Active & Passive Voice

Active & Passive Voice Basics

Voice shows whether the subject performs the action or receives the action. Active voice is when the subject does the action; passive is when the subject receives the action.

Active Structure: Subject + Verb + Object

  1. She writes a letter.
  2. The boy kicked the ball.
  3. They are reading a book.
  4. He repaired the car.
  5. We solved the problem.

Passive Structure: Object + form of BE + past participle (V3) + (by + Subject)

  1. A letter is written by her.
  2. The ball was kicked by the boy.
  3. The book is being read by them.
  4. The car was repaired by him.
  5. The problem was solved by us.
Subject → Object Pronouns
SubjectObject
Ime
Weus
Youyou
Hehim
Sheher
Theythem
Itit
When and Why Passive Voice Is Used
  1. When the doer is unknown: The window was broken.
  2. When the doer is unimportant: English is spoken worldwide.
  3. To emphasize the result: The project was completed successfully.
  4. In formal or scientific writing: The data was analyzed carefully.
  5. To sound polite or indirect: A mistake has been made.
Rules to Change Active into Passive
  1. Find the object of the active sentence.
  2. Make it the subject of the passive sentence.
  3. Use the correct form of be.
  4. Use V3 (past participle) of the verb.
  5. Change subject pronoun to object pronoun after by.
  6. By + doer is optional if the doer is unimportant or unknown.
Passive Voice in Tenses
Present Simple

Active: Subject + V₁(s/es) + Object
Passive: Object + am/is/are + Vā‚ƒ + (by + Subject)

Active ExamplePassive Example
1. She cleans the room.1. The room is cleaned by her.
2. They sell cars.2. Cars are sold by them.
3. He teaches English.3. English is taught by him.
4. The manager approves the plan.4. The plan is approved by the manager.
5. She writes letters daily.5. Letters are written by her daily.
Present Continuous

Active: Subject + am/is/are + V-ing + Object
Passive: Object + am/is/are + being + Vā‚ƒ + (by + Subject)

Active ExamplePassive Example
1. He is writing a report.1. A report is being written by him.
2. She is cooking food.2. Food is being cooked by her.
3. They are painting the wall.3. The wall is being painted by them.
4. I am reading the book.4. The book is being read by me.
5. We are solving the problem.5. The problem is being solved by us.
Present Perfect

Active: Subject + has/have + Vā‚ƒ + Object
Passive: Object + has/have been + Vā‚ƒ + (by + Subject)

Active ExamplePassive Example
1. They have completed the work.1. The work has been completed by them.
2. She has washed the clothes.2. The clothes have been washed by her.
3. He has fixed the car.3. The car has been fixed by him.
4. We have prepared dinner.4. Dinner has been prepared by us.
5. She has written a report.5. A report has been written by her.
Past Simple

Active: Subject + Vā‚‚ + Object
Passive: Object + was/were + Vā‚ƒ + (by + Subject)

Active ExamplePassive Example
1. He repaired the car.1. The car was repaired by him.
2. They built a house.2. A house was built by them.
3. She wrote a letter.3. A letter was written by her.
4. We finished the project.4. The project was finished by us.
5. The teacher explained the lesson.5. The lesson was explained by the teacher.
Past Continuous

Active: Subject + was/were + V-ing + Object
Passive: Object + was/were + being + Vā‚ƒ + (by + Subject)

Active ExamplePassive Example
1. She was teaching the class.1. The class was being taught by her.
2. They were painting the wall.2. The wall was being painted by them.
3. He was fixing the machine.3. The machine was being fixed by him.
4. We were cleaning the room.4. The room was being cleaned by us.
5. The chef was preparing food.5. Food was being prepared by the chef.
Past Perfect

Active: Subject + had + Vā‚ƒ + Object
Passive: Object + had been + Vā‚ƒ + (by + Subject)

Active ExamplePassive Example
1. He had finished the task.1. The task had been finished by him.
2. She had prepared dinner.2. Dinner had been prepared by her.
3. They had completed the project.3. The project had been completed by them.
4. We had read the book.4. The book had been read by us.
5. The students had solved the problems.5. The problems had been solved by the students.
Future Simple

Active: Subject + will/shall + V₁ + Object
Passive: Object + will/shall + be + Vā‚ƒ + (by + Subject)

Active ExamplePassive Example
1. They will announce the result.1. The result will be announced by them.
2. He will open the shop.2. The shop will be opened by him.
3. She will write a letter.3. A letter will be written by her.
4. We will complete the project.4. The project will be completed by us.
5. The teacher will explain the lesson.5. The lesson will be explained by the teacher.
Future Perfect

Active: Subject + will/shall + have + Vā‚ƒ + Object
Passive: Object + will/shall + have been + Vā‚ƒ + (by + Subject)

Active ExamplePassive Example
1. She will have completed the project.1. The project will have been completed by her.
2. They will have cleaned the office.2. The office will have been cleaned by them.
3. He will have repaired the car.3. The car will have been repaired by him.
4. We will have prepared dinner.4. Dinner will have been prepared by us.
5. The manager will have approved the plan.5. The plan will have been approved by the manager.
Passive Voice with Modal Verbs

Structure: Modal + be + Vā‚ƒ (present/future), Modal + have been + Vā‚ƒ (past)

ActivePassive
1. He can solve the problem.1. The problem can be solved by him.
2. She must follow the rules.2. The rules must be followed by her.
3. They should have finished the work.3. The work should have been finished by them.
4. We may complete the task.4. The task may be completed by us.
5. He might write a letter.5. A letter might be written by him.
Passive Voice of Imperative Sentences

Structure: Let + Object + be + Vā‚ƒ

ActivePassive
1. Close the door.1. Let the door be closed.
2. Complete the form.2. Let the form be completed.
3. Do not waste time.3. Let time not be wasted.
4. Open the window.4. Let the window be opened.
5. Finish the task.5. Let the task be finished.
Tenses in Which Passive Cannot Be Formed
  1. Present Perfect Continuous – She has been teaching English. āŒ Passive not possible
  2. Past Perfect Continuous – They had been waiting for hours. āŒ Passive not possible
  3. Future Continuous – He will be driving the car. āŒ Passive not possible
  4. Future Perfect Continuous – She will have been studying all night. āŒ Passive not possible
Passive Voice Is Not Possible with Intransitive Verbs

Intransitive verbs do not take an object, so passive voice cannot be formed.

  1. He sleeps. āŒ
  2. The baby cried. āŒ
  3. She laughed loudly. āŒ
  4. They arrived late. āŒ
  5. We ran fast. āŒ
Active & Passive Voice Worksheet – Englivio

Active & Passive Voice Worksheet

Section A: Active → Passive (20 marks)

Change the following active sentences into passive. Some are tricky; identify if passive is not possible.
1. She writes a letter every day.
2. They are cleaning the classroom.
3. He has completed his homework.
4. The manager approved the plan yesterday.
5. We will finish the project tomorrow.
6. I can solve this problem.
7. She is going to submit the report.
8. Let the students complete the assignment.
9. Close the door.
10. Birds fly in the sky.
11. He had repaired the car before the trip.
12. We will have prepared dinner by 8 PM.
13. They must follow the rules.
14. She reads books daily.
15. I am solving the puzzle.
16. He will open the shop tomorrow.
17. She might write a letter tonight.
18. The sun rises in the east.
19. They have cleaned the office.
20. We were watching a movie last night.

Section B: Passive → Active (20 marks)

Rewrite the following passive sentences into active voice.
1. A letter is written by her.
2. The room is being cleaned by them.
3. The homework has been completed by him.
4. The plan was approved by the manager.
5. The project will be finished by us tomorrow.
6. This problem can be solved by me.
7. The door is to be closed by you.
8. The report is being written by her.
9. The car had been repaired by him.
10. Dinner will have been prepared by us by 8 PM.
11. The rules must be followed by them.
12. The assignment is to be completed by the students.
13. Books are read daily by her.
14. The puzzle is being solved by me.
15. The office has been cleaned by them.
16. The shop will be opened by him tomorrow.
17. A letter might be written by her.
18. A movie was being watched by us.
19. The problem should have been finished by them.
20. The lesson will be explained by the teacher.