Active and Passive Voice, Rules with examples.Some sentences can be written in two forms- Active Voice and Passive Voice. In Active Voice Sentence We have focus on subject towards a action, While In Passive Voice Sentence, We have to make some alteration and we give importance to the object. These sentence can be converted from active voice to Passive Voice and from Passive Voice to Active Voice. For ExampleActive: I read a book.Passive: A book is read by me.There are definite rules for converting from active Voice to Passive Voice. But before these rules, It is necessary to know some basic concepts.

• Passive Voice Misuse Checker

Condition Under Which Conversion from Active Voice to Passive Voice is not Possible(A) The sentence in which the main verb is Intransitive can not be converted into Passive voice. For Example(i) I read.(ii). They laugh.(B) The sentences of Future Continuous Tense can not be converted into Passive Voice. For Example(C) No Perfect Continuous Tense of any Tense can not be converted into Passive Voice.

For Example Rules for Conversion from Active Voice to Passive Voice Rule 1: Interchange of Subject and ObjectWhile changing from the Active Voice to Passive Voice, the Subject is made the Object, and the Object becomes the Subject in the Passive Voice. Also, ‘By’ is used before the subject when it is made the object in the Passive Form. Sometimes ‘By’ is kept understood or implied also. For Example.Active: Ram loves Shyam.Passive: Shyam is loved by Ram. Rule 2:While Interchanging the Subject and Object in the Passive Voice, the Articles, Adjectives and Adjectives Phrases connected with each other are also carried over with them. They are not separated from the Subject or the Object. For ExampleActive: All the children heard an interesting story.Passive: An interesting story was heard by all the children.

Rule 3When the pronouns are transferred from the place of Object in the Active Voice to the place of Subject of Passive Voice, their forms are changed. For Example(i). I in place of me.(ii). We in place of Us.(iii). He in place of him.(iv). She in place of her.(v). They in place of themNote: No change is made in the change of You or It or any Noun.

For ExampleActive: Mohan hates them.Passive: They are hated by Mohan.Rule 4When the pronouns are transferred from the place of subject in the Active Voice to the place of Object in the Passive Voice, Their forms are changed. For Example(i).

By me in place of I(ii). By us in place of We.(iii).

By him in place of He.(iv). By her in place of She.(v). By them in place of They.Note: There is no change in You, It or any Noun, but by is added before them.

For ExampleActive: We love the Child.Passive: The child is loved by us.Active: You wrote a letter.Passive: A letter is written by you. Rules for Change In Verbs Rule 5The following changes are made in the verb –(i). The main Verb are used in the third Form.(ii). An Appropriate verb to be ( is, am, are, was, were, be, been, being ) is used before the Third Form of the main verb According to the Number and Person of the Subject and Tense of the Verb. (A) Present Tense(i). Indefinite TenseIn this Tense, Is, am or Are is used before the third form of the Main Verb according to the number and person of the Object.

Structure of the VerbIs / am / are + V 3 (Third form of Verb) For ExampleActive: Ram follows me.Passive: I am followed by Ram.(ii) Present Continuous TenseThe Structure of the Verb in this tense. Is / Am / Are + being + V 3. For Example.Active: He is writing a letter.Passive: A letter is written by him.Active: Ram is helping me.Passive: I am being helped by Ram.(iii) Present Perfect TenseThe Structure of the Verb in this Tense is. Has / have + been + V 3 For Example.Active: Mohan has read many books.Passive: Many books have been read by Mohan.

Past Tense(i) Simple Past TenseThe structure of the verb in this Tense is. Was / Were + V 3 For Example.Active: He helped me.Passive: I was helped by him.Active: Ram wrote a letter.Passive: A latter is written by Ram.(ii) Past Continuous TenseThe structure of the verb in this tense is. Was / Were + being + V 3 For Example.Active: Ram was writing a letter.Passive: A letter was being written by Ram.Active: Harry was reading a book.Passive: A book was being reading by harry.(iii) Past Perfect TenseThe Structure of the verbs in this Tense is Had + Been + For Example.Active: Ram had read many books.Passive: Many books had been read by Ram.Active: Ram had helped me.Passive: I had been helped by Ram. (C) Future Tense(i) Future IndefiniteThe structure of the verbs in this tense is. Will / shall + Be + V 3 For Example.Active: Shyam will help me.Passive: I will be helped by Ram.(ii) Future Perfect TenseThe Structure of verbs in this tense is. Will / Shall + Have Been + V 3 For Example.Active: Ram will have written a letter.Passive: a letter will have been written by Ram.

Rule 6In a sentence in which an Auxiliary Verbs can / could / may / might / should / Would are used with Finite Verbs, they are retain as they are given in the Active Voice, they are followed by Be + V 3 Structure of the verbs in this tense is.

What is Voice?“A Grammar of Contemporary English” defines Voice as “voice is a grammatical category which makes it possible to view the action of a sentence in two ways, without change in the facts reported”. One and the same idea can often be expressed in two different ways, by means of an active, and by means of a passive construction. Active VoiceActive voice is used to indicate the grammatical subject of the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb. With the active voice, you learn ‘who’ or ‘what’ is responsible for the action at the beginning of the sentence. In other words, the subject performs the action denoted by the verb. With help of active voice more powerful sentences can be build than passive voice.

Use of active voice:1. Active voice is used in a clause whose subject expresses the agent of the main verb.2. Subject can be easily identified by asking ‘who’ or ‘what’ to the verb.3. Sentences are short and easily understandable.Example:John wrote the letter.-John ( subject) performs the action denoted by the verb ( write). Passive VoiceIn Passive voice the sentence focus on object i.e. Who/what is receiving the action and not on who/what is performing the action.

In passive voice, the actor of the of the verb (action) is either understood at the end of the sentence or maybe not told. The passive voice is used in writing facts, truth, lab or technical reports in which the actor is not important or unknown, but the action happening on the object is very important. Use of passive voice:1.

It is used if it doesn‘t need to know or we don‘t know the actor performing the job.2. In the end of the clause or sentence “by” is prefixed to know the actor performing the job.3. It is used if we are more interested in the job than the actors who work.Example:The letter was written by John.- letter receives the action denoted by the write (verb). How to identify the active / passive voice?Ask who/what performed the action(verb)? - if the ‘ who or what is at the beginning of the sentence, the sentence is active voice.Example:Jack is eating the apple.Question will be: Who is eating the apple?Look for the word “ by”, if present it is passive voice. Active/Passive voice using Modals:The modal verbs consist of will, would, can, could, shall, should, may, might, must which areused with main verbs to express ability, probability, obligation, advice etc.To convert active voice having modal into passive voice, auxiliary verb “be” is added after modal in sentence. Rules for Active to Passive conversionTenseActive voicePassive voiceSimple Present TenseSubject + infinitive + objectE.g.

The grocer sells fresh vegetables.S + to be + past participle + by objectE.g. Fresh vegetables are sold by the grocer.Present Continuous TenseSubject + to be (is, am, are) being + present participle + objectE.g. My boss is giving many assignments.S + to be (is, am, are) + being + past participle + by objectE.g. Many assignments are being given by my boss.Present Perfect TenseSubject + has/have + past participle + objectE.g.

I have taken him out.S + have/has been + past participle + by objectE.g. He has been taken out by me.Simple Past TenseSubject + past participle + objectE.g. He built a large house.S + was/were + past participle + by objectE.g. A large house was built by him.Past Continuous TenseS + was/were + being + past participle + objectE.g She was cooking dinner.S + was/were + being + past participle +by objectE.g. Dinner was being cooked by her.Past Perfect TenseSubject + had + past participle + objectE.g. She had posted the letter.S + had been + past participle + by objectE.g.

The letter had been posted by her.Simple Future TenseSubject + will + infinitive + objectE.g. I will give you a present.S + will + be + past participle + by objectE.g.

Passive Voice Misuse Checker

A present will be given to you by me.Future Perfect TenseSubject + would + infinitive + objectE.g. The doctor shall have examined ten patients by 10 O’clock.S + would + be + past participle + by objectE.g.

Ten patients will have been examined by 10 O’clock by the doctor.Rules for Pronouns in Active to Passive conversionActive voicePassive voiceImeyouyouweustheythemititPronoun number and person tablePersonIIIIIINumberSingularI - amyou - arehe,she,it - isJohn,Sara - isPluralwe - areyou - arethey - are.