Active and Passive Voice
There are two
special forms for verbs called voice:
1. Active voice
2. Passive
voice
The active
voice is the "normal" voice. This is the voice that we use most
of the time. You are
probably already familiar with the active voice. In the active voice, the object
receives the action of the verb:
Ex: Fish are eaten by cats
The passive
voice is less usual. In the passive voice, the subject receives the
action of the verb:
Ex: Cats eat fish
Look at the
following sentences:
1. Sunanda
wrote a novel.
2. A novel was
written by Sunanda.
In the first
sentence the subject, Sunanda, performs the action and the verb wrote, is said to
be in the active voice. In the second sentence the subject is a novel, and the
verb, ‘was written’ is said to be in the passive voice.
A verb is in
the active voice when it tells what the subject does; It is in the passive
voice when it tells what the subject suffers.
We know that
only a verb used transitively can take an object; therefore, only a transitive verb
has two voices, the active and the passive. A verb that has an object of its
own is called transitive verb and if it has two, it is then known as intransitive.
So it is sometimes possible for two passive forms of a intransitive verb.
Ex: I sent her a message. (AV)
A message was
sent (to) her by me or she was sent a message by me (PV)
The object of
the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb:
Subject verb
object
Active Everybody drinks water.
Passive Water is drunk by everybody.
1) The passive voice is formed by putting the verb
‘to be’ into the appropriate tense and adding the past participle (V3 - the
third form of a finite verb)
Tense Active voice Passive Voice
Simple present I
keep I
am kept
Present continuous I am keeping I
am being kept
Simple Past I
kept I
was kept
Past Continuous I was keeping I
was being kept
Present Perfect I have kept I
have been kept
Past Perfect I
had kept I
had been kept
Simple Future I shall keep I shall
be kept
2) Study the following sentences:
Active Passive
Farmers grow crops. Crops are
grown by farmers.
He explained the lesson. The lesson was
explained by him.
Cats kill rats Rats
are killed by cats.
We notice that
when a sentence is changed from active to Passive, the object of the active voice
becomes the subject of the passive.
3) Let us examine the following sentences:
Active Passive
Shaw wrote this
play. This
play was written by Shaw.
The postman is
collecting letters Letters are being collected by the postman.
We see that in
the passive voice the agent, when mentioned, is preceded, by the preposition
by’.
4) Let us look at the following:
Active Passive
People always admire this picture. This picture is always admired.
Someone has stolen my books. My books have been stolen.
People speak English all over the world. English is spoken all over
the world.
We notice that
when the subject in the active voice is vague or unknown, it remains unexpressed
in the passive voice.
5) Study the following sentences:
Active Passive
1) Krishna gave me a book a) I was given a book by Krishna
b) A book was given (to) me by Krishna
2) Who taught you English? a) By who were you taught English?
b) By whom was English taught to you?
We notice that
when a verb in the active voice has an indirect as well as a direct object, either
of them can become the subject of the passive voice. But it is more usual in
English to make the personal (indirect) object the subject of the passive
voice.
6) When we wish to turn an imperative, active into
the passive, we have to make use of a paraphrase, using the verb let:
Active Passive
Tell him to go. Let
him be told to go.
Saddle the horse. Let the horse be
saddled.
Dispatch the letter. Let the letter be dispatched.
Uses of the Passive Voice
The passive
construction is used:
1) If the
active subject is not known, so that an active construction is impossible :
Ex: My purse has been stolen (I do not know by
whom).
She was tempted
to buy.
The plane was
lost somewhere in the hills.
2) When the
subject in the active voice is unmistakably clear from the context:
Ex: He was sent to prison for three years (by the
judge).
She was
dismissed (by her mistress). Mistakes are always committed.
3) If we do not
want to mention the active subject, we then use the impersonal passive construction,
with ‘It’ as the subject of the passive verb.
Ex: It is said that there will be a great crowd
(somebody said so)
It is believed
that the prisoner is not guilty (believed by people in general).
It is rumored
that the government proposes to introduce tax on agricultural income (some
people have spread the rumour).
It is feared
that there are no survivors.
4) If we take a
great interest in the sufferer than in the doer of the action:
Ex: Mary was punished by her father.
The ship was
wrecked in a storm.
Active Voice into
Passive Voice
I. Present
Tense:
1) Sadiq
repairs the radio.
2) Sneha
writes novels.
3) John
teaches us English.
4) We accept
good news.
5) They sell
radios.
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I. Present
Tense:
1) The radio
is repaired by Sadiq.
2) Novels are
written by Sneha.
3) English is
taught to us by John/ We are taught English by John.
4) Good news
is expected (by us).
5) Radios are
sold by them.
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II. Present
Continuous Tense:
1) Sarita is
singing a song.
2) The boys
are making kites.
3) Rajitha is
taking the dog for a walk.
4) The
students are watching a dance programme.
5) The
government is building houses for the poor.
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II. Present
Continuous Tense:
1) A song is
being sung by Sarita.
2) Kites are
being made by the boys.
3) The dog is
being taken for a walk by Rajitha.
4) A dance
programme is being watched by the students.
5) Houses are
being built by the government for the poor.
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III.
Present Perfect:
1) The
woodcutter has cut the tree.
2) R.K.
Narayan has written many novels.
3) The
children have burst the balloons.
4) Anuradha
has painted these pictures.
5) Rajini has
given me a present.
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III.
Present Perfect:
1) The tree
has been cut by the woodcutter.
2) Many
novels have been written by R.K. Narayan.
3) The
balloons have been burst by the children.
4) These pictures
have been painted by Anuradha.
5) A present
has been given to me by Rajini/J have been given a present by Rajini.
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IV. Past
Tense:
1) She broke
the glass.
2) He built
two houses.
3) Pratap
took some photographs.
4) The cat
killed the mouse.
5) His
teacher praised him.
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IV. Past
Tense:
1) The glass
was broken by her.
2) Two houses
were built by him.
3) Some
photographs were taken by Pratap.
4) The mouse was
killed by the cat.
5) He was
praised by his teacher.
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V. Past
Continuous Tense:
1) Pratima
was singing a song.
2) The
carpenters were making chairs.
3) The lion
was chasing the deer.
4) The
teacher was teaching the children.
5) Sohail was
writing a letter to his father.
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V. Past
Continuous Tense:
1) A song was
being sung by Pratima.
2) Chairs
were being made by the carpenters.
3) The deer
was being chased by the lion.
4) The
children were being taught by the teacher.
5) A letter
was being written by Sohail to his father.
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VI. Past
Perfect Tense:
1) He had
sent the parcel.
2) Jim
Corbett had killed many tigers.
3) The
fishermen had caught many fish.
4) Kamala had
finished the work.
5) The seawater
had damaged some of the cargo.
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VI. Past
Perfect Tense:
1) The parcel
had been sent by him.
2) Many
tigers had been killed by Jim Corbett.
3) Many fish
had been caught by the fisherman.
4) The work
had been finished by Kamala.
5) Some of
the cargo had been damaged by the seawater.
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VII. Future
Tense:
1) I shall
punish you.
2) He will
send the tickets tomorrow.
3) He will
give you the instructions.
4) They will
look into your case.
5) They will
finish the work in a week.
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VII. Future
Tense:
1) You will
be punished by me.
2) The
tickets will be sent by him tomorrow.
3) The
instructions will be given to you by him/You will be given the instructions
by
him.
4) Your case
will be looked into. (by them)
5) The work
will be finished in a week. (by them)
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VIII.
Future Perfect Tense:
1) They will
have completed the work by tomorrow.
2) By next
year, they will have constructed the house.
3) They will
have written a few books on this subject by next year.
4) They will
have planted saplings in the fields by the time we return.
5) I shall
have finished my homework by the time you wake up.
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VIII.
Future Perfect Tense:
1) The work
will have been completed by them by tomorrow.
2) The house
will have been constructed by them by next year.
3) A few
books on this subject will have been written by them by next year.
4) Saplings
will have been planted in the fields by them by the time we return.
5) My
homework will have been finished by me by the time you wake up.
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IX.
Interrogative Sentences:
1) Does he
play cricket?
2) Has he
invited you to dinner?
3) Where did
he find the pen?
4) Can he
lift this box?
5) Who wrote
the Gitanjali?
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IX.
Interrogative Sentences:
1) Is cricket
played by him?
2) Have you
been invited to dinner by him?
3) Where was
the pen found by him?
4) Can this
box be lifted by him?
5) By whom
was the Gitanjali written?
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X.
Imperative Sentences:
1) Tell her
to wait here.
2) Close all
the gates at once.
3) Help the
poor.
4) Kindly
grant me a week’s leave.
5) Let him
finish the job now.
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X.
Imperative Sentences:
1) He told
let her wait here.
2) Let all
the gates be closed at once.
3) Let the poor
be helped.
4) You are
requested to grant me a week’s leave.
5) Let the
job be finished by him now.
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XI. Turn
the following sentences from the Active Voice to Passive Voice.
1) Who wrote
this poem?
2) They chose
him their leader.
3) Thieves
broke into the house.
4) People
believe that dreams come true.
5) When will
they finish the work?
6) Can they
solve the problem?
7) She
requested him to give her some money.
8) Take your
medicine on time.
9) The news
alarmed us.
10) We
elected him Chairman.
11) They kept
me waiting.
12) He gave
her a ring.
13) Watt
invented the steam engine.
14) One finds
horses everywhere.
15) The
manager will give you a ticket.
16) Declare
the result.
17) Please
help the poor man.
18) Why has
he punished the innocent boy?
19) You must
work for success.
20) The judge
found him guilty of murder.
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XI. Passive
Forms:
1) By whom
was this poem written?
2) He was
chosen their leader.
3) The house
was broken into. (by thieves)
4) It is
believed that dreams come true. (by people)
5) When will
the work be finished?
6) Can the
problem be solved?
7) He was
requested to give her some money.
8) Medicine
must be taken on time.
9) We were
alarmed by the news.
10) He was
elected Chairman. (by them)
11) I was kept
waiting. (by them)
12) She was
given a ring by him/A ring was given to her by him.
13) The steam
engine was invented by Watt.
14) Horses
are found everywhere.
15) You will
be given ticket by the manager/A ticket will be given to you by the
manager.
16) Let the
result be declared.
17) You are
requested to help the poor man.
18) Why has
the innocent boy been punished by him?
19) Success
must be worked for.
20) He was found guilty of murder. (By the
judge)
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