as Intransitive verb. Ex. She laughs. Page 2
Birds fly In the above example Verb laugh and fly are intransitive verb which does not need an object to give complete meaning to the sentence. Following are the examples of some Intransitive Verbs Eat, smile, sleep, go, come, dance, laugh etc If the sentence in perfect continuous tense, it can not be changed into Passive voice. Following tenses cannot be changed into passive voice. PRESENT PERFECT COMTINUOUS PAST PERFECT COMTINUOUS FUTURE PERFECT COMTINUOUS In active voice subject comes first but in passive voice object comes first. Ex. Minister has declared a package. (Active Voice) A package has been declared by the Minister Following changes take place when we change active voice into passive voice. Only verb s past participle (Third form of verb) is used in the passive voice. Ex. She knew the idea. The idea is known to her (Active) (Passive) Following changes take place when we change active voice into passive voice. Page 3
I becomes me in Passive voice We becomes us He becomes him She becomes her They becomes them Following subjects remain same in active & passive voice. It remains it You remains you CONVERSATION OF ACTIVE TO PASSIVE VOICE Simple Present Tense. Sub + verb + object Object + to be form + verb P.P. + subject She watchs movies everyday Movies are watched by her every day. They watch movies everyday Movies are watched by them every day In present tense appropriate form of be that is am, is, are must be used. In the above examples watches and watch changed into watched. And She became her, They became Them Simple Past Tense. Sub + verb + object Object + to be form + verb P.P. + subject Page 4
She watched movies everyday Movies was watched by her every day. They watched movies everyday Movies was watched by them every day In past tense appropriate form of be that is was, were must be used. In the above examples watches and watch changed into watched. And She became her, They became Them Simple Future Tense. Sub + verb + object Object + to be form + verb P.P. + subject She will watch movies everyday They will watch movies everyday Movies will be watched by her every day. Movies will be watched by them every day In future tense appropriate form of be that is will be, shall be must be used. In the above examples watches and watch changed into watched. And She became her, They became Them Present Continuous Tense. Sub +be + verb(ing) + object Object + being + verb P.P. + subject Page 5
She is watching movies everyday They are watching movies everyday Movies are being watched by her every day. Movies are being watched by them every day In continuous tense appropriate form of be that is being must be used. In the above examples watches and watch changed into watched. And She became her, They became Them Past Continuous Tense. Sub +be + verb(ing) + object Object + being + verb P.P. + subject She was watching movies everyday They were watching movies everyday Movies were being watched by her every day. Movies were being watched by them every day In continuous tense appropriate form of be that is being must be used. In the above examples watches and watch changed into watched. And She became her, They became Them Future Continuous Tense. A sentence in future continuous tense cannot be changed into passive voice Page 6
Present Perfect Tense. Sub + have/has + verb(ing) + object Object + have/has + been + verb P.P. + subject She has watched movies everyday They have watched movies everyday Movies have been watched by her every day. Movies have been watched by them every day In present perfect tense appropriate form of have that is have, has must be used. In the above examples watches and watch changed into watched. And She became her ; They became Them Past Perfect Tense. Sub + had + verb(ing) + object Object + had + been + verb P.P. + subject She had watched movies everyday They had watched movies everyday Movies had been watched by her every day. Movies had been watched by them every day In past perfect tense appropriate form of have that is had must be used. In the above examples watches and watch changed into watched. And She became her ; They became Them Page 7
Future Perfect Tense. Sub + will have + verb(ing) + object Object + will have + been + verb P.P. + subject She will have watched movies everyday They will have watched movies everyday Movies will have been watched by her every day. Movies will have been watched by them every day In present perfect tense appropriate form of have that is have, has must be used. In the above examples watches and watch changed into watched. And She became her ; They became Them ACTIVE TO PASSIVE VOICE OF CAN, MAY, MIGHT, SHOULD, MUST, OUGHT TO We can convert the active voice sentence with the help of rules applied to be form (am, is, are, was, were, shall, will) and have forms (have, has, had, will have) in the tense. CAN Page 8
Subject+can+verb+object I can read the book She can play cricket They can call you Object+can be+ verb3+by+ subject The book can be read by me Cricket can be played by her You can be called by them MAY Subject+may+verb+object I may read the book She may play cricket They may call you Object + may be+ verb3 + by+ subject The book may be read by me Cricket may be played by her You may be called by them MIGHT Subject+might+verb+object I might read the book She might play cricket They might call you Object + might be+ verb3 + by+ subject The book might be read by me Cricket might be played by her You might be called by them SHOULD Subject+should+verb+object I should read the book She should play cricket They should call you Object +should be+ verb3 + by+ subject The book should be read by me Cricket should be played by her You should be called by them MUST Page 9
Subject+must+verb+object I must read the book She must play cricket They must call you Object +must be+ verb3 + by+ subject The book must be read by me Cricket must be played by her You must be called by them OUGHT TO Subject+ought to+verb+object I must ought to the book She ought to play cricket They ought to call you Object +ought to be+ verb3 + by+ subject The book ought to be read by me Cricket ought to be played by her You ought to be called by them MAY HAVE, MIGHT HAVE, SHOULD HAVE, MUST HAVE, OUGHT TO HAVE MAY HAVE Subject+may have+verb3+object Object+may have been+verb3+by+subject You may have seen it Rita may have taken the book College may have declared the holiday It may have been seen by you The book may have been taken by Rita The holiday may have been declared by college MIGHT HAVE Subject+might have+verb3+object You might have seen it Rita might have taken the book Object+might have been+verb3+by+subject It might have been seen by you The book might have been taken by Rita Page 10
College might have declared the holiday The holiday might have been declared by college SHOULD HAVE Subject+should have+verb3+object Object+should have been+verb3+by+subject You should have seen it Rita should have taken the book College should have declared the holiday It should have been seen by you The book should have been taken by Rita The holiday should have been declared by college MUST HAVE Subject+must have+verb3+object Object+must have been+verb3+by+subject You must have seen it Rita must have taken the book College must have declared the holiday It must have been seen by you The book should have been taken by Rita The holiday must have been declared by college OUGHT HAVE Subject+ought have+verb3+object Object+ought have been+verb3+by+subject You ought have seen it Rita ought have taken the book College ought have declared the holiday It ought have been seen by you The book ought have been taken by Rita The holiday ought have been declared by college Passive voice of imperative sentences (Order, request, command) Page 11
A sentence which expresses command or request or advice is called imperative sentence. Example: Open the window. Turn off the fan. Bring a glass of water. To change active imperative sentence into passive imperative sentence: 1. The word Let is added before sentence in passive voice. 2. Auxiliary verb be is added after object in sentence in passive voice. 3. Main verb (base form) of imperative sentence is changed to 3rd form of verb (past participle) in passive voice. Verb+object Let+object+be+verb3 Revise your book. Speak the truth. Help the poor. Learn your lesson. Kill the snake. Punish him. Open the door. Let your book be revised. Let the truth be spoken. Let the poor be helped. Let your lesson be learnt. Let the snake be killed. Let him be punished. Let the door be opened. Page 12
Complete the work. Open the door. Turn off the television. Clean your room. Let the worked be completed. Let the door be opened. Let the television be tuned off. Let your room be cleaned. Passive voice of interrogative sentences A sentence which asks question is called interrogative sentence. Example: Will you open the window. Can you turn off the fan have you passed the exam To change active interrogative sentence into passive interrogative sentence: 1. Begin the sentence with the model (auxiliary) verb. 2. Auxiliary verb be is added after object in sentence in passive voice. 3. For helping verb been is added before the object. Page 13
4. Main verb (base form) of imperative sentence is changed to 3rd form of verb (past participle) in passive voice. Will you open the window? Can you turn off the fan? Have you passed the exam? Have you invited him? Did she give you the ball? Will you tell me a story? Who broke the window Will the window be opened by you? Can the fan be turned off by you? Has the exam been passed by you? Has he been invited by you? Was the ball given to you by her? Will a story be told to me by you? By whom was the window broken? Have you finished the work? Has the work been finished by you? When will you announce the result? When the result will be announced by you? Can it be cured? Can be it cured (by anybody) Passive voice of negative sentences A sentence which has negation in it is called negative sentence. Example: I will not give you. They can not win the match. He has not completed it. To change active negative sentence into passive negative sentence: Page 14
1. With model verbs like have, has, had been is added after the negation. 2. Except have, has, had, for other model verb be is added after the negation. 3. Main verb (base form) of negative sentence is changed to 3rd form of verb (past participle) in passive voice. 4. DO form changes asfollows: ACTIVE PASSIVE DO (After the subject) am/is/are (After the objet) Did as/were Subject+be+not+verb+object Object+be+not+verb3+by+subject I will not give you They can not win the match He has not completed it I do not like this music Ketan did not seen Bangalore Sandeep had not sold his car Rajnkant has never seen the failure Shantanu did not open a shop He do not likes excuses You will not be given. The match can not be won by them It has not been completed by him This music is not liked by me. Bangalore was not seen by Ketan Sandeep s car had not been sold by him Failure has not been seen by Rajnikant. A shop was not opened by Santanu Excuses are not liked by him Page 15
EXERCISE 1. Negative thinking causes depression. 2. Gagan won the bronze medal. 3. Government has passed the resolution. 4. Police will have caught the culprit. 5. Can I take your pen? 6. Who scored the best goal? 7. Teacher is not reading the book. 8. Pass the report. 9. Procrastination delays the success. 10.Country offers free education. 11.The tiger killed the deer. 12.A dog was licking the brade. 13.Shall we visit the museum? 14.Mr Rajat might have disclosed the secret. 15.India had won the worldcup. 16.That boy of yours has broken my window again. 17.My grandfather has built this house. 18.Army will have abandoned the tank. 19.What you say cannot be believed. 20.Nobody loves him. Page 16