Active and Passive Voice

In English grammar, voice refers to the form of the verb that shows whether the subject performs the action (Active Voice) or receives the action (Passive Voice). Understanding this is crucial for sentence transformation and comprehension questions in competitive exams.

---

🔍 Definition

🔹 Active Voice:

The subject performs the action.

Structure:
Subject + Verb + Object

Example:
🔹 The teacher teaches grammar.
(Here, "The teacher" is doing the action.)

---

🔹 Passive Voice:

The subject receives the action.

Structure:
Object + Auxiliary Verb (be) + Past Participle + (by + doer)

Example:
🔹 Grammar is taught by the teacher.
(Here, the focus is on "grammar", which is receiving the action.)

---

🧾 Why Use Passive Voice?

• To emphasize the receiver of the action.

• When the doer is unknown or irrelevant.

• To sound more formal or objective, often in academic or scientific writing.

---

⚙️ Rules for Changing Active to Passive Voice

1. Identify Subject, Verb, and Object

Active: Riya (S) writes (V) a letter (O).
Passive: A letter is written by Riya.

---

2. Use the correct form of "be" + past participle

Tense	Active Voice Example	Passive Voice Example
Simple Present	He writes a letter.	A letter is written by him.
Simple Past	She ate the apple.	The apple was eaten by her.
Present Continuous	They are watching a movie.	A movie is being watched by them.
Past Continuous	He was cooking food.	Food was being cooked by him.
Present Perfect	I have completed the task.	The task has been completed by me.
Future (will)	She will clean the room.	The room will be cleaned by her.
Modals (can, may)	You can solve this.	This can be solved by you.

---

3. Change Pronouns Accordingly

Active Subject	Passive Object
I	me
We	us
You	you
He	him
She	her
They	them
It	it

---

✨ Examples

Active: The dog chased the cat.

Passive: The cat was chased by the dog.

Active: She is writing a book.

Passive: A book is being written by her.

Active: They have finished the work.

Passive: The work has been finished by them.

Active: Who taught you English?

Passive: By whom were you taught English?

---

🧠 Common Passive Traps

Trap	Correction
"They know him." → "He is known."	❌"Him is known." → ✅ "He is known."
"People speak English here."	✅ "English is spoken here."
"He gave me a gift."	✅ "A gift was given to me by him." or ✅ "I was given a gift by him."

---

🧪 MCQs with Explanations

---

Q1. Choose the passive form of: "She helps the poor."

A. The poor are helped by her.
B. The poor were helped by her.
C. The poor is helped by her.
D. The poor has been helped by her.

✅ Answer: A
Explanation:

• Tense: Simple Present → use are + past participle

• Subject: the poor (plural)
  ✔ The poor are helped by her.

---

Q2. Choose the passive form of: "They will complete the project next week."

A. The project will completed next week.
B. The project will be completed next week.
C. The project is completed next week.
D. The project will have completed next week.

✅ Answer: B
Explanation:

• Future tense: will + be + V3
  ✔ The project will be completed next week.

---

Q3. "A story is being read by the children." Choose the active form.

A. The children have read a story.
B. The children are reading a story.
C. The children read a story.
D. The children will read a story.

✅ Answer: B
Explanation:

• "is being read" = Present Continuous Passive

• So, active = are reading

✔ The children are reading a story.

---

Q4. Choose the passive form: "Did she paint the wall?"

A. Is the wall painted by her?
B. Was the wall painted by her?
C. Has the wall been painted by her?
D. Was she painted the wall?

✅ Answer: B
Explanation:

• Past Simple Interrogative → use was/were + V3
  ✔ Was the wall painted by her?

---

Q5. Choose the active form of: "The song has been sung by Lata."

A. Lata sang the song.
B. Lata was singing the song.
C. Lata has sung the song.
D. Lata had sung the song.

✅ Answer: C
Explanation:

• Passive: has been sung → Present Perfect Passive

• Active: has + V3

✔ Lata has sung the song.