Active and passive voice rules for all tenses

Active and Passive Voice Rules of English Grammar Understanding Active and Passive Voice rules are imperative for candidates preparing for various Government exams as well as other competitive exams.  In this article, we shall discuss in detail the Active and Passive Voice rules followed by examples, along with the sample questions asked in the examinations, based on the same. Candidates will be explained the concept and active -passive rules in English grammar both in the text and video format. Active & Passive Voice Let us first understand the meaning of voice, and what is active voice and passive voice. What is Voice of a verb? The voice of a verb expresses whether the subject in the sentence has performed or received the action. Example: • The watchman opens the door. • The door is opened by the watchman. Types of Voices of Verb Verbs have two voices (i) Active Voice (ii) Passive Voice Active Voice – When an action performed by the subject is expressed by the verb, it is an active voice. Active voice is used when more straightforward relation and clarity is required between the subject and the verb. Active Voice example: • Hens lay eggs. • Birds build nests. Passive Voice – When the action expressed by the verb is received by the subject, it is passive voice. Passive voice is used when the doer of the action is not known and the focus of the sentence is on the action and not the subject. Passive Voice Examples: • Eggs are laid by hens. • Nests are built by birds. C...

Sentences, having intransitive verb, cannot be converted into Passive Voice Sentence having intransitive verbs can also not be converted into passive voice. There are two types of verbs: Transitive Verbs Intransitive Verbs Transitive verb is a verb that requires an object in the sentence in order to give complete meaning. For instance, ‘buy’ is a transitive verb. We cannot use it without an object (for it) in the sentence. See the following example. He bought _____. He bought a book. In the above example, it can be seen that without an object, the verb ‘buy’ does not give a complete meaning. There should be an object for it in the sentence such as ‘He bought a book’ or ‘He bought a chair’. A transitive verb must have an object for it in the sentence. On the other hand, intransitive verbs do not require object in the sentence and can give complete meaning without an object in the sentence. For instance, laugh, sleep, run, are some intransitive verbs. He laughs. She is sleeping. They are running. The sentence having intransitive verbs cannot be changed into passive voice. This is because these sentences do not have an object. If a sentence has no object, it cannot be changed into passive voice. Passive voice is basically meant for emphasizing the object of the sentence. Therefore, a sentence must have a clear and known object in order to be converted into passive voice. See the following examples of sentence having intransitive verb which cannot be changed into passive voice...

The passive voice with the different tenses In a passive sentence, the object of an active sentence becomes the subject. Then we have to use the verb be in the tense we need and add the past participle of the main verb after it. In a passive voice sentence, the subject is the receiver of the action, not the doer of the action. • They take the photos in Africa. (active) • The photos are taken in Africa. (passive) You can see how to use the passive voice with different tenses below. When do we use the passive voice? In English, we us the passive voice when we don’t know, or we don’t want to talk about who or what does the action in a sentence. Check the following examples. • A bank was robbed yesterday. (=We don’t know who robbed the bank.) • He was arrestedlast night. (=It’s obvious that the police arrested him.) • I have been told that you insulted my brother. (=I don’t want to say who told me.) • Jurassic Park was filmed by Spielberg in 1993. (=I’m talking about Jurassic Park and not about Spielberg.)

Table of Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Active Voice vs Passive Voice Active Voice The active voice illustrates a sentence where the subject performs the action that stated by the verb. Form: SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT. • I do my home work. • My mom cooks the dinner. • Our teacher gives us a lot of homework. • She receives a letter from her father. Passive Voice In contrast, passive voice is describe a sentence in which the subject receives an action. Form: SUBJECT + VERB + “TO BE” + PAST PARTICIPLE. • My homework is done (by me). • The dinner is cooked (by my mom). • We are given a lot of homework (by our teacher). • A letter from her father is received (by her). Note: “By+…” can be taken out in passive voice. When to Use Passive Voice? 1. In formal texts Examples: • Active: They invite him to the party. • Passive: He is invited to the party. (sounds more formal) 2. To show interest in the person or object that receive an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. Examples: • The party was held in a luxury hotel. (we’re interest in the party rather than who held it.) • All tickets were sold out! (we’re interest in the ticket rather than who sold it.) 3. When we don’t know (or do not want to express) who performed the action. Examples: • My purse wasstolen! • A whole pot of jam was eaten! Passive Voice For All Tenses Passive voice for all tenses in English. Note: • V1: Base FormofVerb • V2: Past Simple • V3: Past Participle Present Simple Tens...