1: Title

 Topic: Active Voice and Passive Voice

 Course: Functional English (BS 4th Semester)

2: Introduction to Voices

 Definition:

o Voice refers to the form of a verb that shows whether the subject of the
sentence performs the action (active voice) or receives the action (passive voice).

 Two Types of Voices:

o Active Voice: The subject performs the action.

o Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.

3: Active Voice

 Definition: In active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action.

 Structure:

o Subject + Verb + Object

 Examples:

o Simple Present: She writes a letter.

o Simple Past: They played the game.

o Future Tense: He will read the book.

o Present Continuous: I am reading a novel.

o Past Continuous: They were watching TV.

o Present Perfect: She has completed her assignment.

o Past Perfect: He had finished his homework.

o Future Perfect: They will have completed the project.

4: Passive Voice
  Definition: In passive voice, the subject receives the action performed by the object.

 Structure:

o Subject + (form of ‘to be’) + Past Participle of Verb + (by + Agent)

 Important Notes:

o The agent (doer of the action) is optional in passive voice.

o The object of the active sentence becomes the subject in the passive sentence.

5: Active to Passive Transformation (General Rules)

1. Identify the Subject, Verb, and Object.

2. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

3. The verb "to be" is added in the correct tense.

4. The main verb is used in its past participle form.

5. The subject (doer) is optionally included using "by."

6: Active Voice: Simple Present Tense

 Active: She writes a letter.

 Passive: A letter is written by her.

 Rule:

o Subject + is/am/are + past participle of verb + (by + agent)

7: Active Voice: Simple Past Tense

 Active: They played the game.

 Passive: The game was played by them.

 Rule:

o Subject + was/were + past participle of verb + (by + agent)

 Active: He will read the book.

 Passive: The book will be read by him.

 Rule:

o Subject + will be + past participle of verb + (by + agent)

9: Active Voice: Present Continuous

 Active: I am reading a novel.

 Passive: A novel is being read by me.

 Rule:

o Subject + is/am/are + being + past participle of verb + (by + agent)

10: Active Voice: Past Continuous

 Active: They were watching TV.

 Passive: TV was being watched by them.

 Rule:

o Subject + was/were + being + past participle of verb + (by + agent)

11: Active Voice: Present Perfect

 Active: She has completed her assignment.

 Passive: The assignment has been completed by her.

 Rule:

o Subject + has/have + been + past participle of verb + (by + agent)

12: Active Voice: Past Perfect

 Active: He had finished his homework.

 Rule:

o Subject + had + been + past participle of verb + (by + agent)

13: Active Voice: Future Perfect

 Active: They will have completed the project.

 Passive: The project will have been completed by them.

 Rule:

o Subject + will have + been + past participle of verb + (by + agent)

14: Exceptions in Passive Voice

 Intransitive Verbs: These verbs do not have an object and cannot be used in the passive
voice (e.g., sleep, arrive, go).

 Verbs with No Object: Passive voice is not used for verbs that do not require an object
(e.g., seem, exist).

What is an Intransitive Verb?

An intransitive verb is a verb that does not take a direct object. This means the action does not
pass onto something or someone.

 ✅ It makes complete sense on its own.

 ❌ It does not answer the question “what?” or “whom?” after the verb.

✅ Examples of Intransitive Verbs

Sentence Verb Why it’s intransitive

She slept peacefully. Slept No object is receiving the action

He arrived late. arrived No object after the verb

They go to school every day. Go “To school” is a prepositional phrase, not object
Sentence Verb Why it’s intransitive

The baby cried loudly. Cried No object

❌ Why Intransitive Verbs Cannot Be Used in Passive Voice

The passive voice requires:

 a transitive verb

 an object to become the new subject of the sentence.

Since intransitive verbs don’t have an object, there’s nothing to turn into a subject in the
passive form.

🔸 Incorrect Passive Voice with Intransitive Verbs

Incorrect Passive Sentence Correct Explanation

❌ Peacefully was slept by her. There is no object in "She slept peacefully"

❌ Late was arrived by him. "He arrived late" has no object to become subject

🔹 Verbs That Do Not Take Objects (Not Passive)

These are often linking verbs or state verbs that describe conditions, not actions passed onto
something.

Verb Example Explanation

seem She seems happy. “Happy” is an adjective, not an object

exist Dinosaurs existed long ago. No object – “existed” stands alone

appear He appeared tired. “Tired” describes subject, no object

These cannot be turned into passive voice because there’s no action passed on to another
noun.
15: Examples of Passive Voice

1. Active: The chef cooked dinner.

o Passive: Dinner was cooked by the chef.

2. Active: The students are studying English.

o Passive: English is being studied by the students.

16: Common Mistakes in Passive Voice

 Using active voice structure where passive is required.

 Forgetting to change the verb tense correctly.

 Omitting "by" when it's important to mention the agent.

 Using passive voice when it's not necessary or confusing.

17: Conclusion

 Active and passive voices serve different purposes in writing.

 Active voice is used when the subject is the focus.

 Passive voice is used when the action or the recipient of the action is the focus.

 Practice transforming sentences between active and passive voices to master the
concept.