Active & Passive Voice

Introduction

Every English sentence has a voice — a way of expressing the relationship between the subject and the action of the verb. In active voice, the subject performs the action. In passive voice, the subject receives the action. Understanding voice is essential not only for grammar MCQs but also for reading comprehension, sentence correction, and writing tasks. Almost every competitive exam, entry test, and job assessment tests passive voice transformation across different tenses and sentence types.

Active: The teacher checks the papers. (Subject = the teacher → performs the action)

Passive: The papers are checked by the teacher. (Subject = the papers → receives the action)

1. Rules of Voice Change

The Core Formula

Every passive voice sentence is built on one fixed formula:

Object (of active) + Helping verb (be form) + Past Participle + by + Subject (of active)

The helping verb (the "be form") changes according to the tense of the original active sentence. The past participle of the main verb never changes regardless of the tense.

Step-by-Step Method for Voice Change

Follow these five steps every time you transform a sentence from active to passive:

Step 1 — Identify the subject, verb, and object of the active sentence. Active: She (subject) writes (verb) letters (object).

Step 2 — Move the object to the subject position. Letters …

Step 3 — Choose the correct form of "be" based on the tense. Letters are …

Step 4 — Write the past participle of the main verb. Letters are written …

Step 5 — Add "by" + the original subject in the objective case. Letters are written by her.

Change of Pronoun Cases in Voice

When the subject of the active sentence becomes the agent in the passive, it moves to the object position. Pronouns must change to the objective case. Similarly, the object of the active sentence becomes the new subject and takes the subjective case.

Example: Active: She loves him. Passive: He is loved by her.

Active: They invited me. Passive: I was invited by them.

When "By + Agent" is Omitted

The "by + agent" phrase is omitted in the passive when:

The agent is unknown: The window was broken. (we don't know who broke it) The agent is obvious or unimportant: He was arrested. (obviously by the police) The agent is a general or indefinite person (people, someone, they, one): The road is being repaired. (by workers — unnecessary to state) The focus is entirely on the action and its result, not the doer.

Sentences That Cannot Be Passivized

Not every active sentence can be converted to passive. A sentence requires a transitive verb (a verb that takes a direct object) to be changed into passive voice. The following cannot be passivized:

Intransitive verbs (no object): She slept. / He arrived. / The baby cried. Linking verbs: She is intelligent. / He seems tired. / It looks beautiful. Verbs followed only by an adverb: He ran fast. / She spoke loudly. Stative verbs expressing a state, not an action: This bag costs 500 rupees. / The dress suits her well.

Exam Tip

The past participle is the key element of every passive construction. It never changes regardless of tense or subject. Only the form of the "be" auxiliary changes. Memorize irregular past participles: write → written, take → taken, break → broken, know → known, give → given, see → seen, do → done, go → gone.

2. Voice in Simple Tenses

Simple Present Tense

Active structure: Subject + V1 (base form / V+s) Passive structure: Subject + is/am/are + past participle + by + agent

Examples:

Active: She writes a letter. Passive: A letter is written by her.

Active: They clean the office every day. Passive: The office is cleaned by them every day.

Active: He does not finish the work. Passive: The work is not finished by him.

Active: Do they repair old cars? Passive: Are old cars repaired by them?

Simple Past Tense

Active structure: Subject + V2 (past form) Passive structure: Subject + was/were + past participle + by + agent

Examples:

Active: The teacher praised the student. Passive: The student was praised by the teacher.

Active: Workers built this bridge in 1990. Passive: This bridge was built by workers in 1990.

Active: He did not sign the document. Passive: The document was not signed by him.

Active: Did she cook the meal? Passive: Was the meal cooked by her?

Simple Future Tense

Active structure: Subject + will + V1 Passive structure: Subject + will be + past participle + by + agent

The helping verb "will be" does not change regardless of the subject — it is always "will be" in the passive.

Examples:

Active: She will submit the report tomorrow. Passive: The report will be submitted by her tomorrow.

Active: They will announce the results next week. Passive: The results will be announced by them next week.

Active: He will not complete the project. Passive: The project will not be completed by him.

Active: Will they invite all the candidates? Passive: Will all the candidates be invited by them?

Quick Reference — Simple Tenses

3. Voice in Perfect Tenses

Present Perfect Tense

Active structure: Subject + has/have + past participle Passive structure: Subject + has/have + been + past participle + by + agent

Note: "been" is added between the auxiliary (has/have) and the main verb's past participle.

Examples:

Active: She has completed the assignment. Passive: The assignment has been completed by her.

Active: They have elected a new president. Passive: A new president has been elected by them.

Active: He has not paid the bill. Passive: The bill has not been paid by him.

Active: Has the committee approved the proposal? Passive: Has the proposal been approved by the committee?

Past Perfect Tense

Active structure: Subject + had + past participle Passive structure: Subject + had been + past participle + by + agent

Examples:

Active: The manager had signed the contract before the meeting. Passive: The contract had been signed by the manager before the meeting.

Active: She had already submitted the form. Passive: The form had already been submitted by her.

Active: Had they informed all the employees? Passive: Had all the employees been informed by them?

Future Perfect Tense

Active structure: Subject + will have + past participle Passive structure: Subject + will have been + past participle + by + agent

Examples:

Active: She will have finished the project by Friday. Passive: The project will have been finished by her by Friday.

Active: They will have announced the results before we return. Passive: The results will have been announced before we return.

Quick Reference — Perfect Tenses

Exam Tip

The pattern for all perfect tenses follows a consistent logic: wherever "has/have/had/will have" appears in the active, add "been" after it in the passive, then write the past participle. The word "been" is the signature marker of perfect and continuous passive constructions.

4. Voice in Continuous Tenses

Present Continuous Tense

Active structure: Subject + is/am/are + verb-ing Passive structure: Subject + is/am/are + being + past participle + by + agent

Note: "being" replaces the "-ing" form of the main verb. The "-ing" form of "be" (being) is inserted between the auxiliary and the past participle.

Examples:

Active: She is writing the report. Passive: The report is being written by her.

Active: They are building a new hospital. Passive: A new hospital is being built by them.

Active: Is the chef preparing the food? Passive: Is the food being prepared by the chef?

Active: He is not repairing the car. Passive: The car is not being repaired by him.

Past Continuous Tense

Active structure: Subject + was/were + verb-ing Passive structure: Subject + was/were + being + past participle + by + agent

Examples:

Active: The workers were repairing the road. Passive: The road was being repaired by the workers.

Active: She was teaching the students. Passive: The students were being taught by her.

Active: Was he checking the files? Passive: Were the files being checked by him?

Future Continuous and Perfect Continuous — Special Note

The future continuous passive (will be being + V3) is grammatically possible but extremely rare and almost never used in practice. Similarly, the present perfect continuous passive (has/have been being + V3) and past perfect continuous passive are grammatically awkward and are avoided even by native speakers.

In exams and standard usage, when a sentence in the future continuous or perfect continuous tense needs to be passivized, it is typically converted to the corresponding simple or perfect passive.

Avoid: The contractor will be building the road. → Avoid: The road will be being built by the contractor. Preferred: The road will be built by the contractor. (future simple passive)

Quick Reference — Continuous Tenses

Exam Tip

"Being" is the signature marker of continuous passive constructions. "Is/am/are being written" = present continuous passive. "Was/were being written" = past continuous passive. Never confuse "being" (continuous passive) with "been" (perfect passive). "Has been written" = present perfect passive. "Is being written" = present continuous passive.

5. Voice in Modal Sentences

Structure

Modals include: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to, need to, have to, used to

Active structure: Subject + modal + base form (V1) Passive structure: Subject + modal + be + past participle + by + agent

The formula is consistent for all modals: modal + be + past participle. The modal itself never changes. "Be" is always in its base form — never "is," "was," or "been."

Examples with All Major Modals

Can: Active: She can solve this problem. Passive: This problem can be solved by her.

Could: Active: He could repair the machine. Passive: The machine could be repaired by him.

May: Active: You may use this room. Passive: This room may be used by you.

Might: Active: They might cancel the event. Passive: The event might be cancelled by them.

Should: Active: We should follow the rules. Passive: The rules should be followed by us.

Must: Active: All students must submit the form. Passive: The form must be submitted by all students.

Would: Active: She would handle the situation. Passive: The situation would be handled by her.

Ought to: Active: You ought to respect your elders. Passive: Your elders ought to be respected by you.

Need to: Active: We need to review the policy. Passive: The policy needs to be reviewed by us.

Have to: Active: He has to complete the task. Passive: The task has to be completed by him.

Used to: Active: She used to manage the accounts. Passive: The accounts used to be managed by her.

Negatives with Modals

The negative particle (not) is placed after the modal, before "be":

Active: You should not waste water. Passive: Water should not be wasted.

Active: They cannot break this rule. Passive: This rule cannot be broken.

Questions with Modals

The modal is inverted to the front of the sentence:

Active: Can she solve this problem? Passive: Can this problem be solved by her?

Active: Should we inform the principal? Passive: Should the principal be informed by us?

Exam Tip

The formula for all modal passives is identical: modal + be + past participle. Never write "modal + been" or "modal + being" for a standard modal passive. A common error is writing "can been done" or "should being done" — both are wrong. The correct forms are "can be done" and "should be done."

6. Imperative & Interrogative Sentences in Passive

Imperative Sentences in Passive Voice

An imperative sentence gives an order, instruction, request, or advice. It has no stated subject — the subject "you" is implied.

Passive structure for imperatives: Let + object + be + past participle

Examples:

Active: Open the door. Passive: Let the door be opened.

Active: Submit the application immediately. Passive: Let the application be submitted immediately.

Active: Clean the classroom. Passive: Let the classroom be cleaned.

Active: Do the work carefully. Passive: Let the work be done carefully.

Active: Help the poor. Passive: Let the poor be helped.

Negative Imperatives in Passive

Active: Do not waste time. Passive: Let time not be wasted.

Active: Do not touch the exhibits. Passive: Let the exhibits not be touched.

Alternative Passive Structure for Imperatives

For formal or instructional contexts, imperatives are also passivized using: You are requested / advised / ordered / instructed to + base form

Active: Submit all documents by Monday. Passive: You are requested to submit all documents by Monday.

Active: Switch off your mobile phones. Passive: You are requested to switch off your mobile phones.

Interrogative Sentences in Passive Voice

Interrogative (question) sentences follow the same passive rules as declarative sentences, but the auxiliary is placed before the subject to maintain the question structure.

WH-Questions: The WH-word is retained at the beginning of the sentence. The object of the active question becomes the subject or the WH-word of the passive.

Active: Who wrote this letter? Passive: By whom was this letter written? (Note: "Who" becomes "By whom" in formal passive)

Active: Who is teaching the class? Passive: By whom is the class being taught?

Active: What did she cook? Passive: What was cooked by her?

Active: Whom did he call? Passive: Who was called by him?

Active: Why did they postpone the meeting? Passive: Why was the meeting postponed by them?

Yes/No Questions: The auxiliary verb is moved to the front, exactly as in declarative passives.

Active: Does he repair bicycles? Passive: Are bicycles repaired by him?

Active: Did she sign the agreement? Passive: Was the agreement signed by her?

Active: Will they publish the results? Passive: Will the results be published by them?

Active: Has the manager approved the plan? Passive: Has the plan been approved by the manager?

Active: Were they testing the new product? Passive: Was the new product being tested by them?

Exam Tip

In passive transformations of "Who did …?" questions, the answer depends on the role of "who." When "who" is the subject of the active sentence (performing the action), it becomes "by whom" in the passive. When "whom" is the object of the active sentence (receiving the action), it becomes "who/what" as the new subject of the passive. This distinction is very frequently tested.

7. Double Object Passives

What is a Double Object?

Some transitive verbs can take two objects: Indirect object — the person who receives something (answers: to whom? for whom?) Direct object — the thing that is given, sent, or shown (answers: what?)

Common verbs that take two objects: give, send, show, tell, offer, teach, award, bring, lend, pay, promise, write, ask, buy, make

Active: The manager gave him (indirect object) a bonus (direct object).

Two Passive Options

When a sentence has both an indirect and a direct object, either object can become the subject of the passive sentence. This produces two grammatically correct passive sentences.

Option 1 — Indirect object becomes the passive subject (more natural): He was given a bonus by the manager.

Option 2 — Direct object becomes the passive subject: A bonus was given to him by the manager.

Note: When the direct object becomes the passive subject, the preposition "to" or "for" must be reinserted before the indirect object.

Examples

Active: She sent him a letter. Passive Option 1: He was sent a letter by her. Passive Option 2: A letter was sent to him by her.

Active: The teacher taught them grammar. Passive Option 1: They were taught grammar by the teacher. Passive Option 2: Grammar was taught to them by the teacher.

Active: He offered her a seat. Passive Option 1: She was offered a seat by him. Passive Option 2: A seat was offered to her by him.

Active: The company pays its employees a good salary. Passive Option 1: Its employees are paid a good salary by the company. Passive Option 2: A good salary is paid to its employees by the company.

Active: They awarded him the gold medal. Passive Option 1: He was awarded the gold medal by them. Passive Option 2: The gold medal was awarded to him by them.

Active: She bought her daughter a new dress. Passive Option 1: Her daughter was bought a new dress by her. Passive Option 2: A new dress was bought for her daughter by her. (Note: "for" instead of "to" with "buy")

To vs. For with Double Object Passives

Use "to" when the indirect object is the recipient of a transfer: give, send, show, tell, offer, teach, lend, award, write, pass → A letter was sent to him.

Use "for" when the indirect object benefits from the action: buy, make, cook, find, order, save, build, choose → A meal was cooked for her.

Exam Tip

In double object passives, the indirect object becoming the subject (Option 1) is generally preferred in English and sounds more natural. The direct-object-as-subject version (Option 2) is used to emphasize the thing given or transferred. Exam questions may test whether "to" or "for" is correctly reinserted when the direct object is made the subject.

8. Common Errors in Voice Change

Error 1 — Using the Wrong Form of the Be Verb

The be auxiliary must match the tense of the original active sentence. A mismatch produces a tense error in the passive.

Wrong: The letter is written by her yesterday. Correct: The letter was written by her yesterday. (simple past → was/were)

Wrong: The report will written by him. Correct: The report will be written by him. (future → will be)

Wrong: The work have been done. Correct: The work has been done. (singular subject → has, not have)

Error 2 — Using the Wrong Form of the Main Verb

In passive voice, the main verb must always be in the past participle form. Using the base form, the past tense form, or the present participle form is an error.

Wrong: The cake was eat by the children. Correct: The cake was eaten by the children.

Wrong: The letter has been wrote by her. Correct: The letter has been written by her.

Wrong: The task is being do by them. Correct: The task is being done by them.

Error 3 — Forgetting "Been" in Perfect Passives

The perfect passive requires "has/have/had + been + past participle." Omitting "been" is one of the most common errors.

Wrong: The project has completed by the team. Correct: The project has been completed by the team.

Wrong: The form had submitted before the deadline. Correct: The form had been submitted before the deadline.

Error 4 — Forgetting "Being" in Continuous Passives

The continuous passive requires "is/am/are/was/were + being + past participle." Omitting "being" collapses it into a simple passive with a different tense meaning.

Wrong: The road is repaired at the moment. Correct: The road is being repaired at the moment. (present continuous passive)

Wrong: The car was fixed when we arrived. (This can mean simple past passive — "was fixed." If you mean "in the middle of being fixed when we arrived," it should be:) Correct: The car was being fixed when we arrived.

Error 5 — Using Subjective Case Instead of Objective Case for the Agent

The agent in the passive (after "by") is in the object position. Pronouns must be in the objective case.

Wrong: The song was composed by he. Correct: The song was composed by him.

Wrong: The decision was made by they. Correct: The decision was made by them.

Wrong: The cake was baked by I. Correct: The cake was baked by me.

Error 6 — Attempting to Passivize Intransitive Verbs

Only transitive verbs (those with a direct object) can be passivized. Applying passive voice to intransitive verbs produces an ungrammatical sentence.

Wrong: The accident was happened on the highway. Correct: The accident happened on the highway. (happen is intransitive — no passive)

Wrong: She was slept for eight hours. Correct: She slept for eight hours. (sleep is intransitive)

Wrong: The price was risen sharply. Correct: The price rose sharply. (rise is intransitive; raise is transitive)

Error 7 — Using "By" with Every Passive Sentence

"By + agent" is omitted when the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant. Forcing the "by" phrase where it is unnecessary is unnatural and sometimes wrong.

Unnatural: The thief was arrested by the police by the officer. Correct: The thief was arrested. (agent is obvious)

Unnatural: The bridge is being repaired by some workers. Correct: The bridge is being repaired. (agent is general and unimportant)

Error 8 — Writing "Modal + Been" Instead of "Modal + Be"

In modal passives, "be" is always in its base form. Writing "been" after a modal is incorrect.

Wrong: The work must been completed. Correct: The work must be completed.

Wrong: This rule should been followed. Correct: This rule should be followed.

Wrong: The form can been downloaded. Correct: The form can be downloaded.

Error 9 — Wrong Conversion of Imperative Sentences

Forgetting the "Let … be" structure for imperatives and using an incorrect form instead.

Wrong: The door should open. Correct: Let the door be opened.

Wrong: The work is done immediately. Correct: Let the work be done immediately.

Error 10 — Incorrect Treatment of "Who" in Questions

Failing to change "who" to "by whom" when "who" is the doer in an active question.

Wrong: Who was the letter written? Correct: By whom was the letter written?

Wrong: Who was invited them? Correct: Who was invited by them? (here, "them" are the doers — "who" is the object and becomes the passive subject correctly)

Quick Reference Summary — Voice Change at a Glance

V1 = base form | V2 = past tense form | V3 = past participle | V-ing = present participle