Voices
What is a Voice in English Grammar?
Voice in English grammar refers to the form of a verb that shows whether the subject of a sentence
performs the action or receives it. There are two types of voices:
• Active Voice: The subject performs the action.
• Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.
Definition of Active and Passive Voice
1. Active Voice
In an active voice sentence, the subject is the doer of the action, and the object receives the
action.
Example:
o Active: The cat chased the mouse.
(Subject: The cat; Verb: chased; Object: the mouse)
2. Passive Voice
In a passive voice sentence, the subject receives the action, and the doer of the action (optional)
may be mentioned with "by."
Example:
o Passive: The mouse was chased by the cat.
(Subject: The mouse; Verb: was chased; Doer: the cat)
Trick to Convert Active to Passive Voice
Basic Steps:
1. Identify the subject, verb, and object.
2. Swap the subject and object positions.
3. Use the correct form of the verb "to be" + past participle (V3) of the main verb(V3).
4. Add "by" before the original subject (optional).
Example:
• Active: She writes a letter.
• Passive: A letter is written by her.
Active to Passive Voice Structures for All Tenses
1. Present Tense
1. Simple Present:
o Active: Subject + base verb + object
o Passive: Object + is/am/are + past participle (V3) + (by subject)
o Example:
▪ Active: He eats an apple.
▪ Passive: An apple is eaten by him.
2. Present Continuous:
o Active: Subject + is/am/are + verb-ing + object
o Passive: Object + is/am/are + being + past participle (V3) + (by subject)
o Example:
▪ Active: She is reading a book.
▪ Passive: A book is being read by her.
3. Present Perfect:
o Active: Subject + has/have + past participle (V3) + object
o Passive: Object + has/have + been + past participle (V3) + (by subject)
o Example:
▪ Active: They have completed the project.
▪ Passive: The project has been completed by them.
2. Past Tense
1. Simple Past:
o Active: Subject + past verb + object
o Passive: Object + was/were + past participle (V3) + (by subject)
o Example:
▪ Active: He wrote a letter.
▪ Passive: A letter was written by him.
2. Past Continuous:
o Active: Subject + was/were + verb-ing + object
o Passive: Object + was/were + being + past participle (V3) + (by subject)
o Example:
▪ Active: She was watching a movie.
▪ Passive: A movie was being watched by her.
3. Past Perfect:
o Active: Subject + had + past participle (V3) + object
o Passive: Object + had + been + past participle (V3) + (by subject)
o Example:
▪ Active: They had built a house.
▪ Passive: A house had been built by them.
3. Future Tense
1. Simple Future:
o Active: Subject + will/shall + base verb + object
o Passive: Object + will/shall + be + past participle (V3) + (by subject)
o Example:
▪ Active: He will deliver the package.
▪ Passive: The package will be delivered by him.
2. Future Perfect:
o Active: Subject + will/shall + have + past participle (V3) + object
o Passive: Object + will/shall + have + been + past participle (V3) + (by subject)
o Example:
▪ Active: She will have completed the task.
▪ Passive: The task will have been completed by her.
Important Rules and Tricks
1. Passive Voice for Modal Verbs
o Structure: Modal verb + be + past participle (V3)
o Example:
▪ Active: You must finish the work.
▪ Passive: The work must be finished by you.
2. Passive Voice for Question Sentences
o Begin with the helping verb (is/are/was/were, etc.) or question word (what, who, etc.).
o Example:
▪ Active: Who wrote this book?
▪ Passive: By whom was this book written?
▪ Active: Are they watching the match?
▪ Passive: Is the match being watched by them?
3. Imperative Sentences
o Add "let" for passive sentences.
o Example:
▪ Active: Close the door.
▪ Passive: Let the door be closed.
4. No Passive Voice for Certain Verbs
o Verbs like "have," "belong," and "consist" cannot be used in the passive voice.
o Example:
▪ Active: She has a car.
▪ Passive: (Not possible)
Example Chart:
Tense Active Example Passive Example
Simple Present He writes a letter. A letter is written by him.
Present Continuous She is cooking food. Food is being cooked by her.
Present Perfect They have made a cake. A cake has been made by them.
Simple Past He broke the glass. The glass was broken by him.
Past Continuous She was cleaning the room. The room was being cleaned by her.
Past Perfect They had repaired the car. The car had been repaired by them.
Simple Future He will paint the wall. The wall will be painted by him.
Future Perfect She will have written a book. A book will have been written by her.
