Active and Passive Voice

 

Active and Passive Voice

 

SSC CGL Main Examination contains questions (usually 20) based on Active and Passive Voice. In these questions a sentence is given in Active/Passive Voice. The aspirants are required to choose the alternative which best expresses the same sentence in Passive/Active Voice.

 

Quick Clues

§ Recognize the tense of the given sentence.

§ Look for the proper subject (new) of the sentence.

§ The verb should be according to the subject and the tense.

§ Read all the answer choices before selecting the answer.

§ Look for the use of appropriate prepositions, if there be.

 

Voice is that form of a verb that shows whether the subject of the verb does something or has something done to it. The verb has two voices- Active and Passive.

                                                                 

Active Voice Active voice is used in a clause whose subject expresses the agent of the main verb. That is, the subject does the action designated by the verb. "A sentence whose agent is marked as a grammatical subject is said to be in Active Voice

Passive Voice A sentence in which the subject receives an action is said to be in passive voice

 

Examples

(I) Roshini writes an essay.

Here, the sentence indicates that the subject of this sentence 'Roshini' does something. So, it is called an active voice sentence.

(II) An essay is written by Roshini.

In this sentence, the written verb indicates that something is done by Roshini. So, the verb here is in Passive Voice

 

Rules For Changing Active Voice into Passive Voice

·         Change the object into the subject If object is the pronoun change it as follows

Me	=	I
You	=	you
Her	=	she
Us	=	we
Him	=	he
It	=	it
Whom	=	who

 

·         Change the subject into the object by using 'by'

I	=	by me
We	=	by us
You	=	by you
He	=	by him
She	=	by her
It	=	by it
They	=	by them
Who	=	by whom

 

·         The verb is changed according to the tense.

(i) Present Indefinite Tense

Change into - is/am/are + past participle of verb

 

Examples

Neha takes coffee.                       (Active Voice)

Coffee is taken by Neha.              (Passive Voice)

Do you play table tennis?             (Active Voice)

Is table tennis played by you? (Passive Voice)

 

(ii) Present Continuous Tense

Change into - is /am/are + being + past participle of Verb

 

Examples

The carpenter is making a table.    (Active Voice)

A table is being made by the carpenter.

(Passive Voice)

Arjun is washing his car.   (Active voice)

His car is being washed by Arjun. 

(Passive Voice)

(iii) Present Perfect Tense

Change into-has/have + been + past participle of verb

 

Examples

He has done his homework.          (Active Voice)

His homework has been done by him.

(Passive Voice)

Have you bought a jacket?           (Active Voice)

Has a jacket been bought by you?    

(Passive Voice)

(iv)       Past Indefinite Tense

Change into - was/were + past participle of verb

 

Examples

India won the match yesterday.    (Active Voice)

The match was won by India yesterday.

(Passive Voice)

Did Bindiya cut the cake? (Active Voice)

Was the cake cut by Bindiya?         (Passive Voice)

      (v)        Past Continuous Tense

Change into - was/were + being + past participle of verb

 

Examples

I was reading the Ramayana.         (Active Voice)

The Ramayana was being read by me

(Passive Voice)

A hunter was chasing the deer.      (Active Voice)

The deer was being chased by a hunter.

(Passive Voice)

(vi)       Past Perfect Tense

Change into – had + been + past participle of verb

 

Examples

Books had been purchased by students.

(Passive Voice)

(vii) Future Indefinite Tense

Change into - shall be/will be + past participle of verb

 

Examples

She will cook the food.                (Active Voice)

The food will be cooked by her.   

(Passive Voice)

War will destroy everything.          (Active Voice)

Everything will be destroyed by war.

(Passive Voice)

(viii) Future Perfect Tense

Change into–will/shall have been + past participle of verb

 

Examples

Rita will have completed work.        (Active Voice)

Work will have been completed by Rita.

(Passive Voice)

The teacher will have checked the notebook.

(Active Voice)

The notebook will have been checked by the teacher.

                                                                                          (Passive Voice)

Verb followed by modals

In those sentences which carry modals like can, could, should, would, must etc. 'be' is used between the modal and the third form of the verb in passive voice.

Imperative Sentence

In changing imperative sentences to passive voice the following rules are followed

(I) Let + new subject + be/not be + 3rd form

(II) Use phrases like you are requested to/advised to/ordered to etc.

(III) Kindly or please is removed.

 

Examples

Get out of my sight.                    (Active Voice)

You are ordered to get out of my sight.

      (Passive Voice)

Shut the door.                            (Active Voice)

Let the door be shut.                 (Passive Voice)