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Active and Passive Voice

This document discusses the active and passive voice in English grammar. It defines the active voice as using the subject of the verb to perform the action, while the passive voice uses the subject as the recipient of the action. Several examples are provided of changing sentences between active and passive forms. The document also discusses when to use the passive voice, such as when the agent is unknown or unimportant. Various verb tenses in both the active and passive voice are listed with examples.

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Saubhagya Sharma
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95 views

Active and Passive Voice

This document discusses the active and passive voice in English grammar. It defines the active voice as using the subject of the verb to perform the action, while the passive voice uses the subject as the recipient of the action. Several examples are provided of changing sentences between active and passive forms. The document also discusses when to use the passive voice, such as when the agent is unknown or unimportant. Various verb tenses in both the active and passive voice are listed with examples.

Uploaded by

Saubhagya Sharma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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English for Professional Communication (BELH-0013 & 0014)

Active and Passive Voice

Active: My grandfather planted this tree. (Sentence 1)


Passive: This tree was planted by my grandfather. (Sentence 2)

Voice deals with the grammatical relation of the grammatical subject of a verb to the
action that the verb denotes. The voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the
verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb is said to be
Active voice. (Sentence 1) The passive voice is used to indicate that the grammatical subject
of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb. (Sentence 2)

The passive of an active tense is formed by putting the verb to be into the same tense as the
active verb and adding the past participle of the active verb. The subject of the active verb
becomes the ‘agent’ of the passive verb. The agent is very often not mentioned. When it is
mentioned it is preceded by by and placed at the end of the clause.

Passive Verb tenses

Tense/ Verb Functions ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE

Present Simple He delivers the letters. The letters are delivered

Past Simple He delivered the letters. The letters were delivered.

Future Simple He will deliver the letters. The letters will be delivered.

Present Continuous He is delivering the letters. The letters are being


delivered.

Past Continuous He was delivering the letters. The letters were being
delivered.

Going to He is going to deliver the The letters are going to be


letters. delivered.

Present Perfect He has delivered the letters. The letters have been
delivered.

Past Perfect He had delivered the letters. The letters had been
delivered.

Infinitive He has to deliver the letters. The letters have to be


delivered.

Modals He must deliver the letters. The letters must be delivered.


When do we use a Passive Voice Sentence?
1. When the agent (=the person who does the action) is unknown, unimportant or
obvious from the context. Jane was shot. (We don’t know who shot her.)
This church was built in 1815. (Unimportant agent)
He has been arrested. (Obviously by the police)

2. To make more polite or formal statements.


The car hasn’t been cleaned. (more polite)
You haven’t cleaned the car. (less polite)
3. When the action is more important than the agent, as in processes, instructions, events,
reports, headlines, new items, and advertisements.
30 people were killed in the earthquake.

4. To put emphasis on the agent.


The new library will be opened by the Queen.

Events Where Agent is not needed:

1. If we don’t know who has done what we are talking about.


Our car was stolen last night. (We don’t know who stole it)
2. If we are not interested in who has done what we are talking about or it is not important
to mention it.
He has been taken to hospital. (What we are interested in is the fact that he has
been taken to hospital and not who has taken him.)
3. If it is easy to understand who did something without it being mentioned.
The murderer was arrested last night. (It is not necessary to mention that he
has been arrested by the police because it is self-evident.)
4. If the subject of the active voice sentence is something like somebody, people, they,
you, etc.
Someone broke the window. → The window was broken.

How to change active into passive:

1. The object of the active voice sentence becomes the subject of the passive voice
sentence.
2. Change the main verb of the active voice sentence into the passive voice. The tense
remains unchanged.
3. The subject of the active voice sentence becomes the agent of the passive sentence.
Agatha Christie wrote this book.
This book was written by Agatha Christie.
By/With:

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Use by with the agent that is human, animal, idea, or personifications; Use with with the agent
that is an instrument, weapon, material, or non living.
The door was opened by Mr Black.
The door was opened with a key.

Double Object Verbs:


1. Beneficiary is indirect object and affected is direct object:
He gave me (beneficiary) a book (affected).
2. Some of the verbs that take two objects are: give, tell, send, show, bring, write, offer,
pay, etc.
3. They can be changed into passive by changing any one object subject of the passive
voice.
4. When the indirect object is alone after the verb in the passive voice sentence, it needs the
preposition to.
5. If the indirect object of the active voice sentence is a personal pronoun it has to be
changed into a subject pronoun to be the subject of the passive voice sentence.(me, him,
her, you, it, us, them will become I, He, She, You, We, They respectively)

Rick gave me (indirect object) this book (direct object).


I was given this book by Rick.
This book was given to me by Rick.
Sentences with Let: (Apply basic rules; leave let untouched)
a. (Active) Let me play the game./ (Passive)Let the game be played by me.
b. Let us do it. /Let it be done by us. (by us may not be used in passive voice)
Passive is not ideal in these cases:
He is a good boy. Samsung is good company

Exercise
1. Complete the sentences with the correct passive form of the verbs in brackets. Use the
Present Simple.
a. English ________ ______________(speak) in many countries.
b. The post _________________ ____(deliver) at about 7 o’clock every morning.
c. The building______________ _ ___(use) anymore?
d. How often the Olympic Games____(hold)?
e. How __________ _______________(your name/spell)?

2. Choose the correct form of the verbs in brackets.


Fiat __0__ was started (started/was started) by a group of Italian businessmen in 1899. In 1903,
Fiat, 1__ (produced/was produced) 132 cars. Some of these cars ___2__(exported/ were
exported) by the company to the United States and Britain. In 1920, Fiat_3_ (started/was started)
making cars at a new factory at Lingotto, near Turin. There was a track on the roof where the

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cars__ 4__ (tested/were tested) by technicians. In 1936, Fiat launched the Fiat 500. This car
__5__ (called/was called) the Topolino – the Italian name for Mickey Mouse. The company
grew, and in 1963 Fiat __6__(exported/was exported) more than 300,000 vehicles. Today, Fiat is
based in Turin, and its cars ___7__(sold/are sold) all over the world.

3. Change the following sentences into passive sentences using the words in brackets.
a. We sell tickets for all shows at the Box Office. (Tickets for all shows/sell/at the Box Office)
b. Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb. (The electric light bulb/invent/by Thomas
Edison)
c. Someone painted the office last week. (The office/paint/last week)

4. Rewrite these sentences in the passive voice.


a. The police will arrest the robbers.
b. They produce cars in this factory.
c. They serve breakfast at eight o’clock every day.
d. They will build a new bridge next year.
e. Brian Brody directed The Ultimate Space Adventure.
f. Pierre Matie will design her costume.
g. Someone found my wallet.

5.Form the question.


a. Paper is made from wood.
Is paper made from wood ?
b. The telephone was invented by Mr Bell.
_____________________________________________?
c. This picture was painted by Peter.
__________________________________________________?
d. The thieves will be arrested by the police.
____________________________________________?

6. Read and complete. Use Past Simple.


a. The toothbrush / invent / in the 15th century.
b. The first public basketball game / play / in 1892.
c. The first eyeglasses / wear / in the 1200s.

7. Complete with the passive. Use Present Simple.


a. This programme _______________________ (watch) by millions of people.
b. Paper __________________________ ______(make) from wood.
c. Hundreds of people _____________________ (kill) in accidents every year.

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8. Rewrite the following passage in the Passive.
Somebody has stolen a bus from outside the school. Some children saw the thief. The police are
searching for the bus now. They will use the children’s descriptions to catch the thief.

9. Rewrite the following passage in the Passive.


Someone broke into a local jewellery shop yesterday. The owner had just locked up the shop
when a robber with a gun threatened him. The robber told him to unlock the shop and give him
all the diamonds in the safe. Then the robber tied him up. The police have organized a search for
the robber. They hope they will find him in a few days. Doctors are treating the owner of the
shop for shock.

10.Rewrite the following passage in the Passive.


Our school is organizing a contest. The teachers will choose the best project about the
environment. The students must include pictures and drawings in their projects. The students will
also have to do all the writing themselves. The school will give the winner a set of
encyclopedias.

11. Turn from Active to Passive in two ways.


a. He gave me a present.
b. The waiter will bring us the bill.
c. Her mother bought Mary some sweets.

12. Turn from Active to Passive.


a. Someone is helping her with the housework.
b. The mail-order company sent Mrs Green a parcel.
c. My friend sent me an invitation.

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