A sentence can be either in the Active or Passive Voice. In an Active Voice, the Subject performs the action. In a Passive Voice, the Subject receives the action done in a passive way.
In this post, you will find Active and Passive Voice meanings, Rules and examples.
What is Voice in Grammar?
Voice in grammar is a study of the relationship of the verb with its subject and object. So, we learn,
- When the subject of a sentence performs the action, the sentence has an Active voice.
- When the subject of the sentence merely receives the action, the sentence has a Passive voice.
Examples
- Peter cut a tree.
The subject in this sentence is Peter who performs the action of cutting a tree. Hence, the sentence is in the active voice. - A tree was cut by Peter.
The subject in this sentence tree does not seem to perform the action. Instead, it seems to have received the action of ‘being cut’. Hence, the sentence is in the passive voice.
Active Voice
The active voice is widely used in English and is preferred over the passive voice. It is direct and concise in nature and it makes the sentences sound assertive. In the active voice, the subject or doer is in focus and not the object.
Examples of Active Voice
- The people selected the representative.
- Helen sang a song.
- Krishna took a bus to the station.
In the above sentences, the words people, Helen and Krishna are in the focus; the words representative, song, and bus are in the background. Hence, the active voice is used.
Passive Voice
The passive voice has a tendency to render the sentences weak, unlike the active voice. Although it is generally considered undesirable in writing, there are instances where the passive voice is desired.
Examples of Passive Voice
- The representative was selected by the people.
- A song was sung by Helen.
- A bus was taken by Krishna to the station.
In the above cases, the words representative, song, and bus are highlighted and the words people, Helen, and Krishna are not given importance. Hence, the sentences are in the passive voice.
Rules for Changing Active Voice into Passive Voice
- The Object of the Active is Changed into the Subject of the Passive.
- The Subject of the Active is changed into the Object of the Passive.
- According to the Subject made in the Passive, there is a usage of the helping verb. If it is not the helping verb ‘to be’, then according to the helping verb present there, a form of ‘to be’ is taken into usage.
- After ‘to be’ there is the usage of Verb3 ( Verb in the Past Participle)
- The preposition ‘by’ is used after the Object made in the Passive. This (by + Object) is also known as (by + agent), which is completely optional.
Examples of Active and Passive Voice
Active: Sujata called Soumili.
Passive: Soumili was called by Sujata.
Verb-Patterns of Passive Voice
The Verb-Patterns are different Tenses of the Passive Voice in the following Tables:
Present Tense
Subject + Verb ‘To be’/’To have’ + Past Participle of the main verb + (by + Object)
| SIMPLE | Subject + am/is/are + Verb in the Past Participle + (by + Object) |
| CONTINUOUS | Subject + am/is/are + being + Verb in the Past Participle + (by + Object) |
| PERFECT | Subject + has/have + been + Verb in the Past Participle + (by + Object) |
Examples
| VOICE | SIMPLE | CONTINUOUS | PERFECT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | I do it. | I am doing it. | I have done it. |
| Passive | It is done by me. | It is being done by me. | It has been done by me. |
Past Tense
Subject + Verb ‘To be’/’To have’ + Past Participle of the main verb + (by + Object)
| SIMPLE | Subject + was/were + Verb in the Past Participle + (by + Object) |
| CONTINUOUS | Subject + was/were + being + Verb in the Past Participle + (by + Object) |
| PERFECT | Subject + had + been + Verb in the Past Participle + (by + Object) |
Examples
| VOICE | SIMPLE | CONTINUOUS | PERFECT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | I did it. | I was doing it. | I had done it. |
| Passive | It was done by me. | It was being done by me. | It had been done by me. |
Future Tense
Subject + Verb ‘To be’ + Past Participle of the main verb + (by + Object)
| SIMPLE | Subject + shall/will + be + Verb in the Past Participle + (by + Object) |
| CONTINUOUS | Not in use |
| PERFECT | Subject + shall/will +have been + Verb in the Past Participle + (by + Object) |
Examples
| VOICE | SIMPLE | CONTINUOUS | PERFECT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | I shall do it. | I shall be doing it. | I shall have done it. |
| Passive | It will be done by me. | ……….. | It would have been done by me. |
Active and Passive Voice of Modal Verbs
* Note that can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to, used to, need not, dare not, etc are Modal Auxiliary Verbs
Active: Subject + Modal (can/could etc.) + Verb + Object
Passive: Subject + Modal (can/could etc.) +be + Verb in the Past Participle + (by + Object)
CAN
| ACTIVE | I can help your brother. |
| PASSIVE | Your brother can be helped by me. |
MAY
| ACTIVE | He may permit you to go there. |
| PASSIVE | You may be permitted by him to go there. |
COULD
| ACTIVE | I could do the sum. |
| PASSIVE | The sum could be done by me. |
SHOULD
| ACTIVE | We should obey the laws. |
| PASSIVE | The Laws should be obeyed by us. |
NEED
| ACTIVE | You needn’t do the work. |
| PASSIVE | The work needn’t be done by you. |
MUST
| ACTIVE | You must maintain discipline. |
| PASSIVE | Discipline must be maintained by you. |
Pronoun Patterns
| SUBJECT FORM | OBJECT FORM | POSSESSIVE FORM |
|---|---|---|
| I | Me | My |
| We | Us | Our |
| You | You | Your |
| He | Him | His |
| She | Her | Her |
| They | Them | Their |
| It | It | Its |
| One | One | One’s |
You Asked, We Listened – List of All Grammar Chapters Updated 😍😍
Also, Read
Figures of Speech
Subject Verb Agreement
Degrees of Comparison
