Active and Passive Voice PDF

# Active and Passive Voice Voice indicates whether the subject of a verb is the doer of the action or something is being done to it. ## A Quick Recap - The subject of a sentence is typically the doer of the action. - Verbs that require a direct object to complete their meaning are called transitive...

# Active and Passive Voice Voice indicates whether the subject of a verb is the doer of the action or something is being done to it. ## A Quick Recap - The subject of a sentence is typically the doer of the action. - Verbs that require a direct object to complete their meaning are called transitive verbs. **Examples:** * Namita sang a song. * Britney Spears sang a song. In both sentences, the subject (Namita and Britney Spears) is the doer of the action, and the verb ("sang") is transitive, requiring the direct object "song." ## Active Voice When the subject of sentence is the doer of the action, the sentence is in the *active voice*. ## Passive Voice When the subject of a sentence is not the doer of the action but something is done to it, the sentence is in the *passive voice*. **Example:** * A song was sung by Britney Spears. **Note:** Only sentences with transitive verbs can be changed into the passive voice. ## Practice **(Active/Passive)** 1. The parcel was delivered by the postman. (**Passive**) 2. Seeta painted a portrait. (**Active**) 3. The teacher distributed the answer sheets. (**Active**) 4. The poem was written by John Keats. (**Passive**) 5. I will pluck all the flowers in the evening. (**Active**) 6. Rishan has completed the project. (**Active**) 7. The thief was caught by the police. (**Passive**) ## Uses of Passive Voice The active voice is typically used when conveying an idea or thought, but the passive voice is preferred in the following situations: * **The doer of the action is unknown.** Example: _Mother's purse was stolen._ (Who stole the purse is not known.) * **The action is more important than the doer.** Example: _A cucumber was chopped._ (The emphasis is on the fact that the cucumber was chopped, not who chopped it.) * **The receiver of the action is the focus.** Example: _The letter was delivered._ (The emphasis is on the fact that the letter was delivered, not who delivered it.) ## Changing a Sentence from Active to Passive Voice To change a sentence from active to passive voice, follow these steps: 1. **Object becomes subject:** The object of the verb in the active voice becomes the subject in the passive voice. 2. **Subject becomes agent:** The subject of the active voice becomes the agent in the passive voice, introduced by "by." 3. **Verb form changes:** The form of the verb changes according to the tense. **Examples:** * Active: _Naman kicked the ball_. * Passive: _The ball was kicked by Naman_. ## Tense Changes The verb form in a passive voice sentence will change based on the tense of the active voice sentence. Here are some examples: | **Active Voice** | **Passive Voice** | |---|---| | write (simple present) | is written (simple present) | | am writing (present continuous) | is being written (present continuous) | | wrote (simple past) | was written (simple past) | | was writing (past continuous) | was being written (past continuous) | ## Personal Pronouns in Active and Passive Voice Pronouns change in a passive voice sentence. | **Active Voice** | **Passive Voice** | |---|---| | I | me | | we | us | | he | him | | she | her | | they | them | "You" and "it" stay the same when a sentence is converted from active to passive. ## Simple Present Tense **Examples:** * Active: _Rita writes a story_. * Passive: _A story is written by Rita_. **Practice:** 1. Hindi __is spoken__ all over North India. (speak) 2. Dengue __is spread__ by mosquitoes. (spread) 3. The guests __are received__ warmly by the organizers. (receive) 4. The market __is closed__ due to disturbance in the area. (close) ## Rewriting Sentences 1. Mother always __keeps__ my uniform clean. * **Passive:** My uniform __is always kept clean__ by mother. 2. He __waters__ the plants everyday. * **Passive:** The plants __are watered__ everyday. 3. A librarian __issues__ books. * **Passive:** Books __are issued__ by a librarian. 4. Everyone __likes__ a friendly person. * **Passive:** A friendly person __is liked__ by everyone. ## Present Continuous Tense **Examples:** * Active: _Rita is writing a story_. * Passive: _A story is being written by Rita_. **Practice:** 1. The door __is being painted__ by Rita. (paint) 2. Yoga classes __are being conducted__ by an expert. (conduct) 3. His trip __is being sponsored__ by a well known company. (sponsor) 4. All the ingredients __are being mixed__ in a bowl. (mix) ## Changing Sentences to Passive Voice 1. A policeman __is chasing__ the thieves. * Passive: The thieves __are being chased__ by a policeman. 2. The Principal __is giving__ a presentation. * Passive: A presentation __is being given__ by the Principal. 3. Rita __is painting__ a portrait. * Passive: A portrait __is being painted__ by Rita. 4. Arun __is cleaning__ the window. * Passive: The window __is being cleaned__ by Arun. ## Present Perfect Tense **Examples:** * Active: _Ravi has eaten an apple_. * Passive: _An apple has been eaten by Ravi_. **Practice:** 1. The school playground __has been maintained__ well. (maintain) 2. The fruits __have been plucked__. (pluck) 3. More grocery items __have been added__ to the new list of requirements. (add) 4. The library list __has been updated__. (update) ## Simple Past Tense **Examples:** * Active: _Rita wrote a story_. * Passive: _A story was written by Rita_. **Practice:** 1. The project __was completed__ last week. (complete) 2. The passengers __were served__ breakfast after the flight took off. (serve) 3. The topic __was introduced__ in the class yesterday. (introduce) 4. The play __was presented__ at the Kamani auditorium. (present) ## Changing Sentences from Active to Passive Voice 1. Yuvraj Singh __scored__ a century. * Passive: A century __was scored__ by Yuvraj Singh. 2. The sculptor __carved__ a statue. * Passive: A statue __was carved__ by the sculptor. 3. The ladies __prepared__ delicious food. * Passive: Delicious food __was prepared__ by the ladies. 4. Rina __invited__ Ragini yesterday. * Passive: Ragini __was invited__ by Rina yesterday. ## Past Continuous Tense **Examples:** * Active: _Rita was writing a story_. * Passive: _A story was being written by Rita_. **Practice:** 1. The bag __was being carried__ by my friend. (carry) 2. The bags __were being checked__ at the airport. (check) 3. Food packets __were being distributed__ among the flood victims. (distribute) 4. The plants __were being watered__ in the morning. (water) ## Changing Sentences from Active to Passive Voice 1. Seema __was eating__ guavas. * Passive: Guavas __were being eaten__ by Seema. 2. The family __was watching__ a cricket match. * Passive: A cricket match __was being watched__ by the family. 3. The old ladies __were selling__ fruits and vegetables. * Passive: Fruits and vegetables __were being sold__ by the old ladies. 4. Doctors __were examining__ the patients. * Passive: The patients __were being examined__ by doctors. ## Past Perfect Tense **Examples:** * Active: _She had completed the work_. * Passive: _The work had been completed by her_. **Practice:** 1. He __had made sure__ the packet __was delivered__ on time. (deliver) 2. We __had thought__ the plan __had been dropped__. (drop) 3. The play __had been presented__ in the auditorium. (present) 4. The wall __had been painted__. (paint) ## Simple Future Tense **Examples:** * Active: _She will buy the dress later_. * Passive: _The dress will be bought by her later_. **Practice:** 1. The packets __will be made__ soon. (make) 2. The letters __will be posted__ later. (post) 3. __Will I be assisted__ by you? (assist) 4. __Will he be guided__ by her? (guide) ## Future Continuous Tense * Verbs in the future continuous tense cannot be expressed in the passive voice. ## Future Perfect Tense **Examples:** * Active: Rita will have learned the poem by evening. * Passive: The poem will have been learned by Rita by evening. **Practice:** 1. The lesson __will have been revised__ by me by Friday. (revise) 2. Lunch __will have been prepared__ by mother by 1 o'clock in the afternoon. (prepare) 3. The admission form __will have been filled__ by Ravi by next week. (fill) **Note:** If the doer of the action in the active voice is irrelevant to the passive voice sentence, it can be omitted from the passive voice. Example: _My hat was lost_ (the person who lost the hat is unimportant). ## Interrogative Sentences in Passive Voice An interrogative sentence is a question. To turn an interrogative sentence into passive voice, keep the interrogative form, and the question words if any, and then follow the usual active to passive voice conversion. **Examples:** * Active: _Is he disturbing you?_ * Passive: _Are you being disturbed by him?_ * Active: _When did you bring the pet home?_ * Passive: _When was the pet brought home by you?_ ## Practice: Identify Active/Passive Voice * My grandma knitted a cardigan. (**Active**) * George ate a sandwich. (**Active**) * The fish was grilled by me. (**Passive**) * The chair was polished by the carpenter. (**Passive**) * Raman kicked the ball. (**Active**) ## Practice with Pronoun Changes 1. I gave a watch to Rita. * Passive: A watch was given to Rita by **me**. 2. I kept the basket carefully. * Passive: The basket was kept carefully by **me**. 3. She painted the fence. * Passive: The fence was painted by **her**. 4. They watched the match. * Passive: The match was watched by **them**. 5. He covered the books. * Passive: The books were covered by **him**. 6. You caught the fish. * Passive: The fish was caught by **you**. ## Practice: Complete the Sentences in Passive Voice 1. A circle __is drawn__ on the ground by Asha. 2. A rug __is spread__ by Rima. 3. A piece of chalk __is used__ by Asha. 4. The command 'in the pond' __means__ jump on the rug. 5. The children __are told__ to (conduct) 6. The commands are jumbled up. The game __is directed__ to follow instructions. 7. Those who do not follow the command __are eliminated__. 8. A prize __is given__ to the champion tadpole. ## More Practice: Identify and Change Active/Passive Voices 1. The dog __is chewing__ a bone. (**Active**) * Passive: A bone __is being chewed__ by the dog. 2. Sachin Tendulkar __scored__ a century. (**Active**) * Passive: A century __was scored__ by Sachin Tendulkar. 3. Gagan __bought__ roses. (**Active**) * Passive: Roses __were bought__ by Gagan. 4. The gifts __are being packed__ by aunt. (**Passive**) 5. The bike __was washed__ by my brother. (**Passive**) 6. The skit __was presented__ by good actors. (**Passive**) 7. Kanak __eats__ a chocolate. (**Active**) * Passive: A chocolate __is eaten__ by Kanak. 8. Mother __was singing__ a bhajan. (**Passive**) ## Write Sentences in the Passive Voice 1. The bridge __was inaugurated__ by the Chief Minister. 2. A speech __was delivered__ by her on the occasion. 3. Commuters __are told__ to follow the traffic rules. 4. Pedestrians __are asked__ to use the footpath. 5. People __are requested__ not to throw polythene bags. 6. The bridge __was built__. This would help save the river. 7. The river __is considered__ the lifeline of the city.