ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

Voice: Voice refers to a change in the verb form without a change in the tense.

Active Voice: A sentence in which the subject is active i.e. the doer of action, is said to be in Active Voice.

Passive Voice: A sentence is said to be in Passive Voice when the Subject is passive i.e. the receiver of action.

            In Passive Voice, the Subject and Object interchange places.

The Passive Voice exists only if its Active form contains an object(transitive  verb).

            Sentences having two objects will have two Passive Voice forms.

Eg:       Sita goes for a walk (Active Voice)

           

Passive Voice for the above sentence is not possible because the verb is intransitive i. e. it doesn’t possess an object.

Note:  i) Object answers the questions ‘what’ or ‘whom’

             ii) The object in passive Voice usually takes ’by’

                 (exceptions – pleased with, surprised at etc.)      

iii) Imperative Sentences (orders, wishes, commands, requests) begin with ‘Let’ or ‘You are/ He is……………requested/ordered to ……………..’ in Passive voice.

iv) Some objects in Passive Voice are retained (e.g.: by her/him) while some are dropped (e.g.: by somebody/someone)

v) Interrogatives (questions) beginning with ’Who’ take ‘By Whom’ in the Passive Voice.

vi) To make the conversion easier, Interrogatives beginning with Do, Does, Did  can be first changed into +ve Assertive(statement/ ‘Yes’ answer) and then changed into Passive Assertive and finally into Passive Interrogative.

Eg: Did you see Ravi yesterday? ( Interrogative – Active Voice)

           

                         You saw Ravi yesterday.(+ Assertive)

Ravi was seen by you yesterday.( Passive +ve Assertive)

Was Ravi seen by you yesterday?(Interrogative – Passive Voice )

        

              vii) Interrogatives starting with Is, Are, Where, When, Why, Can & What begin with the   

              same question words in Passive form also.

VOICE CONVERSION TABLE USING THE VERB ‘EAT’ AS AN EXAMPLE:

Note:  eat/eats (V1) – ate(V2) – eaten(V3)

TENSE	ACTIVE VOICE	PASSIVE VOICE(V3)
Simple Present	eat/eats	is/are eaten
Simple Past	ate	was/were eaten
Simple Future	shall/will eat	shall/will be eaten
Present Continuous	am/is/are eating	is/are being eaten
Past Continuous	was/were eating	was/were being eaten
Future Continuous	shall/will be eating	- Not Possible -
Present Perfect	has/have eaten	has/have been eaten
Past Perfect	had eaten	had been eaten
Future Perfect	shall/will have eaten	shall/will have been eaten
Present Perfect Continuous	has/have been eating	-   Not Possible –
Past Perfect Continuous	had been eating	- Not Possible –
Future Perfect Continuous	shall/will have been eating	- Not Possible –

EXERCISES

1. I am doing it.

2. They will give it.

3. He was carrying water.

4. I must buy a bike.

5. I have seen him.

6. Did he do it?

7. Does he sell rice?

8. Do they keep cattle?

9. Does Gopal look after the family?

10. Do you know him?

11. Can you do the work?

12. What are you doing?

13. Who rang the bell?

14. Where did he keep the book?

15. Why did she call him?

16. Are they watching a movie?

17. Is he playing cricket?

18. He has watered the plants.

19. Children hate school.

20. Ramu ate three apples.

21. He had finished his work before the bell rang.

22. She laughed at me.

23. He told me a story.(2 objects)

24. I will have finished the work by tomorrow.

25. Copy the letter.

26. We found him asleep.

27. Please enter by that door.

28. Get out.

29. I know him.

30. May God bless you.
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