Shree Ganeshay Namah
How to change active voice and passive voice
Table of Contents
Introduction
Active and passive voices are very important to become fluent in English. Voices in the English language or in any other is really interesting but slightly confusing part. There are 12 main active voice tenses in English. Out of these 12 tenses, only 8 can be transformed into passive voice. We will know how to change Active voice to passive voice of all tenses’ affirmative, negative, interrogative, and interrogative negative sentences in detail here.
My personal story about the confusion of active and passive
Before that, I would like to relate my experience with passive voice and how it changed my life completely. When I first went for my job interview for an English Language Trainer, I was asked the question,’’ What is the meaning of the sentence ‘I am eaten’ ?” Honestly speaking I was unable to answer it properly and lost that job.
Luckily I got the same job in another institution after two weeks but only after finding the proper meaning of the above question because there I was asked the meaning of ‘ I am beaten’ and I answered it with confidence because of my efforts to understand the nature of these questions.
I found out these questions were in passive voice with the agent. I rectified my weaknesses of passive voice and got learning and growing opportunities. The same pattern that helped me find out the answers to these questions and other doubts like how to identify active and passive voice, when do we use the passive voice and why, what are the rules to change active voice to passive voice, what are the formulas to do so in all the tenses like present, past, future.
Now here I am going to give you all the answers to such queries about active voice and passive voice in your mind.
The first query is what is the meaning of I am eaten and I am beaten? To help you understand it in a better manner I would like to add agents to these sentences. I am eaten by the tiger. I am beaten by hands.
Now you must have understood that the first and the second sentences are in the simple present tense passive voice and They began with an object I.So it is evident that passive voice tense sentences are like googly. Before learning passive voice you should have sound knowledge of 12 active voice tenses. We need careful attention and understanding of them.
Let us start to clear your doubts step by step—
What are voice, active voice, and passive voice?
In simple words, we can say that the sentence that begins with a subject is in the passive voice and the sentence which begins with an object is in the passive voice. Here I have mentioned the terms like a sentence, subject, and object. First I will explain them in short for your better understanding.
1)Sentence-
A group of words that makes complete sense is called a sentence.
Necessarily there should be a subject and verb.
2)Subject—(Doer)
the doer itself tells us that subject s the one that performs the action denoted by the verb.
3)Object—(Receiver)
The word receiver tells us that it receives the action performed by the subject. The action of the subject is received by the object
4)Verb–
The words that show action or the state of being of people, places, things, etc.
Now we are ready to know the grammatical definitions of voice, active voice, and passive voice.
What is VOICE- definition?
In simple words, voice is the form of the verb that indicates if anything denoted by the doer(subject) performs something or if anything has been done to it.
1)What is Active voice- definition
The form of the verb is said to be in an active voice when the subject is active and the verb changes according to it. The subject is the doer of the action in an active voice.
Eg.1)We learn English. (here we is the subject(doer), English is an object, and learn is a verb.
2)What is Passive voice- definition
The form of the verb is said to be in the passive voice when the object is active and the subject is kept passive and the verb changes according to the object.
In passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb.
Eg. 1)English is learned by us.
Here we have discussed what is active voice and passive voice. Now we will find the solution to a very common question Can we change every sentence from active to passive?
Can we change every sentence from active to passive voice?
The answer to this question is no we can’t change every single sentence to passive voice. There are two important types of verbs. They are
1)Transitive verbs
verb that makes sense with the object is called a transitive verb.
Eg. catch, play, eat, sing break, give, take, push, love, teach, learn, call, tell, find.
2)Intransitive verbs
The verb that makes sense without an object is called an intransitive verb.
Eg. Come, go dance, swim, laugh, cry, run, act, pray, leap, fly, jump, expand, float, march, mourn, limp, fall.
If there is a transitive verb in the sentence then only we can change it to a passive voice. That is if there is a direct or indirect object in the given sentence then only we can do it.
We can’t change the sentence I go to park as there is no object but we can change I learn English into passive as English is learned by me.
Why do we use passive voice| the uses of passive voice sentences?
This is a very interesting question. First, let me clarify the important fact that all the uses of active voice tenses are applicable to that particular tense’s passive voice also. If we are able to express complete meaning in active voice then why should we use passive voice? There are many important reasons for it. They can be given as follows.
1)We use passive voice when the subject is commonly known to all.
Eg. 1)Wheat is grown in Punjab (by farmers.)
2)Rice is sold here (By grocers)
3)The doctor was called (by somebody)
4)The police were informed about the mishap (by somebody)
2)When we don’t know the subject we use passive voice to begin the sentence with the subject.
Eg. 1)My book has been stolen.
2)They were chased.
3)People were cheated by online fraud.
3) Sometimes we don’t use the subject.
1)I am being beaten.
2)T.V. has been brought to our house.
4)Sometimes we have both subject and object but we are more interested in the object than the subject and give more importance to the object and begin a sentence with the object.
1)A flyover is being constructed in our city.
2)He is wished for on the occasion of his birthday.
Can all 12 main tenses be changed into passive?
No, all 12 tenses can’t be changed into passive voice. Here is the list of tenses that can be transformed into passive voice.
1)Simple present tense.
2)Present continuous tense.
3)Present perfect tense.
4)Simple past tense.
5)Past continuous tense.
6)Past perfect tense.
7)Simple future tense.
8)Future perfect tense.
The following tenses are not possible in the passive voice.
1)Present perfect continuous tense.
2)Past perfect continuous tense.
3)Future perfect continuous tense.
4)Future continuous tense.
Now we will start learning rules (steps) for changing active voice to passive voice.
How to change active voice to passive voice(Rules/steps)
These are the basic rules or steps to change active voice sentence to passive voice—
1)First begin the sentence with an object instead of the subject. (Here take note that the object itself becomes the subject and the subject becomes the agent(object).
2) Then use the helping verb as per the tense of the sentence and the number of subjects which is the object of the active voice sentence.
Eg. 1)Simple present tense-am/is/are.
2)Present continuous(progressive) tense-am/is/are+ being.
3)Present perfect tense-have/has +been.
4)simple past tense-was/were.
5)Past continuous tense-was/were +being.
6)Past perfect tense- had +been.
7)Simple future tense-will/shall +be.
8)Future perfect tense-will/shall +have +been.
9)Modals-modal(can/could/must)+be
10)Imperative sentence-Let+object+be+v3
11)Modals(Past)-modal(must/should/could/would)+have +been.
3) The Third step is to use the past participle form(V3) of the main verb.
4)After that use by +agent(Subject of active voice sentence). The most important thing to note down is that Nominative case subjects (I, we, you, he, she, it, they) are written in the objective case (me, us, you, him, her, it, them).
| Sr.no. | Nominative case | Objective case | ||
| 1 | I | Me | ||
| 2 | we us | |||
| 3 | You(s.) you(s) | |||
| 4 | You(p.) | You(p.) | ||
| 5 | They | Them | ||
| 6 | Plural noun(Students) | Plural noun(Students) | ||
| 7 | He | Him | ||
| 8 | She | Her | ||
| 9 | It | It | ||
| 10 | Singular noun(John) | Singular noun(John) | ||
How to identify subject and object for changing voice
Sometimes it is very difficult to find out the subject and object of the given sentence. But hereafter you will not face that problem. This is the solution.
There are two types of objects in the sentence.
1)Direct object
To find the direct object of a given sentence, Just ask a question to the main verb with what
Eg. 1)I take a book.—-What do I take?—-The answer is a book.
2)She learns English.—-What does she learn?—–English.-object
3)The Government took a decision.—–What did the government take? ——a decision.—object
2)Indirect object
To find an indirect object, ask a question with whom to the main verb.
Eg. 1)Teacher told us a story.—–Whom did the teacher tell a story to?—–us—object
There is a direct object in this sentence.—What did the teacher tell us?—a story—object
2)Teacher asked students.—-Whom did the teacher ask?—–students-Object
3)Mobile helps people.—whom does mobile help?—people—object
How to change active voice sentences with direct and indirect objects
We have just seen above that there are two types of objects in sentences. They are 1) a Direct object and 2) an Indirect object.
Now we will learn how to change sentences with direct and indirect objects into passive voice.
e.g. a)She gave me a book.
In the above-given sentence, a book is a direct object, and me is an indirect object. We can make two sentences using both objects as follows.
Answer-1)A book was given to me by her.
2)I was given a book by her.
b)Teacher asked us a question.
Answer-1)A question was asked to us by the teacher.
2)We were asked a question by the teacher.
c)He presents me with a bat.
Answer-1)A bat is presented to me by him.
2)I was presented a bat by him
Formulas and rules to change eight active voice tenses into the passive voice
Here we will learn about the structures of active voice tenses in passive voice. Only eight tenses are transformed in passive voice. We will learn their sentence construction formulas, rules, and all necessary details with examples and exercises. We will study each tense’s 1)Affirmative 2)Negative 3)Interrogative 4)Interrogative negative sentences for your perfect understanding.
1)Simple present tense active voice to passive voice of Affirmative, negative, interrogative and interrogative negative sentences
General structure—Object+ am/is/are+v3+by+agent(subject)
Compare it with simple present tense active voice—Subject+v1+s/es+ object.
Here remember that the object of the active voice sentence becomes the subject of the passive voice sentence and the subject is called as an agent. Some of the passive-voice sentences don’t have agents.
A)simple present tense passive voice affirmative sentence
Syntax— passive-Object+ am/is/are+v3+by+agent(subject).
10 basic examples for practice—
B)simple present tense passive voice Negative sentence–
Syntax—Object+ am/is/are+not+v3+by+agent.
Eg. 1)I don’t give a reply.—-A reply is not given by me.
2)We don’t play games.—–Games are not played by us.
3)She doesn’t complete her project.—–Her project is not completed by her.
C)simple present tense passive voice Interrogative sentence-
Syntax—Am/is/are+object+v3+by+agent?
Eg. 1)Do I take a book?—-Is a book taken by me?
2)Do you bring your bag?—-Is your bag brought by you?
3)Does he learn English?—–Is English learned by him?
D)simple present tense passive voice Interrogative negative sentence–
Syntax—Am/is/are+object+not+v3+by+agent?
1)Do I not take a book?—-Is a book not taken by me?
2)Do you not eat fruits?—–Are fruits not eaten by you?
3)Does it not help us?—-Are we not helped by it?
2)Present continuous (Progressive) tense affirmative, negative, interrogative, interrogative negative sentences from active to passive voice
A)present continuous tense passive voice Affirmative sentence
Syntax—passive-Object+ am/is/are+being+v3+by+agent(subject).
active-subject +am/is/are+v1+ing+object
10 basic sentences—
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I am giving a book. | A book is being given by me |
| 2 | We are giving a book. | A book is being given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) are giving a book. | A book is being given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.)are giving a book | A book is being given by you. |
| 5 | They are giving a book. | A book is being given by them. |
| 6 | Students are giving a book. | A book is being given by students. |
| 7 | He is giving a book. | A book is being given by him. |
| 8 | She is giving a book. | A book is being given by her. |
| 9 | It is giving a book. | A book is being given by it. |
| 10 | John(s. n.) is giving a book. | A book is being given by John. |
B)present continuous tense passive voice Negative sentence—
Syntax—passive- Object+ am/is/are+not+being+v3+by+agent(subject).
active-subject+am/is/are+not+v1+ing+object
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I am not giving a book. | A book is not being given by me |
| 2 | We are not giving a book. | A book is not being given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) are not giving a book. | A book is not being given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.)are not giving a book | A book is not being given by you. |
| 5 | They are not giving a book. | A book is not being given by them. |
| 6 | Students are not giving a book. | A book is not being given by students. |
| 7 | He is not giving a book. | A book is not being given by him. |
| 8 | She is not giving a book. | A book is not being given by her. |
| 9 | It is not giving a book. | A book is not being given by it. |
| 10 | John(s. n.) is not giving a book. | A book is not being given by John. |
1)We are not doing it right.—It is not being done right by us.
C)present continuous tense passive voice Interrogative sentence
Syntax—passive-Am/is/are+object+being+v3+by+agent(subject)?
active-am/is/are+subject+v1+ing+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Am i giving a book? | Is a book being given by me? |
| 2 | Are we giving a book? | Is a book being given by us? |
| 3 | Are you(S.) giving a book? | Is a book being given by you? |
| 4 | Are you(P.) giving a book? | Is a book being given by you? |
| 5 | Are they giving a book? | Is a book being given by them? |
| 6 | Are students giving a book? | Is a book being given by students? |
| 7 | Is he giving a book? | Is a book being given by him? |
| 8 | Is she giving a book? | Is a book being given by her? |
| 9 | Is it giving a book? | Is a book being given by it? |
| 10 | Is John(s. n.) giving a book? | Is a book being given by John? |
1)Are people cutting the trees?—Are the trees being cut by people?
D)present continuous tense Interrogative negative sentence
Syntax—passive-Am/is/are+object+not+being+v3+by+agent(subject)?
active-am/is/are+subject+not+v1+ing+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Am I not giving a book? | Is a book not being given by me? |
| 2 | Are we not giving a book? | Is a book not being given by us? |
| 3 | Are you(S.) not giving a book? | Is a book not being given by you? |
| 4 | Are you(P.) not giving a book? | Is a book not being given by you? |
| 5 | Are they not giving a book? | Is a book not being given by them? |
| 6 | Are students not giving a book? | Is a book not being given by students? |
| 7 | Is he not giving a book? | Is a book not being given by him? |
| 8 | Is she not giving a book? | Is a book not being given by her? |
| 9 | Is it not giving a book? | Is a book not being given by it? |
| 10 | Is John(s. n.) not giving a book? | Is a book not being given by John? |
1)Is he not inventing something? —Is something being invented by him?
3)Present perfect tense affirmative, negative, interrogative, interrogative negative sentences active to passive voice
A)present perfect tense passive voice Affirmative sentence
Syntax—passive-Object+ have/has+been+v3+by+agent(subject)
active-subject+have/has+v3+object
10 basic examples for practice—
B)present perfect tense passive voice Negative sentence
Syntax—passive-Object+ have/has+not+been+v3+by+agent(subject)
active- subject+have/has+not+v3+object
1)You have not performed your duty.—Your duty has not been performed by you.
C)present perfect tense passive voice Interrogative sentence
Syntax—passive-Have/has+object+been+v3+by+agent(subject)+?
active-have/has+subject+v3+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Have I given a book? | Has a book been given by me? |
| 2 | Have we given a book? | Has a book been given by us? |
| 3 | Have you(s.) given a book? | Has a book been given by you? |
| 4 | Have you(p.) given a book? | Has a book been given by you? |
| 5 | Have they given a book? | Has a book been given by them? |
| 6 | Have students given a book? | Has a book been given by students? |
| 7 | Has he given a book? | Has a book been given by him? |
| 8 | Has she given a book? | Has a book been given by her? |
| 9 | Has it given a book? | Has a book been given by it? |
| 10 | Has John(s. n.) given a book? | Has a book been given by John? |
1)Has she mastered Java script?—-Has Java script been mastered by her?
D)present perfect tense passive voice Interrogative negative sentence
Syntax—passive-Have/has+object+not+been+v3+by+agent(subject)+?
active-have/has+subject+not+v3+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Have I not given a book? | Has a book not been given by me? |
| 2 | Have we not given a book? | Has a book not been given by us? |
| 3 | Have you(s.) not given a book? | Has a book not been given by you? |
| 4 | Have you(p.) not given a book? | Has a book not been given by you? |
| 5 | Have they not given a book? | Has a book not been given by them? |
| 6 | Have students not given a book? | Has a book not been given by students? |
| 7 | Has he not given a book? | Has a book not been given by him? |
| 8 | Has she not given a book? | Has a book not been given by her? |
| 9 | Has it not given a book? | Has a book not been given by it? |
| 10 | Has John(s. n.) not given a book? | Has a book not been given by John? |
1)Have friends not planned a picnic?—-Has a picnic not been planned by friends?
4)Simple past tense affirmative, negative, interrogative, interrogative negative sentences active to passive voice
A)simple past tense passive voice Affirmative sentence
Syntax—passive-Object+ was/were+v3+by+agent(subject).
active- subjet+v2+object
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I gave a book. | A book was given by me |
| 2 | We gave a book. | A book was given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) gave a book. | A book was given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.)gave a book | A book was given by you. |
| 5 | They gave a book. | A book was given by them. |
| 6 | Students gave a book. | A book was given by students. |
| 7 | He gave a book. | A book was given by him. |
| 8 | She gave a book. | A book was given by her. |
| 9 | It gave a book. | A book was given by it. |
| 10 | John(s.n.) gave a book. | A book was given by John. |
B)simple past tense passive voice negative sentence
Syntax— passive-Object+ was/were+not+v3+by+agent(subject).
active- subject+did+not+v1+object
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I did not give a book. | A book was not given by me. |
| 2 | We did not give a book. | A book was not given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) did not give a book. | A book was not given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.)did not give a book | A book was not given by you. |
| 5 | They did not give a book. | A book was not given by them. |
| 6 | Students did not give a book. | A book was not given by students. |
| 7 | He did not give a book. | A book was not given by him. |
| 8 | She did not give a book. | A book was not given by her. |
| 9 | It did not give a book. | A book was not given by it. |
| 10 | John(s.n.) did not give a book. | A book was not given by John. |
1)Sam took a bag.—-A bag was taken by Sam.
2)We did not waste time.—-Time is not wasted by us.
C)simple past tense passive voice Interrogative sentence
Syntax—passive-Was/were+subject+v3+by+agent(subject)?
active- did+subject+v1+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Did I give a book. | Was a book given by me? |
| 2 | Did we give a book? | Was a book given by us? |
| 3 | Did you(s.) give a book? | Was a book given by you? |
| 4 | Did you(p.) give a book? | Was a book given by you? |
| 5 | Did they give a book? | Was a book given by them? |
| 6 | Did students give a book? | Was a book given by students? |
| 7 | Did he give a book? | Was a book given by him? |
| 8 | Did she give a book? | Was a book given by her? |
| 9 | Did it give a book? | Was a book given by it? |
| 10 | Did John(s.n.) give a book? | Was a book given by John? |
1) Did it help you?—Were you helped by it?
D)simple past tense passive voice Interrogative negative sentence
Syntax—passive-Was/were+subject+not+v3+by+agent(subject)?
active-did+subject+not+v1+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Did I not give a book? | Was a book not given by me? |
| 2 | Did we not give a book? | Was a book not given by us? |
| 3 | Did you(s.) not give a book? | Was a book not given by you? |
| 4 | Did you(p.) not give a book? | Was a book not given by you? |
| 5 | Did they not give a book? | Was a book not given by them? |
| 6 | Did students not give a book? | Was a book not given by students? |
| 7 | Did he not give a book? | Was a book not given by him? |
| 8 | Did she not give a book? | Was a book not given by her? |
| 9 | Did it not give a book? | Was a book not given by it? |
| 10 | Did John(s.n.) not give a book? | Was a book not given by John? |
1)Did they not find the truth?—Was the truth not found by them?
5)Past continuous tense affirmative, negative, interrogative, interrogative negative sentences active to passive voice
A)past continuous tense passive voice Affirmative sentence
Syntax—passive-Object+ was/were+being+v3+by+agent (Subject).
active- subject+was/were+v1+ing+object
1)
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I was giving a book. | A book was being given by me |
| 2 | We were giving a book. | A book was being given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) were giving a book. | A book was being given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.) were giving a book | A book was being given by you. |
| 5 | They were giving a book. | A book was being given by them. |
| 6 | Students were giving a book. | A book was being given by students. |
| 7 | He was giving a book. | A book was being given by him. |
| 8 | She was giving a book. | A book was being given by her. |
| 9 | It was giving a book. | A book was being given by it. |
| 10 | John(s.n.) was giving a book. | A book was being given by John. |
B)past continuous tense passive voice negative sentence
Syntax—passive-Object+ was/were+not+being+v3+by+agent(Subject).
active- subject+was/were+not+v1+ing+object
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I was not giving a book. | A book was not being given by me |
| 2 | We were not giving a book. | A book was not being given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) were not giving a book. | A book was not being given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.) were not giving a book | A book was not being given by you. |
| 5 | They were not giving a book. | A book was not being given by them. |
| 6 | Students were not giving a book. | A book was not being given by students. |
| 7 | He was not giving a book. | A book was not being given by him. |
| 8 | She was not giving a book. | A book was not being given by her. |
| 9 | It was not giving a book. | A book was not being given by it. |
| 10 | John(s.n.) was not giving a book. | A book was not being given by John. |
1)John was not making excuses.—Excuses were not being made by John.
C)past continuous tense passive voice Interrogative sentence
Syntax—passive-Was/were+object+being+v3+by+agent(Subject)?
active-was/were+subject+v1+ing+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Was I giving a book? | Was a book being given by me? |
| 2 | Were we giving a book? | Was a book being given by us? |
| 3 | Were you(s.) giving a book? | Was a book being given by you? |
| 4 | Were you(p.) giving a book? | Was a book being given by you? |
| 5 | Were you giving a book? | Was a book being given by them? |
| 6 | Were students giving a book? | Was a book being given by students? |
| 7 | Was he giving a book? | Was a book being given by him? |
| 8 | Was she giving a book? | Was a book being given by her? |
| 9 | Was it giving a book? | Was a book being given by it? |
| 10 | Was John(s.n.) giving a book? | Was a book being given by John? |
1)Were you singing a song?—Was a song being sung by you?
D)past continuous tense passive voice Interrogative negative sentence
Syntax—passive-Was/were+object+not+being+v3+by+agent(Subject)?
active- was/were+subject+not+v1+ing+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Was I not giving a book? | Was a book not being given by me? |
| 2 | Were we not giving a book? | Was a book not being given by us? |
| 3 | Were you(s.) not giving a book? | Was a book not being given by you? |
| 4 | Were you(p.) not giving a book? | Was a book not being given by you? |
| 5 | Were you not giving a book? | Was a book not being given by them? |
| 6 | Were students not giving a book? | Was a book not being given by students? |
| 7 | Was he not giving a book? | Was a book not being given by him? |
| 8 | Was she not giving a book? | Was a book not being given by her? |
| 9 | Was it not giving a book? | Was a book not being given by it? |
| 10 | Was John(s.n.) not giving a book? | Was a book not being given by John? |
1)Was he not rectifying his mistakes?—Were his mistakes not being rectified by him?
6)Past perfect tense affirmative, negative, interrogative, interrogative negative sentences active to passive voice
A)past perfect tense passive voice Affirmative sentence
Syntax-passive-Object+had+been+v3+by+agent(Subject).
active-subject+had+v3+object
1)
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I had given a book. | A book had been given by me |
| 2 | We had given a book. | A book had been given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) had given a book. | A book had been given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.) had given a book | A book had been given by you. |
| 5 | They had given a book. | A book had been given by them. |
| 6 | Students had given a book. | A book had been given by students. |
| 7 | He had given a book. | A book had been given by him. |
| 8 | She had given a book. | A book had been given by her. |
| 9 | It had given a book. | A book had been given by it. |
| 10 | John(s.n.) had given a book. | A book had been given by John. |
B)past perfect tense passive voice negative sentence
Syntax–passive-Object+had+not+been+v3+by+agent(Subject).
active-subject+had+not+v3+object
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I had not given a book. | A book had not been given by me |
| 2 | We had not given a book. | A book had not been given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) had not given a book. | A book had not been given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.) had not given a book | A book had not been given by you. |
| 5 | They had not given a book. | A book had not been given by them. |
| 6 | Students had not given a book. | A book had not been given by students. |
| 7 | He had not given a book. | A book had not been given by him. |
| 8 | She had not given a book. | A book had not been given by her. |
| 9 | It had not given a book. | A book had not been given by it. |
| 10 | John(s.n.) had not given a book. | A book had not been given by John. |
1)Books had provided knowledge.—-Knowledge had been provided by books.
C)past perfect tense passive voice Interrogative sentence
Syntax–passive-Had+object+been+v3+by+agent(Subject)+?
active-had+subject+v3+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Had I given a book? | Had a book been given by me? |
| 2 | Had we given a book? | Had a book been given by us? |
| 3 | Had you(s.) given a book? | Had a book been given by you? |
| 4 | Had you(p.) given a book? | Had a book been given by you? |
| 5 | Had they given a book? | Had a book been given by them? |
| 6 | Had students given a book? | Had a book been given by students? |
| 7 | Had he given a book? | Had a book been given by him? |
| 8 | Had she given a book? | Had a book been given by her? |
| 9 | Had it given a book? | Had a book been given by it? |
| 10 | Had John(s.n.) given a book? | Had a book been given by John? |
1)Had my bike troubled you?—Had you been troubled by my bike?
D)past perfect tense passive voice Interrogative negative sentence
Syntax–passive-Had+object+not+been+v3+by+agent(Subject)+?
active-had+subject+not+v3+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Had I not given a book? | Had a book not been given by me? |
| 2 | Had we not given a book? | Had a book not been given by us? |
| 3 | Had you(s.) not given a book? | Had a book not been given by you? |
| 4 | Had you(p.) not given a book? | Had a book not been given by you? |
| 5 | Had they not given a book? | Had a book not been given by them? |
| 6 | Had students not given a book? | Had a book not been given by students? |
| 7 | Had he not given a book? | Had a book not been given by him? |
| 8 | Had she not given a book? | Had a book not been given by her? |
| 9 | Had it not given a book? | Had a book not been given by it? |
| 10 | Had John(s.n.) not given a book? | Had a book not been given by John? |
1)Had the trees not lent helping hands?—Had helping hands not been lent by the trees?
7)Simple future tense affirmative, negative, interrogative, interrogative negative sentences active to passive voice
A)simple future tense passive voice Affirmative sentence
Syntax–passive-Object+ will/shall+be+v3+by+agent(subject).
active-subject+will/shall+v1+object
1)
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I will give a book. | A book will be given by me |
| 2 | We will give a book. | A book will be given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) will give a book. | A book will be given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.) will give a book | A book will be given by you. |
| 5 | They will give a book. | A book will be given by them. |
| 6 | Students will give a book. | A book will be given by students. |
| 7 | He will give a book. | A book will be given by him. |
| 8 | She will give a book. | A book will be given by her. |
| 9 | It will give a book. | A book will be given by it. |
| 10 | John(s.n.) will give a book. | A book will be given by John. |
B)Simple future tense passive voice negative sentence
Syntax–passive-Object+ will/shall+not+be+v3+by+agent(subject).
active-subject+will/shall+not+v1+object
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I will not give a book. | A book will not be given by me |
| 2 | We will not give a book. | A book will not be given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) will not give a book. | A book will not be given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.) will not give a book | A book will not be given by you. |
| 5 | They will not give a book. | A book will not be given by them. |
| 6 | Students will not give a book. | A book will not be given by students. |
| 7 | He will not give a book. | A book will not be given by him. |
| 8 | She will not give a book. | A book will not be given by her. |
| 9 | It will not give a book. | A book will not be given by it. |
| 10 | John(s.n.) will not give a book. | A book will not be given by John. |
1)She will not cook food.—Food will not be cooked by her.
C)simple future tense passive voice Interrogative sentence
Syntax–passive-Will/shall+object+be+v3+by+agent(subject)+?
active-will/shall+subject+v1+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Will I give a book? | Will a book be given by me? |
| 2 | Will we give a book? | Will a book be given by us? |
| 3 | Will you(s.) give a book? | Will a book be given by you.? |
| 4 | Will you(p.) give a book? | Will a book be given by you? |
| 5 | will they give a book? | Will a book be given by them? |
| 6 | Will students give a book? | Will a book be given by students? |
| 7 | Will he give a book? | Will a book be given by him? |
| 8 | Will he give a book? | Will a book be given by her? |
| 9 | Will it give a book? | Will a book be given by it? |
| 10 | Will John(s.n.) give a book? | Will a book be given by John? |
1)Will you finish the project?—Will the project be finished by you?
D)simple future tense passive voice Interrogative negative sentence
Syntax–passive-Will/shall+object+not+be+v3+by+agent(subject)+?
active-will/shall+subject+not+v1+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Will I not give a book? | Will a book not be given by me? |
| 2 | Will we not give a book? | Will a book not be given by us? |
| 3 | Will you(s.) not give a book? | Will a book not be given by you.? |
| 4 | Will you(p.) not give a book? | Will a book not be given by you? |
| 5 | will they not give a book? | Will a book not be given by them? |
| 6 | Will students not give a book? | Will a book not be given by students? |
| 7 | Will he not give a book? | Will a book not be given by him? |
| 8 | Will he not give a book? | Will a book not be given by her? |
| 9 | Will it not give a book? | Will a book not be given by it? |
| 10 | Will John(s.n.) not give a book? | Will a book not be given by John? |
1)Will they not win the match?—-Will the match not be won by them?
8)Future perfect tense affirmative, negative, interrogative, interrogative negative sentences active to passive voice
A)future perfect tense Affirmative sentence
Syntax–passive-Object+ will/shall+have+been+v3+by+agent(subject).
active-subject+will/shall+have+v3+object
10 basic examples for practice—
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I will have given a book. | A book will have been given by me |
| 2 | We will have given a book. | A book will have been given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) will have given a book. | A book will have been given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.) will have given a book | A book will have been given by you. |
| 5 | They will have given a book. | A book will have been given by them. |
| 6 | Students will have given a book. | A book will have been given by students. |
| 7 | He will have given a book. | A book will have been given by him. |
| 8 | She will have given a book. | A book will have been given by her. |
| 9 | It will have given a book. | A book will have been given by it. |
| 10 | John(s. n.) will have given a book. | A book will have been given by John. |
B)future perfect tense passive voice Negative sentence
Syntax–passive-Object+ will/shall+not+have+been+v3+by+agent(subject).
active-subject+will/shall+not+have+v3+object
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | I will not have given a book. | A book will not have been given by me |
| 2 | We will not have given a book. | A book will not have been given by us. |
| 3 | You(s.) will not have given a book. | A book will not have been given by you. |
| 4 | You(p.) will not have given a book | A book will not have been given by you. |
| 5 | They will not have given a book. | A book will not have been given by them. |
| 6 | Students will not have given a book. | A book will not have been given by students. |
| 7 | He will not have given a book. | A book will not have been given by him. |
| 8 | She will not have given a book. | A book will not have been given by her. |
| 9 | It will not have given a book. | A book will not have been given by it. |
| 10 | John(s. n.) will not have given a book. | A book will not have been given by John. |
1)They will not have grown trees.—-Trees will not have been grown by them.
C)future perfect tense passive voice Interrogative sentence
Syntax–passive-Will/shall+object+have+been+v3+by+agent(subject)+?
active-will/shall+subject+have+v3+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Will I have given a book? | Will a book have been given by me? |
| 2 | Will we have given a book? | Will a book have been given by us? |
| 3 | Will you(s.) have given a book? | Will a book have been given by you? |
| 4 | Will you(p.) have given a book? | Will a book have been given by you? |
| 5 | Will they have given a book? | Will a book have been given by them? |
| 6 | Will students have given a book? | Will a book have been given by students? |
| 7 | Will he have given a book? | Will a book have been given by him? |
| 8 | Will she have given a book? | Will a book have been given by her? |
| 9 | Will it have given a book? | Will a book have been given by it? |
| 10 | Will John(s. n.) have given a book? | Will a book have been given by John? |
1)Will it have saved time?—-Will time have been saved by it?
D)future perfect tense passive voice Interrogative negative sentence
Syntax–passive-Will/shall+object+not+have+been+v3+by+agent(subject)+?
active-will/shall+subject+not+have+v3+object+?
| Sr. no. | Active voice sentence | Passive voice sentence |
| 1 | Will I not have given a book? | Will a book not have been given by me? |
| 2 | Will we not have given a book? | Will a book not have been given by us? |
| 3 | Will you(s.) not have given a book? | Will a book not have been given by you? |
| 4 | Will you(p.) not have given a book? | Will a book not have been given by you? |
| 5 | Will they not have given a book? | Will a book not have been given by them? |
| 6 | Will students not have given a book? | Will a book not have been given by students? |
| 7 | Will he have not given a book? | Will a book not have been given by him? |
| 8 | Will she not have given a book? | Will a book not have been given by her? |
| 9 | Will it not have given a book? | Will a book not have been given by it? |
| 10 | Will John(s. n.) not have given a book? | Will a book not have been given by John? |
1)Will he not have suggested something?—Will something not have been suggested by him?
9)how to change Imperative sentences into passive voice
A)Affirmative sentence—
Syntax—-Let+object+be+v3
1)Open the door—Let the door be opened. (Passive voice)
2)Change the degree—Let the degree be changed.
3)Change the voice—Let the voice be changed.
4)Answer my questions—Let my questions be answered.
10)how to change Modal auxiliary sentences into passive voice
1)Present modal—-
Syntax—Object+ modal(can/could/must/should)+be+v3+by+agent(Subject)
Eg. 1)We can give report.—–Report can be given by us.
2)You must help the needy.—-The needy must be helped by you.
2)Past modals(with modal+have+v3)—
Syntax—Object+ modal (Can/could/must/should)+have+been+v3+by+agent(subject).
Eg. 1)I must have given my car.—My car must have been given by me.
2)She could have contacted us.—-We could have been contacted by her.
11)Passive voice of going to sentences
Eg. 1)He is going to learn English.—-English is going to be learned by him.
2)They are going to invest money.—Money is going to be invested by them.
12)Passive voice of have to/has to, had to/will have to/shall have to sentences
Eg. 1)We have to start the process.—The process has to be started by us.
2)She has to read books.—-Books have to be read by her.
3)He had to spend time .—-Time had to be spent by him.
4)You will have to solve it.—-It will have to be solved by you.
13)Some exceptional WH questions
Eg. 1)Who opened the door?—-By whom was the door opened?
2)Who informed you?—–By whom were you informed?
3)Who rewarded them?—By whom were they rewarded?
4)Why did your friend take this side?—Why was this side taken by your friend?
Do as directed-change the given sentences in the passive voice
Exercise with a detailed explanation of the answers
1)I started a company NEXT.
Ans.-A company NEXT was started by me.
Explanation-–The given sentence is in simple past tense active voice. So we have used was as a helping verb as per the number of subject a company NEXT(singular).
2)We defined our goals.
Ans.-Our goals were defined by us.
Explanation––The given sentence is in the simple past tense. So we have used were as a helping verb as per the number of object our goals(plural)
3)She forgives others.
Ans. Others are forgiven by her.
Explanation—The given sentence is in simple present tense active voice. For that, we have used the helping verb are as per the plural object others.
4)They have grabbed the opportunity.
Ans. The opportunity has been grabbed by them.
Explanation —The given sentence is in present perfect tense active voice. We have used the helping verb has as an object the opportunity is singular.
5)Children were making fun.
Ans.-Fun was being made by children.
Explanation —past continuous tense active voice sentence is given. Its passive voice helping verbs are was/were+ being. Fun is singular. so the use of was.
6)John will not repeat his mistake.
Ans. His mistake will not be repeated by John.
Explanation —Simple future active voice sentence. Its passive voice helping verbs are will/shall+ be.
7)You should break it.
Ans. It should be broken by you.
Explanation —Modal auxiliary sentence. Be is used with modal in passive voice.
How to change passive voice to active voice Rules, formulas, examples, detailed guide-
We have studied in detail how to change active voice sentences to passive voice. Now we will know how to do the exact opposite of it that is we will learn how to change passive voice to active voice.
For that, you should have good knowledge of 12 active voice sentence constructions, 8 passive voice sentence constructions that we have discussed above. Here we will start with how to change from passive voice to active voice.
Steps to change passive voice to active voice
1)First begin your sentence with the subject instead of an object. The subject is always in the nominative case.
2)Remove the passive voice helping verb and use the active voice helping verb, and main verb.
3)Use v3 only for present/past/future perfect tense. for other tenses use verb form as per their structure in active voice.
4)Remove BY used before the agent.
5)Then write the object. If the object is a pronoun, write it in an objective case. See the above-given chart of nominative and objective case pronouns.
That’s it, your transformation is ready.
Eg. 1)We are answered by people.
Ans. People answer us.
Explanation—Given sentence is in simple present tense passive voice. We started a sentence with the subject with people, removed passive voice helping verb are, used v1 as per simple present active voice, removed by, used object we in the objective case as us.
2)Police were informed.
Ans. They (Someone) informed the police.
Given sentence Is in simple past passive. There is no agent. So we assume such as by them /someone We began the sentence with the subject, removed were, used v2.removed by, and placed the object after the main verb.
3)It had been completed by you.
Ans. You had completed it.
4)They will be called by the company.
Ans. The company will call them.
5)The doctor was called.
Ans. They (Someone) called the doctor.
6)Pictures should be drawn. (By students).
Ans. Students should draw pictures.
7)They had been informed (By you).
Ans. You had informed them.
Conclusion for active and passive change
Here we come to the finishing part of this important topic of active voice and passive voice, its rules to change, formulas for easy understanding, and examples with explanations. I am sure if you go through this article frequently, you will never face problems in understanding passive voice and transforming passive voice sentences to active voice. Comment with your suggestions and feedback.
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