Unit 24

Active and Passive voice

Objective: To learn about active and passive voice.
Active and Passive Voice
Active Voice: The subject does the action.
E.g. Shiva writes a letter.

Passive Voice: Something is done to the subject. Here, the subject remains inactive.
E.g. A letter is written by Shiva.

Use of Active voice: Normally, we use active voice.

Use of Passive voice:
We use Passive voice
When the action done is more important than the performer.
When the object is more important than the subject.
When we dont know the subject.
In news and newspapers.

Rules for converting from Active voice to Passive voice:
The meaning and the tense of the sentence should not change.
The subject and the object should be interchanged. Introduce by before the object in passive
voice.
Subject Object
I Me
We Us
You You
He Him
She Her
It It
They Them
The form of the verb is changed (be + past participle).

Rules for Simple Present:
Structures:
S =Subject; M.V =Main Verb; P.P =Past Participle; O =Object

I + am + M.V [P.P] + O
S [Singular ] + is + P.P + O
S [Plural] + are + P.P + O

Examples:
They greet me. [Active Voice]
I am greeted by them. [Passive Voice]

I eat an apple. [Active Voice]
An apple is eaten by me. [Passive Voice]

Rules for Simple Past:
Structures:
S [Singular ] + was + M.V [P.P] + O
S [Plural] + were + M.V [P.P] + O

Example:
John ate an apple. [Active Voice]
An Apple was eaten by John. [Passive Voice]

Rules for Simple Future/ Modals:
S + Modal Verb + be + M.V [P.P] + O

Examples:
Robert will write the assignment. [Active Voice]
The assignment will be written by Robert. [Passive Voice]

Julie can speak German. [Active Voice]
German can be spoken by Julie. [Passive Voice]

Rules for Present/ Past Continuous tenses:
S + Present/ Past Auxiliary verb + being + M.V [P.P] + O

Examples:
Charlie is painting a picture. [Active Voice]
A picture is being painted by Charlie. [Passive Voice]

Dravid was playing Cricket. [Active Voice]
Cricket was being played by Dravid. [Passive Voice]

Rules for Present/ Past/ Future Perfect tenses:
S + Present Ax/ Past Ax/ will have + been + M.V [P.P] + O

Examples:
She has finished the home work. [Active Voice]
The homework has been finished by her. [Passive Voice]

They will have written a letter. [Active Voice]
A letter will have been written by them. [Passive Voice]

Note:
We dont have passive voice structures for
Future Continuous tense and
For all the Perfect Continuous tenses.

Tense Structure
Simple Present Am/ is/ are + M.V [P.P]
Simple Past Was/ were + M.V [P.P]
Simple Future/ Modals Will/ Modal Verb + M.V [P.P]
Present Continuous Am/ is/ are + being + M.V [P.P]
Past Continuous Was/ were + M.V [P.P]
Future Continuous *****************************
Present Perfect Has/ have + been + M.V [P.P]
Past Perfect Had + been + M.V [P.P]
Future Perfect Will have + been + M.V [P.P]
All the Perfect Continuous tenses ******************************