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Examples of Active voice and passive voice

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Learn Examples of Active and Passive Voice with Solutions. Voice defines the connection between the Subject and the Verb, representing the action. In Active voice, the subject performs the action, while in Passive voice, the subject receives the action.

In English Grammar, Verbs signify actions and possess five characteristics known as person, number, voice, mood, and tense. We’re specifically discussing voice here, where Active and Passive voices are two grammatical forms.

Let’s Explore the Comparison between Active and Passive Voice. Transform the Active Voice into Passive Voice with Examples and Solutions.

Active Voice Structure – Subject + Verb + Object + Other Words

Passive Voice Structure – Object + Helping Verb + Verb 3 (Past Participle) + By + Subject + Other Words

 

Active Voice SentencePassive Voice Sentence
The cat chased the mouse.The mouse was chased by the cat.
She baked a delicious cake.A delicious cake was baked by her.
They are building a new house.A new house is being built by them.
The teacher corrected the students’ papers.The students’ papers were corrected by the teacher.
He wrote an interesting novel.An interesting novel was written by him.
The company will launch a new product.A new product will be launched by the company.
The dog found the lost keys.The lost keys were found by the dog.
They have painted the walls blue.The walls have been painted blue by them.
The storm destroyed the entire village.The entire village was destroyed by the storm.
She will announce the winner tomorrow.The winner will be announced by her tomorrow.

Active And Passive Voice Examples For All Tenses

Structure  – Object + am/is/are + v3 + by + Sub + other Words.

Active SentencePassive Sentence
The cat catches the mouse.The mouse is caught by the cat.
She writes a letter.A letter is written by her.
He eats an apple.An apple is eaten by him.
They play football.Football is played by them.
We watch a movie.A movie is watched by us.
The teacher explains the lesson.The lesson is explained by the teacher.
The dog chases the squirrel.The squirrel is chased by the dog.
Mary bakes a cake.A cake is baked by Mary.
The children sing a song.A song is sung by the children.
Tom opens the door.The door is opened by Tom.

Present Continues Tense

Active – sub + is/am/are + V(1st+ing) + obj.
Passive – Obj + is/am/are + being + V3 + by + Sub.

Active VoicePassive Voice
She is washing the dishes.The dishes are being washed by her.
He is mowing the lawn.The lawn is being mowed by him.
They are building a house.A house is being built by them.
We are watching a movie.A movie is being watched by us.
The dog is chasing the cat.The cat is being chased by the dog.
She is baking a cake.A cake is being baked by her.
He is playing the guitar.The guitar is being played by him.
They are cleaning the room.The room is being cleaned by them.
We are reading a book.A book is being read by us.
The kids are drawing pictures.Pictures are being drawn by the kids.

Present Perfect Tense

Active – Sub + has/have + V3 + Obj.
Passive – Obj + has/have + been + V3 + by + Sub.

Active VoicePassive Voice
I have cleaned the room.The room has been cleaned by me.
She has written a book.A book has been written by her.
They have finished their homework.Their homework has been finished by them.
He has eaten all the cake.All the cake has been eaten by him.
We have planted flowers in the garden.Flowers have been planted in the garden by us.

Past Indefinite Tense

Active – Sub + V2 + Obj.
Passive – Obj + was/were + V3 + by + Sub.

Active SentencePassive Sentence
The cat chased the mouse.The mouse was chased by the cat.
She baked a cake for the party.A cake was baked for the party by her.
They planted trees in the garden.Trees were planted in the garden by them.
He repaired the broken car.The broken car was repaired by him.
The teacher explained the lesson to the students.The lesson was explained to the students by the teacher.
We painted the walls yellow.The walls were painted yellow by us.
The chef cooked a delicious meal.A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.
They built a new house in the neighborhood.A new house was built in the neighborhood by them.
She wrote a poem for her friend.A poem was written for her friend by her.
He fixed the leaking faucet.The leaking faucet was fixed by him.

Past Continuous Tense

Active – Sub + was/were + V(1st + ing) +Obj.
Passive – Obj + was/were + being + V3 + by + Sub.

Active SentencePassive Sentence
I was eating dinner.Dinner was being eaten by me.
She was watching a movie.A movie was being watched by her.
They were playing football.Football was being played by them.
He was reading a book.A book was being read by him.
We were listening to music.Music was being listened to by us.
You were cooking dinner.Dinner was being cooked by you.
The cat was chasing a mouse.A mouse was being chased by the cat.
The children were laughing.Laughter was being heard from the children.
The students were studying for the exam.The exam was being studied for by the students.
The car was being repaired by the mechanic.The mechanic was repairing the car.

Past Continuous Tense

Active – Sub + had + V3 + Obj.
Passive – Obj + had been + V3 + by + Sub.

Active SentencePassive Sentence
The cat had caught the mouse.The mouse had been caught by the cat.
She had finished her homework.Her homework had been finished by her.
They had painted the room blue.The room had been painted blue by them.
He had fixed the broken chair.The broken chair had been fixed by him.
We had eaten dinner together.Dinner had been eaten together by us.
I had written a letter to her.A letter had been written to her by me.
The team had won the match.The match had been won by the team.
The students had completed the project.The project had been completed by the students.
He had repaired the car.The car had been repaired by him.
They had booked a hotel room.A hotel room had been booked by them.

Future Indefinite Tense

Active – Sub + will/shall + V1 + Obj.
Passive – Obj + will/shall + be + V3 + by + Sub.

Active SentencePassive Sentence
The teacher will teach the lesson.The lesson will be taught by the teacher.
They will build a new house.A new house will be built by them.
We will plant flowers in the garden.Flowers will be planted in the garden by us.
He will write a book.A book will be written by him.
The company will launch a new product.A new product will be launched by the company.
She will prepare dinner for us.Dinner will be prepared by her.
They will fix the car tomorrow.The car will be fixed by them tomorrow.
We will organize a party next week.A party will be organized by us next week.
The doctor will examine the patient.The patient will be examined by the doctor.
He will paint the room blue.The room will be painted blue by him.

Future Indefinite Tense

Active – Sub + will/shall + V1 + Obj.
Passive – Obj + will/shall + be + V3 + by + Sub.

Active SentencePassive Sentence
I will have completed the project by tomorrow.The project will have been completed by me by tomorrow.
She will have baked a cake for the party.A cake will have been baked by her for the party.
They will have finished their homework before school starts.Their homework will have been finished before school starts.
He will have painted the entire room by next week.The entire room will have been painted by him by next week.
We will have booked the tickets by this evening.The tickets will have been booked by us by this evening.
The team will have won the championship by the end of the year.The championship will have been won by the team by the end of the year.

Examples Of Active And Passive Voice With Their Answer

Active Voice SentencePassive Voice Sentence
The cat chased the mouse.The mouse was chased by the cat.
She baked a cake.A cake was baked by her.
They built a house.A house was built by them.
He fixed the car.The car was fixed by him.
The teacher teaches the students.The students are taught by the teacher.
The chef cooked a delicious meal.A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.
The company developed a new product.A new product was developed by the company.
We painted the room blue.The room was painted blue by us.
The dog chased the ball.The ball was chased by the dog.
They wrote a book.A book was written by them.

Active Into Passive Voice Exercises With Answers

Active SentencePassive Sentence
They clean the house every day.The house is cleaned every day by them.
She sings a beautiful song.A beautiful song is sung by her.
The teacher is explaining the lesson.The lesson is being explained by the teacher.
We will finish the project tomorrow.The project will be finished by us tomorrow.
He painted a picture of the sunset.A picture of the sunset was painted by him.
They have eaten all the cookies.All the cookies have been eaten by them.
She is writing a letter to her friend.A letter is being written to her friend by her.
We can solve the problem together.The problem can be solved together by us.
He will buy a new car next month.A new car will be bought by him next month.
They had already booked the tickets.The tickets had already been booked by them.

Active Passive Voice

Active and Passive Voice: Understanding the Concept of Voice in Grammar. In essence, voice refers to the manner in which a sentence is expressed orally or in writing, offering various ways to articulate its message.

ActivePassive
He writes a letterA letter is written by him.

 

In this sentence subject (letter) is not working but work has been completed by him who works as an agent.

Why do we need to Learn Active Passive voice?

Now, many wonder about the necessity and significance of learning about voice. Let’s elucidate this with an example.

Consider your daily meals. Just as you seek variety in your food, imagine being served only rice, pulses, and a single vegetable every day. It’s unlikely you’d find such meals appealing.

Similarly, in English, variety is essential. Much like altering your meals throughout the day, using different forms of expression adds richness to language. Utilizing active and passive voice in English communication reflects professionalism and versatility.

Now, you might be wondering, “How can I easily grasp active and passive voice?” Fret not. Dive into this comprehensive article and discover active and passive voice examples to facilitate your learning process.

Active voice

Active voice delineates a sentence in which the subject carries out the action as stated by the verb. It imparts a forceful, direct, and unequivocal tone to sentences.

In essence, all that we’ve learned so far—be it tenses, sentence structures, or translations—is in the active voice.

The active voice exudes a forceful, direct, and unequivocal tone. Below are some succinct examples illustrating the active voice:

Active Voice Examples

  1. Sanju and Ravi make noise.
  2. Children like sweets.
  3. We respect him.
  4. A boy is teaching.
  5. He is learning to program.

In each of the above sentences, the structure follows: Subject + Verb + Object.

For instance, in the first sentence, Sanju and Ravi, the subjects, perform the action denoted by noise (verb). Similarly, the subjects Children perform the action denoted by Sweets.

In passive voice, the subject is being acted upon, indicating what is done to someone or something.

What is passive voice?

A sentence is in the passive voice when the subject undergoes the action rather than performing it.

Definition: A verb is said to be in the passive voice when the person or thing indicated by the subject does not execute the action but instead experiences the action carried out by someone else.

Passive Voice Examples

  1. Noise is made by Sanju and Ravi.
  2. Sweets are liked by children.
  3. He is respected.
  4. A boy is taught.
  5. Programming is learned by him.

Rules to Change Active Voice into Passive Voice with Examples:

  1. Use an Object as the Subject of the Sentence
    • Active Voice: He eats panipuri
    • Passive Voice: Panipuri is eaten by him
  1. Subject Works as an Agent and “By” Precedes It in the Passive Voice Transformation

Note: “By” is not always necessary in passive voice transformation, especially when it is implied as part of the subject’s role.

Example:

  • Active Voice: Police arrested the thief
  • Passive Voice: The thief was arrested

In such cases, “By” is often omitted because it is implied as part of the subject’s role.

  1. When the Object in Active Voice is in the Objective Case, Change it to the Nominative Case in Passive Voice, and the Active Voice Subject to the Objective Case

Example:

  • Active Voice: I beat him
  • Passive Voice: He is beaten by me

How to change active voice to passive

  1. Identify the subject, verb, and object of the active sentence.
  2. Move the object of the active sentence to the subject position in the passive sentence.
  3. Keep the original verb, but change it to a passive form (usually a form of “to be” + the past participle of the main verb).
  4. Include the original subject of the active sentence (if necessary) as the agent using “by.”

Here’s an example:

Active: The chef prepares the meal. Passive: The meal is prepared by the chef.

In this example, “the meal” (object) becomes the subject in the passive sentence, “is prepared” is the passive form of “prepares,” and “by the chef” is added to indicate the agent.

FAQ

What is active voice?

Active voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. For example, in the sentence “The dog chased the cat,” “the dog” is the subject performing the action of chasing.

What is passive voice?

Passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence undergoes the action expressed by the verb. For example, in the sentence “The cat was chased by the dog,” “the cat” is the subject undergoing the action of being chased.

When should I use active voice?

Active voice is typically used when the focus is on the subject performing the action, and the sentence is more direct and engaging. It is often preferred in writing for its clarity and straightforwardness.

When should I use passive voice?

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or the recipient of the action rather than the subject. It is often used when the subject is unknown, when it is irrelevant, or when the speaker wants to be more formal or objective.

How do I change a sentence from active to passive voice?

To change a sentence from active to passive voice, you generally move the object of the active sentence to the subject position in the passive sentence and use a form of the verb “to be” with the past participle of the main verb. You may also include the original subject as the agent (introduced by “by”).

Is passive voice always wrong?

Passive voice is not always wrong, but it should be used judiciously. Overuse of passive voice can lead to unclear or awkward sentences. It is generally advised to use active voice for most writing, especially when the subject is known and relevant to the action.

How can I identify passive voice?

Passive voice can often be identified by the use of a form of “to be” (such as “is,” “was,” “were,” “been”) followed by a past participle. Additionally, the subject receiving the action (the object of the active sentence) is typically placed before the verb in passive constructions.

These FAQs provide a basic understanding of active and passive voice and how they are used in English grammar.