SENTENCE
TRANSFORMATION
VOICE
• Form of the subject to determine the
status of the Subject (Sub.)/ Object (Obj.)
• Active Voice: (V) is active
emphasis on Sub.
• Passive Voice: (V) is passive
emphasis on Obj.
ACTIVE VOICE
[Thing doing the action] + [V] + [thing receiving the action]
Sub. + V + Obj.
The professor teaches the students.
PASSIVE VOICE
[Thing receiving the action] + be [V] + by+ [thing doing the action]
Obj. + helping verbs V + Sub.
The students are taught by the professor.
DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN ACTIVE AND
PASSIVE
Three questions:
• What/who is the subject of the statement?
• What is the action/verb in the sentence?
• Is the subject of the sentence performing
the action/verb?
RULES FOR ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
• The subject of the verb in the active voice(they)
becomes the object in the Passive voice
sentences.
• It is a thumb rule that passive voice phrases, as a
rule, always use the third form of the verb, also
known as the past participle form of the verb
(example- eat, ate, eaten- eaten is the third form of
a verb).
• Auxiliary verb ‘be’ (am, is are, was, were) is added
before the past participle according to the tense of
the verb.
• Generally ‘by’ is used before the object of the
passive voice sentences.
• Present Tense
• Active- I write a novel.
• Passive- A novel is written by me.
• Structure- Subject + auxiliary verb + past participle of the
main verb+ by + object.
• Present Continuous
• Active- I am eating breakfast.
• Passive- The breakfast is being eaten by me.
• Structure- Subject + auxiliary verb + being + by + object
• Present Perfect- Use the present perfect to describe an action
occurring in the past but relevant to the present or extending to
the present.
• Active- I have played the game.
• Passive- A game has been played by me.
• Structure- Subject + has/have been + past participle + by +
object
• Past Tense-
• Active- I invited you to the party.
• Passive- You were invited by me to the party.
• Structure- Subject+be+ past participle+by+ object
Questions form sentence
• Active- Did you show me the dress?
• Passive- Was I shown the dress by you?
• Past Continuous-
• Active- I was playing video games.
• Passive- The video games were being played by me.
• Structure- Subject+auxiliary verb + being+ past participle + by
+object
• Past Perfect-
• Active- You had done the work.
• Passive- The work had been done by you.
• Structure- Subject+had+been+past participle + by + object
• Future Tense-
• Active- He will play the match.
• Passive- The match will be played
• Structure- Subject+will+be+past participle
+by+object
• Future perfect tense
• Active- you will have started the job.
• Passive- The job will have been started by you.
• Structure- subject shall/will have been past participle
by subject.
• Note that Future continuous and perfect continuous
tenses do not form passive voice.
More Rules with Example
https://scoop.eduncle.com/active-and-passive-
voice-rules
Excercise
• I will never forget this experience.
• Mother made a cake yesterday.
• The girl was teased by the boy.
• The deer was being chased by the tiger.
• The police have caught the thief.
• Was her duty done by her?
• She has learned her lessons.
• A novel has been written by her.
• Have you finished the report?
• Scientists have discovered traces of ice on
the surface.
Solutions
• This experience will never be forgotten by me.
• A cake was made by my mother yesterday.
• The boy teased the girl.
• The tiger was chasing the deer.
• The thief has been caught by the police.
• Did she do her duty?
• Her lessons have been learned by her.
• She has written a novel.
• Has the report been finished by you?
• Traces of ice have been discovered on the
surface of Mars (by scientists).
