Active Passive Voice

In active sentences, the subject is active or the subject performs the actions.
For example:  The cow (Subject) is eating (Verb) grass (Object).-Active Voice

In passive sentences, the subject is no longer active or the subject is acted upon by the verb.
For example : Grass (Subject) is  being eaten  (Verb) by the  cow(Object).—Passive Voice

In some sentences, passive voice can be perfectly acceptable. You might use it in the following cases:

1. The actor is unknown:
Eg: The cave paintings of Ajanta & Ellora were made in the Upper Old Stone Age. [We don’t know who made
them.]

2. The actor is irrelevant:
Eg: An experimental solar nuclear plant will be built in the Australian desert. [We are not interested in who is building it.]

3. You are talking about a general truth:
Eg: Rules are made to be broken. [By whomever, whenever.]

4. You want to emphasize the person or thing acted on. For example, it may be your main topic:
Eg: Insulin was first discovered in 1921 by researchers at the University of Toronto. It is still the only treatment
available for diabetes.

5. You are writing in a scientific genre that traditionally relies on passive voice. Passive voice is often preferred in lab reports and scientific research papers, most notably in the Materials and Methods section:
Eg: The sodium hydroxide was dissolved in water. This solution was then titrated with hydrochloric acid.

Rules of transformation – Active voice to Passive voice:
Active Voice Passive Voice
I prepare for IELTS exam. IELTS exam is prepared by me.

• Find subject, object and the main verb.
• Convert the object into subject.
• Use the suitable helping verb or auxiliary verb according to the tense.
If helping verb is given, use verb as it is. But note that the helping verb used should be according to the
object.
• Convert the verb into past participle.
• Use the preposition ‘by’(in some sentences the use of ‘by’ is not
required when the doer is not mentioned in the sentence).
• Convert the subject into object.

Simple Present Tense – Structure: is, am, are + Past Participle

Present Continuous Tense – Structure: is, am, are + being + Past Participle

Present Perfect Tense

Structure: has/have + been + Past Participle

Simple Past Tense

Structure: was, were + Past Participle

Past Continuous Tense

Structure: was/were + being + Past Participle

Past Perfect Tense

Structure: had + been + Past Participle

Simple Future Tense

Structure: will/shall + be + Past Participle

Future Perfect Tense

Structure: will/shall + have been + Past Participle

In the following, tenses cannot be changed into the passive form:

• Present perfect continuous tense
• Past perfect continuous tense
• Future perfect continuous tense
• Future perfect tense

we use the same sentence in passive voice.

Active And Passive Voice With Modal Auxiliary Verbs

These are the sentences in which we express our feeling and emotions like command, order, advice, and request.

Rules :

1. Lets + new object + be/Not be +past
2. For sentences containing, Request, advice and order, we will use you are Requested to, advised to and

ordered to.

Note: Always remove please and be kind if they are given in the sentence.

Active and Passive voice with Imperative Sentences

These are the sentences in which we express our feeling and emotions like command, order, advice, and request.
Rules :

1. Lets + new object + be/Not be +past participle or 3rd
2. For sentences containing, Request, advice and order, we will use you are Requested to, advised to and

ordered to.
Note: Always remove please and be kind if they are given in the sentence.

Fill in the blanks with an active or passive verb form.

1) The message……………………………… delivered.

a)has
b)has been
c)had

2) The messenger ……………………………the message
a)has been delivered
b)has delivered
c)is delivered

3) They …………………………the parcel in the morning
a)sent
b)have sent
c)have been sent

4. He to leave…………
a)told
b)was told
c)has told

5. The culprit ……………………………
Please select 2 correct answers
a) has caught
b) has been caught
c) was caught

6. The suspect …………………………… to the crime.
a) has confessed
b) was confessed
c) has been confessed

7. I …………………………….. the invite.
a)have been received
b)have received
c)had received

8. The invites …………………………….
a)have sent
b)have been sent
c)had sent

9. The kitten ……………………………. home yesterday.
a)has brought
b)was brought
c)has been brought

10. I ……………………….. a cake for my daughter’s birthday.
Please select 2 correct answers
a)baked
b)was baked
c)have baked