active and passive voice

 

Active and Passive Voice Notes + 100 Practice Questions with Answers & Explanations

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What is Voice in English Grammar?

• Voice shows the relationship between the action (verb) and the participants (subject and object) in a sentence.
• Two types: Active Voice and Passive Voice.

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Active Voice

• The subject performs the action.
• Structure: Subject + Verb + Object
• Example:
  The cat (subject) chased (verb) the mouse (object).

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Passive Voice

• The subject receives the action.
• Structure: Object of active sentence + be verb + past participle (+ by + subject)
• Example:
  The mouse (subject) was chased (be + past participle) by the cat.

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Why Use Passive Voice?

• When the doer (agent) is unknown, unimportant, or obvious.
• To emphasize the action or receiver rather than the doer.
• Formal or scientific writing often uses passive.

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How to Change Active to Passive

1. Identify subject, verb, object.
2. Make the object of the active sentence the subject of the passive sentence.
3. Use the correct form of the verb be + past participle of main verb.
4. Optionally, add by + subject from active sentence.
5. Adjust tense of be verb to match original tense.

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Tense-wise Transformation Examples

Active (Subject + Verb + Object)	Passive (Object + be + past participle + by Subject)
He writes a letter. (Present Simple)	A letter is written by him.
She wrote a book. (Past Simple)	A book was written by her.
They are painting the house. (Present Continuous)	The house is being painted by them.
I have finished the work. (Present Perfect)	The work has been finished by me.
He will complete the task. (Future Simple)	The task will be completed by him.

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Common Rules

• If the active sentence has two objects, only the object closer to the verb is converted to the subject in passive.
• If active sentence has modal verbs, passive uses modal + be + past participle.
• Imperatives can also be changed to passive.

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Examples of Active-Passive Transformation

1. Active: The dog bit the man.
   Passive: The man was bitten by the dog.
2. Active: They will announce the results tomorrow.
   Passive: The results will be announced tomorrow by them.
3. Active: She is reading a book.
   Passive: A book is being read by her.
4. Active: Someone has stolen my wallet.
   Passive: My wallet has been stolen by someone.
5. Active: People speak English all over the world.
   Passive: English is spoken all over the world.

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100 Practice Questions with Answers & Explanations

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Part 1: Change Active to Passive (1-50)

1. He cleans the room.
   Answer: The room is cleaned by him.
   Present Simple: is + past participle
2. She wrote a letter.
   Answer: A letter was written by her.
   Past Simple: was + past participle
3. They are watching a movie.
   Answer: A movie is being watched by them.
   Present Continuous: is being + past participle
4. I have completed the work.
   Answer: The work has been completed by me.
   Present Perfect: has been + past participle
5. We will finish the project soon.
   Answer: The project will be finished soon by us.
   Future Simple: will be + past participle
6. The teacher explains the lesson.
   Answer: The lesson is explained by the teacher.
7. The chef cooked a delicious meal.
   Answer: A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.
8. They deliver the mail every morning.
   Answer: The mail is delivered every morning by them.
9. He has taken the test.
   Answer: The test has been taken by him.
10. She will open the shop tomorrow.
    Answer: The shop will be opened tomorrow by her.
11. The mechanic repairs the car.
    Answer: The car is repaired by the mechanic.
12. We built a new house last year.
    Answer: A new house was built by us last year.
13. The dog is chasing the cat.
    Answer: The cat is being chased by the dog.
14. Someone has stolen my bag.
    Answer: My bag has been stolen by someone.
15. They will announce the result soon.
    Answer: The result will be announced soon by them.
16. She cleans the windows daily.
    Answer: The windows are cleaned daily by her.
17. He is reading the newspaper.
    Answer: The newspaper is being read by him.
18. They have repaired the road.
    Answer: The road has been repaired by them.
19. The students write the exams in April.
    Answer: The exams are written by the students in April.
20. I will send the letter tomorrow.
    Answer: The letter will be sent tomorrow by me.

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21. He watches the children play.
    Answer: The children are watched playing by him. (or) The children are watched by him.
22. The gardener waters the plants.
    Answer: The plants are watered by the gardener.
23. They painted the wall yesterday.
    Answer: The wall was painted by them yesterday.
24. The company has launched a new product.
    Answer: A new product has been launched by the company.
25. She will complete the assignment soon.
    Answer: The assignment will be completed soon by her.
26. The postman delivers letters daily.
    Answer: Letters are delivered daily by the postman.
27. He is fixing the computer now.
    Answer: The computer is being fixed by him now.
28. They have sent the invitations.
    Answer: The invitations have been sent by them.
29. I am writing a letter.
    Answer: A letter is being written by me.
30. The teacher will conduct the exam.
    Answer: The exam will be conducted by the teacher.

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31. He drives the car carefully.
    Answer: The car is driven carefully by him.
32. We are planting trees.
    Answer: Trees are being planted by us.
33. She has washed the clothes.
    Answer: The clothes have been washed by her.
34. They will repair the bridge.
    Answer: The bridge will be repaired by them.
35. I read books every day.
    Answer: Books are read every day by me.
36. The chef is preparing dinner.
    Answer: Dinner is being prepared by the chef.
37. We had completed the task before noon.
    Answer: The task had been completed by us before noon.
38. She will invite all the guests.
    Answer: All the guests will be invited by her.
39. He is painting the fence.
    Answer: The fence is being painted by him.
40. They have cleaned the house.
    Answer: The house has been cleaned by them.

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41. The police arrested the thief.
    Answer: The thief was arrested by the police.
42. The manager will sign the documents.
    Answer: The documents will be signed by the manager.
43. The children are playing football.
    Answer: Football is being played by the children.
44. He has sold his car.
    Answer: His car has been sold by him.
45. She will bake a cake.
    Answer: A cake will be baked by her.
46. They are cleaning the streets.
    Answer: The streets are being cleaned by them.
47. I have lost my keys.
    Answer: My keys have been lost by me.
48. The teacher corrected the papers.
    Answer: The papers were corrected by the teacher.
49. The workers are building the bridge.
    Answer: The bridge is being built by the workers.
50. She will answer the questions.
    Answer: The questions will be answered by her.

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Part 2: Change Passive to Active (51-100)

51. The letter was written by him.
    Answer: He wrote the letter.
52. The book is being read by her.
    Answer: She is reading the book.
53. The work has been done by them.
    Answer: They have done the work.
54. The results will be announced by the principal.
    Answer: The principal will announce the results.
55. The windows are cleaned by the janitor every day.
    Answer: The janitor cleans the windows every day.
56. The project was completed by the team on time.
    Answer: The team completed the project on time.
57. The car is being repaired by the mechanic.
    Answer: The mechanic is repairing the car.
58. The cake has been baked by her.
    Answer: She has baked the cake.
59. The invitations will be sent by us.
    Answer: We will send the invitations.
60. The exams were conducted by the teachers.
    Answer: The teachers conducted the exams.

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61. The flowers are watered by the gardener.
    Answer: The gardener waters the flowers.
62. The computer was fixed by him.
    Answer: He fixed the computer.
63. The room is cleaned by the cleaner every morning.
    Answer: The cleaner cleans the room every morning.
64. The letters have been delivered by the postman.
    Answer: The postman has delivered the letters.
65. The story was told by the grandmother.
    Answer: The grandmother told the story.
66. The dinner is being prepared by the chef.
    Answer: The chef is preparing the dinner.
67. The house was built by them last year.
    Answer: They built the house last year.
68. The songs are sung by the choir.
    Answer: The choir sings the songs.
69. The homework has been done by the students.
    Answer: The students have done the homework.
70. The documents will be signed by the manager.
    Answer: The manager will sign the documents.

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71. The guests were welcomed by the host.
    Answer: The host welcomed the guests.
72. The movie is watched by millions.
    Answer: Millions watch the movie.
73. The book has been translated by the author.
    Answer: The author has translated the book.
74. The bills are paid by the office staff.
    Answer: The office staff pays the bills.
75. The letters will be answered by the secretary.
    Answer: The secretary will answer the letters.
76. The paintings are admired by visitors.
    Answer: Visitors admire the paintings.
77. The game was won by the home team.
    Answer: The home team won the game.
78. The clothes are washed by the laundry service.
    Answer: The laundry service washes the clothes.
79. The emails have been sent by the assistant.
    Answer: The assistant has sent the emails.
80. The meeting is conducted by the manager.
    Answer: The manager conducts the meeting.

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81. The books were arranged by the librarian.
    Answer: The librarian arranged the books.
82. The repairs will be done by the technician.
    Answer: The technician will do the repairs.
83. The phone is answered by the receptionist.
    Answer: The receptionist answers the phone.
84. The food was prepared by the chef.
    Answer: The chef prepared the food.
85. The message has been delivered by the courier.
    Answer: The courier has delivered the message.
86. The tasks are assigned by the supervisor.
    Answer: The supervisor assigns the tasks.
87. The lesson was taught by the teacher.
    Answer: The teacher taught the lesson.
88. The documents are checked by the auditor.
    Answer: The auditor checks the documents.
89. The orders will be dispatched by the warehouse.
    Answer: The warehouse will dispatch the orders.
90. The calls are answered by the operator.
    Answer: The operator answers the calls.

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91. The invitations were sent by the event manager.
    Answer: The event manager sent the invitations.
92. The proposals are reviewed by the committee.
    Answer: The committee reviews the proposals.
93. The roads are cleaned by the municipality workers.
    Answer: The municipality workers clean the roads.
94. The packages have been delivered by the courier.
    Answer: The courier has delivered the packages.
95. The emails were written by the assistant.
    Answer: The assistant wrote the emails.
96. The presentations are prepared by the team.
    Answer: The team prepares the presentations.
97. The orders were processed by the staff.
    Answer: The staff processed the orders.
98. The reports are submitted by the employees.
    Answer: The employees submit the reports.
99. The phone call was made by the manager.
    Answer: The manager made the phone call.
100. The bills are paid by the finance department.
     Answer: The finance department pays the bills.

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Tips for Voice Questions in Exams:

• Look for the tense first (present, past, perfect, continuous) to get the correct form of “be” verb.
• Use past participle form of main verb in passive.
• Remember that not all active sentences can be passivized, especially if the verb is intransitive (no object).
• When converting passive to active, identify the doer after "by."
• Pay attention to time and context to maintain meaning.