General English

Active & Passive Voice

How to change from Active voice to Passive.
1. Only a transitive verb can be changed into the passive
2. The object in the active voice becomes the subject in the passive voice, and the subject in the active voice
comes after the verb of the passive.
3. The verb of the Active Voice should be changed to its past participle form, preceded by auxiliaries according
to the tense of the Active Voice and according to the subject of the Passive.
4. Use been with perfect tenses and be with the Future tense.
5. Use being with continuous tense.
6. Personal pronouns should be changed into their objective case form.
Active
Passive
Simple Present
She plays chess
Chess is played by her
Present Continuous
She is playing chess Chess is being played by her
Simple Past
She played chess
Chess was played by her
Past Continuous
She was playing chess Chess was being played by her
Past Perfect
She had played chess Chess had been played by her
Simple future
She will play chess Chess will be played by her
Future Perfect
She will have played Chess will have been
chess
played by her.
Most of the auxiliary verbs can be used like will.
eg : She can understand it
It can be understood by her
When the object is not given, we can start sentence with it.
Eg : It has been decided ..............
It, is agreed ....................
Changing interrogative Sentence
Interrogative sentences beginning with the helping verbs do, does, did, are made passive with forms of
be. The same tense and structure must be retained.
1. Who gave you that pen ?
By whom was that pen given ?
2. Who sent this letter ?
By whom was this letter sent ?
Changing Imperative Sentences
Any imperative sentence gives the idea of a command, order or request. It can be changed into passive in
two ways.
1. By using let be.
2. By changing it to You are requested to / ordered to.
1. Despatch the Letter
(1) Let the letter be despatched

(2) You are requested to despatch the letter

Listen to Me
(1) Let me be listened to
(2) You are requested to listen to me
PRACTICE TEST
Direction : Choose the appropriate form of verb to make a meaningful passive voice
1. She was by her friends.
(1) given
(2) gave
(3) give
(4) gives
2. Let the Bible be by Christians.
(1) reading
(2) reads
(3) read
(4) readed
3. My pen has .
(1) stolen
(2) been stolen
(3) been stole
(4) stole
4. The cricket match was by Doordashan yesterday.
(1) telecast
(2) broadcast
(3) telecasted
(4) broadcasted
5. My purse .
(1) has stolen
(2) has been stolen
(3) will steal
(4) will be stealing
6. English all over the world.
(1) speaks
(2) is speaking
(3) is spoken
(4) was spoken
7. Jesus by milions of Christians.
(1) was admired
(2) is admired
(3) admired
(4) none of these
8. The emergency period in India by Indira Gandhi is 1975.
2.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

(1) was declared

(2) is declared
(3) declared
(4) none of these
The police arrested him.
(1) He is arrested by the police
(2) He was arrested by the police
(3) He arrested the police
(4) None of these
He kept me waiting.
(1) I am kept waiting by him
(2) I will be kept waiting by him
(3) I was kept waiting, by him
(4) I kept waiting by him
They will do it
(1) It is done by them
(2) It will done
(3) It will be done by them
(4) It shall be done by them
We are enjoying the music
(1) The music is enjoyed by us
(2) The music was enjoyed by us
(3) The music is being enjoyed by us
(4) The music was being enjoyed by us
We expect good news.
(1) Good news are expected

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

(2) Good news is expected

(3) Good news are being expected
(4) None of these
We prohibit smoking.
(1) Smoking prohibited by us
(2) Smoking is prohibited by us
(3) Smoking is prohibited by us
(4) None of these
People will forget it
(1) It will be forgotten
(2) It shall be forgotten
(3) It will forget
(4) None of these
The enemy have defeated our army
(1) Our army has been defeated by the enemy
(2) Our army have been defeated the enemy
(3) Our army, had been defeated by the enemy
(4) None of these
All his friends laughed at him
(1) He was laughed at
(2) He is laughed at
(3) He has been laughed at
(4) None of these
He will complete the course
(1) The course will be completed by him

(2) The course will be completing next year by him

(3) All
(4) None of these
19. She was singing songs.
(1) Songs was sung by her
(2) Songs were being sung by her
(3) Songs was being sung by her
(4) None of these

Answers
1.
6.
11.
16.

(1)
(3)
(3)
(1)

2.
7.
12.
17.

(3)
(2)
(3)
(1)

3.
8.
13.
18.

(2)
(1)
(2)
(1)

4. (1)
9. (2)
14.(1)
19.(2)

5.(2)
10.(3)
15.(1)