ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE OR PASSIVE CONSTRUCTION

 ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE  OR  PASSIVE CONSTRUCTION

Structure of the Sentences in Active & Passive Voice

Chart of Rules: Active & Passive Voice

1.   Present Simple Tense: V-1/do or does+ V-1 Changes into is/am/are + V-3

2.   Past Simple: V-2/did+V-1           Was/were+ V-3

3.   Present Perfect Tense: has/have+ V-3 Changes into  has/have + been+ V-3

4.   Past Perfect Tense: had + V-3 Changes into had + been+ V-3

5.   Future Perfect Tense: will have/shall have=== will have/shall have +been +V-3

6.   Present Continuous Tense: is/am./are+ V-1(ing) Changes into is/am/are + being + V-3

7.   Past Continuous Tense: was/were + V-1 (ing) Changes into was/were + being + V-3

8.   Modal Verbs: Same modal Verb + be + V-3

9.   Imperatives:     

 (a)

    (i) You are ordered to+…….

(ii)          You are advised to+…….

(iii)       You are told to….

           (b) You are advised not to…..

(c) You are requested to+…..

)                         Active sentences in Present Simple Tense: 

First form of verb with or without ‘s’ or ‘es’ /do, does+ v-1 changed in is/am/are+ v-3

( Source: S. Chauhan Study Centre for English Language: 98135-81301)

 

Subject  +Verb + Object Sachin   +helped  + me

Object+ Verb +by + Sub.  I   was helped by Schin

     

Rule 1.   Active sentences in Present Simple Tense:

  { First form of verb with or without ‘s’ or ‘es’ /do, does+ v-1 changed in is/am/are+ v-3}

Active Voice 1.   I like sweets.  2.    She always helps the needy students. 3.   I do not tell a lie. 4.   4. Do you play cricket? 5.   5. Why do you not obey your elders? 6.   6. Who teaches you   Maths.?

Passive Voice 1. Sweets are liked by me. 2.The needy students are always helped by her. 3. A lie is not told by me. 4. Is cricket played by you? 5. Why are your elders not obeyed by you? 6. By whom are you taught Maths.? By whom is Maths taught to you?

 

Simple Past Tense or Past Simple Tense: V-2/did+V-1 changed in was/were +V-3

Active Voice 1.   He wrote a letter to me. 2.    My friend scolded me. 3.    You did not help me yesterday.   4.   Did you notice something outside? 5.   Who called you here? 6.   Which book did you like?

Passive Voice 1.   A letter was written to me by him. / I was written a letter by him. 2.   I was scolded by my friend. 3.    I was not helped by you yesterday 4.    Was something noticed outside by you? 5.    By whom were you called here? 6.   Which book was liked by you?

5. Present Continuous Tense: Is/am/are+ V-1 with ’ing’ (Changed in is/are/am+ being + V-3)

Active Voice 1.   At present, I am doing my home work. 2.   She is eating food now. 3.   They are picking up stones. 4.   You are not helping me. 5.   Are you preparing lunch? 6.   What are you doing at present?

Passive Voice 1.   At present, my home work is being done by me. 2.   Food is being eaten by her now. 3.   Stones are being picked up by them. 4.   I am not being helped by him. 5.   Is lunch  being prepared by you? 6.   What is being done by you at present?

 

  6. Past Continuous Tense: in Passive Voice we use was/ were+ being+ 3^rd form of verb

Active Voice 1.   They were playing cricket. 2.   They were wishing me happy birthday. 3.   Sarita was reading a lesson. 4.   Yuvi was hitting a sixer. 5.   Was Mohini opening a shop? 6.   What were you doing in the room?     Passive Voice 1.   Cricket was being played by them. 2.   I was being wished happy birthday by them. 3.   A lesson was being read by Sarita. 4.   . A sixer was being hit by Yuvi. 5.    Was a shop being opened by Mohini? 6.    What was being done by you in the room?

 

7. Present Perfect Tense: Has/have+V-3 changed in has/have + been +V-3

Active Voice 1.   She has not eaten food yet. 2.   They have sold all of the furniture in the market. 3.    Have they not misbehaved with Mohit? 4.   Where have they put the books? 5.    Why has he abused us?

Passive Voice 1.   Food has not been eaten by her yet. 2.   All of the furniture has been sold by them in the market. 3.   Has Mohit not been misbehaved with by them? 4.    Where have the books been put by them? 5.    Why have we been abused by him?

 

8. Past Perfect Tense:  Had +V-3 changed in had+ been + V-3

Active Voice 1.   The patient had taken the medicine on time. 2.   She had done her home work before sleeping. 3.   The teacher had rebuked the student when the Principal called him. 4.   Had he packed his luggage before sunrise? 5.   Why had he called me at midnight? 6.   All the animals had eaten fodder before the rain came. 7.   Who had told you to jump from a height?

Passive Voice 1.   The medicine had been taken by them on time. 2.   Home work had been done by her before sleeping. 3.   The student had been rebuked by the teacher when he was called by the principal. 4.   Had the luggage been packed by him before sunrise? 5.   Why had I been called by him at midnight? 6.   Fodder had been eaten by all the animals before the rain came. 7.   By whom had you been told to jump from a height?

 

Future Perfect Tense: Will have/shall have+V-3 changed in will have/shall have + been + V-3

Active Voice 1.   She will have finished cooking by 8 a.m. 2.   Mohit will have completed his project work before going to school 3.   The beggars will have collected their alms before evening. 4.   Mohini will have finished meditation before I reached home.

Passive Voice 1.   Cooking will have been finished by her by 8 a.m. 2.   The project work will have been completed by Mohit before going to school. 3.   Alms will have been collected by the beggars before evening. 4.   Meditation will have been finished before I reached home.

 

 

All the Modal Auxiliary Verbs take be+ the 3^rd form of verb with them in passive voice

Active Voice Modal Auxiliary Verbs: + V-1 (1st form of verb) can-could may-might will-shall would-should must, ought (to) used (to) Dare Need Active Voice 1.   She can deliver a very good lecture. 2.   You could not perform your duty well. 3.   They may leave their luggage here 4.   You should not deceive anyone. 5.    One must do one’s duty. 6.    You ought to finish your work on time. 7.    They will help me.

Passive Voice Modal Auxiliary Verb + be + V-3 (3rd form of verb)                 Passive Voice 1.   A very good lecture can be delivered by her. 2.   Duty could not be performed well by you. 3.   Luggage may be left here by them. 4.    No one should be deceived by you. 5.    Duty must be done. 6.    Work ought to be finished on time by you. 7.    I will be helped them.

 

 

Typical Constructions:

1.   It is time to ring the bell.

Ans. It is time for the bell to be rung.

2.   It is time to prepare for the exams.

Ans. It is time for the exams to be prepared.

3.   Quinine tastes bitter.

Quinine is bitter when tasted.

4.   Rose smells sweet.

Rose is sweet when smelt.

(i)            Passives of Non-finite Verbs

	Active	Passive
Infinite	To choose	To be chosen
Perfect Infinitive	To have chosen	To have been chosen
Participle & Gerund	Choosing	being chosen
Perfect Participle and Gerund	Having chosen	Having been chosen

(ii)          Get+ Past Participle

Passive 1.My friend got hit by a car 2.I got invited to lots of conferences last year. 3. She got married/engaged/divorced last year.

Active 1.A car hit my friend. 2. Lots of conferences invited me last year. 3. Anuj married her last year.

 

(iii)       Some verbs take special prepositions instead of by with them:

Surprised / astonished/wondered (at), shocked at, contained in, vexed/confused at, worried about, frightened of, excited at

Active Voice 1.   Your behavior surprises me. 2.   This pot contains milk. 3.   Snakes frighten him. 4.   Her results worries me.

Passive Voice 1.   I am surprised at your behavior. 2.    Milk is contained in this pot. 3.    He is frightened of the snakes. 4.   I am worried about her results.

(iv)       Verbs with two objects

Active 1.   He gave me a book. 2.   Cow gives us milk.

Passive 1.   A book is given to me by him./I was given a book by him. 2.   Milk is given to us by cow./ We are given milk by cow

(v)          Clause as Objects

Active 1.Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others. 2.I know that you will top the class. 3. I believe that you are a liar.

Passive 1.Stones should not be thrown at others by those who live in glass houses. 2. That you will top the class is known to me. 3. It is believed by me that you are a liar./That you are a liar is believed by me.

(vi)       Proverbs

Active 1.   Rome was not built in a day. 2.   Honesty is the best policy.

Passive 1.   It is said that Rome was not built in a day. 2.   It is said that honesty is the best policy.

 

(Vii) Verbs + prepositions + by

Active 1.   We should not laugh at the poor. 2.   Who is knocking at the door?

Passive 1.   The poor should not be laughed at by us. 2.   By whom is the door knocked at?

Exercises:

1.   Change the Voice of the following sentences:

Active Voice a.   Arrest him. b.  I forgive his insolence. c.   Social work interests him. d.  He made no noise. e.   Who killed the bird? f.     Your teacher will give you a word of praise. g.   She lives a glorious life. h.  People thronged the streets. i.     Do not inform the police. j.     There are no houses to let.

Passive Voice a.   You are ordered to arrest him. b.  His insolence is forgiven by me. c.   He is interested in social work. d.  No noise was made by him. e.   By whom was the bird killed? f.     A word of praise will be given to you by your teacher. Or: You will be given a word of praise by your teacher. g.   A glorious life is lived by her. h.  The streets were thronged by the people. i.     You are advised not to inform the police. j.     There are no hoses to be let.