Detailed Guide to Changing Active Voice to Passive Voice
This guide provides a comprehensive explanation of how to convert sentences from active voice to passive voice, including rules, steps, and examples for various sentence types. It covers the structure, verb forms, and special cases to ensure clarity and accuracy.
Understanding Active and Passive Voice
- Active Voice: The subject performs the action expressed by the verb. The structure is typically: Subject + Verb + Object.
- Example: "The chef (subject) cooked (verb) the meal (object)."
- Passive Voice: The subject receives the action expressed by the verb. The structure is typically: Subject (original object) + Form of "to be" + Past Participle + (by + original subject, optional).
- Example: "The meal (subject) was cooked (to be + past participle) by the chef (optional)."
In passive voice, the focus shifts to the action or the recipient of the action, and the doer (original subject) may be omitted if it is unknown or unimportant.
Step-by-Step Process to Convert Active to Passive Voice
Step 1: Identify the Components of the Active Sentence
- Subject: Who or what is performing the action.
- Verb: The action being performed.
- Object: Who or what is receiving the action (if present).
- Example: "The dog (subject) chased (verb) the cat (object)."
Step 2: Rearrange the Sentence
- Make the object of the active sentence the subject of the passive sentence.
- Example: "The cat" becomes the new subject.
Step 3: Change the Verb Form
- Use the appropriate form of the verb "to be" based on the tense of the original verb, combined with the past participle of the main verb.
- The past participle is typically the verb’s base form + "-ed" for regular verbs (e.g., "walk" → "walked") or an irregular form for irregular verbs (e.g., "write" → "written").
- Example: "Chased" (past tense) becomes "was chased" (was + past participle).
Step 4: Include the Original Subject (Optional)
- Add the original subject after the verb, preceded by "by," if it is relevant or necessary for clarity.
- Example: "by the dog" is added to form "The cat was chased by the dog."
- Omit the "by" phrase if the doer is unknown or unimportant.
- Example: "The cat was chased" (no "by" phrase).
Step 5: Adjust for Tense and Agreement
- Ensure the form of "to be" matches the tense of the original verb and agrees with the new subject in number (singular/plural).
- Example: For a plural subject like "The cats," use "were chased" instead of "was chased."
Verb Tense Conversion Rules
Below is a table showing how to convert active voice verbs to passive voice for common tenses, with examples:
Tense | Active Voice Example | Passive Voice Example | Form of "to be" + Past Participle |
---|---|---|---|
Present Simple | She writes a letter. | A letter is written by her. | is/am/are + past participle |
Past Simple | She wrote a letter. | A letter was written by her. | was/were + past participle |
Future Simple | She will write a letter. | A letter will be written by her. | will be + past participle |
Present Continuous | She is writing a letter. | A letter is being written by her. | is/am/are being + past participle |
Past Continuous | She was writing a letter. | A letter was being written by her. | was/were being + past participle |
Present Perfect | She has written a letter. | A letter has been written by her. | has/have been + past participle |
Past Perfect | She had written a letter. | A letter had been written by her. | had been + past participle |
Future Perfect | She will have written a letter. | A letter will have been written by her. | will have been + past participle |
Modal Verbs (can, must) | She can write a letter. | A letter can be written by her. | modal + be + past participle |
Notes on Verb Forms
- Regular Verbs: Past participle is formed by adding "-ed" (e.g., "play" → "played").
- Irregular Verbs: Use the specific past participle form (e.g., "go" → "gone," "see" → "seen").
- Modal Verbs: Combine the modal (e.g., can, should) with "be" + past participle.
Special Cases and Considerations
1. Sentences Without a Direct Object
- Intransitive verbs (verbs that don’t take a direct object) cannot be converted to passive voice because there is no object to become the new subject.
- Example: Active: "The baby cried." (No object)
- Passive: Not possible, as there is no object to act upon.
2. Sentences with Two Objects (Direct and Indirect)
- Some verbs take both a direct object (what is acted upon) and an indirect object (to whom/for whom the action is done).
- In such cases, either object can become the subject of the passive sentence, but the direct object is more common.
- Active: "She gave him (indirect object) a book (direct object)."
- Passive (direct object as subject): "A book was given to him by her."
- Passive (indirect object as subject): "He was given a book by her."
- Note: The preposition "to" or "for" is often needed when the indirect object is not the subject.
3. Imperative Sentences
- Active imperative sentences (commands) can be converted to passive voice by using "let" or rephrasing.
- Active: "Close the door."
- Passive: "Let the door be closed." or "The door should be closed."
- Imperative passive constructions are less common and often sound formal.
4. Questions
- Convert active voice questions to passive voice by applying the same rules, adjusting word order for question structure.
- Active: "Who wrote the book?"
- Passive: "By whom was the book written?" (Formal)
- Active: "Did she write the book?"
- Passive: "Was the book written by her?"
5. Omitting the "By" Phrase
- The "by" phrase is often omitted when the doer is unknown, obvious, or unimportant.
- Example: Active: "Someone stole the car."
- Passive: "The car was stolen." (No "by someone" because it’s redundant.)
6. Prepositional Verbs
- Verbs with prepositions (e.g., "look at," "listen to") retain the preposition in passive voice.
- Active: "They laughed at the joke."
- Passive: "The joke was laughed at by them." (Note: This may sound awkward, as some prepositional verbs are rarely used in passive voice.)
7. Passive Voice with "Get"
- In informal English, "get" can replace "be" in passive constructions.
- Example: Active: "They painted the house."
- Passive: "The house got painted." (Informal)
Examples of Conversion Across Different Sentence Types
Example 1: Present Simple
- Active: "The team plays the game."
- Passive: "The game is played by the team."
Example 2: Past Continuous
- Active: "The workers were building the bridge."
- Passive: "The bridge was being built by the workers."
Example 3: Modal Verb
- Active: "You must complete the task."
- Passive: "The task must be completed by you."
Example 4: Sentence with Two Objects
- Active: "The teacher gave the students (indirect) a test (direct)."
- Passive 1: "A test was given to the students by the teacher."
- Passive 2: "The students were given a test by the teacher."
Example 5: Question
- Active: "Who painted this picture?"
- Passive: "By whom was this picture painted?"
Example 6: No Direct Object (Intransitive Verb)
- Active: "The children laughed."
- Passive: Not possible (no object to become the subject).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Incorrect Verb Form: Ensure the correct form of "to be" matches the tense and subject.
- Wrong: "The letter is write by her." (Incorrect verb form)
- Correct: "The letter is written by her."
- Omitting Necessary Prepositions: For verbs with prepositions, retain the preposition.
- Wrong: "The joke was laughed by them."
- Correct: "The joke was laughed at by them."
- Using Passive with Intransitive Verbs: Avoid attempting to convert sentences without objects.
- Wrong: "The baby was cried."
- Correct: No passive form possible.
- Subject-Verb Agreement: Ensure the verb agrees with the new subject.
- Wrong: "The books was read by the students."
- Correct: "The books were read by the students."
When to Use Passive Voice
- To emphasize the action or the recipient rather than the doer.
- Example: "The law was passed." (Focus on the law, not who passed it.)
- When the doer is unknown or irrelevant.
- Example: "The window was broken." (Doer unknown.)
- In formal or scientific writing to sound objective.
- Example: "The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions."
Practice Exercises
Try converting these active voice sentences to passive voice:
- The chef prepares delicious meals every day.
- The committee will review the applications tomorrow.
- Did the artist paint the mural last week?
- The company offered her a promotion.
Answers:
- Delicious meals are prepared by the chef every day.
- The applications will be reviewed by the committee tomorrow.
- Was the mural painted by the artist last week?
- She was offered a promotion by the company.
Practice Questions: Converting Active Voice to Passive Voice (All Tenses and Sentence Types)
This set of practice questions includes active voice sentences across all major verb tenses and various sentence types (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and sentences with two objects). Each sentence is designed to be convertible to passive voice, containing a direct object where necessary. The purpose is to practice converting these sentences to passive voice while maintaining correct grammar, tense, and structure.
Instructions
Convert each active voice sentence to passive voice, following these steps:
- Identify the subject, verb, and object (if present) in the active sentence.
- Make the object the new subject of the passive sentence.
- Use the appropriate form of the verb "to be" based on the tense, combined with the past participle of the main verb.
- Optionally include the original subject with "by" if relevant.
- Ensure subject-verb agreement, correct tense, and appropriate word order for questions or imperatives.
- For sentences with two objects (direct and indirect), provide passive voice versions for both objects where applicable.
Practice Questions
Present Tenses
- Present Simple (Declarative): The artist paints the mural every summer.
- Present Continuous (Declarative): The team is preparing a presentation for the meeting.
- Present Perfect (Declarative): The chef has cooked a delicious meal for the guests.
- Present Perfect Continuous (Declarative): The workers have been building the bridge for months.
- Present Simple (Interrogative): Does the teacher explain the lesson clearly?
- Present Simple (Two Objects): The manager gives the employees a bonus annually.
Past Tenses
- Past Simple (Declarative): The author wrote a novel last year.
- Past Continuous (Declarative): The children were drawing pictures in the classroom.
- Past Perfect (Declarative): The scientist had completed the experiment before the deadline.
- Past Perfect Continuous (Declarative): The crew had been filming the movie for weeks before the storm.
- Past Simple (Interrogative): Did the mechanic repair the car yesterday?
- Past Simple (Two Objects): The coach gave the players new uniforms before the game.
Future Tenses
- Future Simple (Declarative): The company will launch a product next month.
- Future Continuous (Declarative): The organizers will be planning the event tomorrow.
- Future Perfect (Declarative): The contractor will have finished the house by December.
- Future Perfect Continuous (Declarative): The team will have been developing the software for a year by next quarter.
- Future Simple (Interrogative): Will the chef prepare the dessert for the party?
Modal Verbs
- Modal (Can, Declarative): The designer can create a logo for the brand.
- Modal (Must, Declarative): The committee must review the proposal carefully.
- Modal (Should, Declarative): The students should submit their assignments tomorrow.
- Modal (Might, Interrogative): Might the researcher discover a solution soon?
Imperative Sentences
- Imperative (Direct): Clean the room before the guests arrive.
- Imperative (With Object): Write the report by tonight.
Other Sentence Types
- Present Simple (Wh-Question): Who paints the house every year?
- Past Simple (Wh-Question with Two Objects): What did the teacher give the students yesterday?
- Present Perfect (Negative Declarative): The volunteers have not cleaned the park yet.
- Future Simple (Declarative with Prepositional Verb): The audience will cheer for the team during the match.
Notes
- Tenses Covered: All major tenses are included (present simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous; past simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous; future simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous) along with modal verbs.
- Sentence Types: Includes declarative, interrogative (yes/no and wh-questions), imperative, and sentences with two objects (direct and indirect).
- Conversion Tips:
- For interrogative sentences, maintain question word order (e.g., "Was the car repaired by the mechanic?").
- For imperatives, use "let" or rephrase (e.g., "Let the room be cleaned").
- For two-object sentences, provide two passive forms where possible (e.g., "A bonus is given to the employees" or "The employees are given a bonus").
- For prepositional verbs (e.g., "cheer for"), retain the preposition in passive voice (e.g., "The team will be cheered for").
- Past Participles: Use regular verb forms (e.g., "paint" → "painted") or irregular forms (e.g., "write" → "written") as needed.
- Omitting "By" Phrase: Omit the "by" phrase when the doer is unimportant or obvious (e.g., "The mural is painted every summer").
- Modal Verbs: Use the structure modal + be + past participle (e.g., "can create" → "can be created").
- Continuous Tenses: Note that perfect continuous tenses (e.g., present/past/future perfect continuous) are less commonly used in passive voice but are included for completeness. They follow the structure: have/has/had/will have + been + being + past participle.
Example Conversion (For Reference)
- Active: The chef has cooked a delicious meal for the guests.
- Passive: A delicious meal has been cooked for the guests by the chef.
- Active: Does the teacher explain the lesson clearly?
- Passive: Is the lesson explained clearly by the teacher?
Use these questions to practice converting active voice to passive voice across all tenses and sentence types.