Active and Passive Voice

Introduction
Voice
is that form of a verb which shows whether what is denoted by the subject does something or
has something done to it or it refers to the form of a verb that indicates when a grammatical
subject performs the action or is the receiver of the action.

Active and passive voice are regions of the English language that change the way
sentences are put together. These voices determine how the subject, verb, and object
interact in a sentence. Understanding these voices is useful for effective
communication, as it shapes tone, clarity, and focus. The definitions, structures,
functions, distinctions, and practical applications of active and passive voice are
examined in this assignment.

Definitions and Overview

Active Voice
Active voice occurs when the subject performs the action of the verb. It is often direct,
clear, and engaging.
Example: The dog chased the cat.
In this case, "the dog" is the topic who is performing the action.

Passive Voice
Passive voice occurs when the subject is acted upon by the verb. It shifts the focus from
the doer to the receiver of the action.
Example: The cat was chased by the dog.
Here, 'the cat' becomes the subject, but it is not performing the action.

Why Both Voices Matter:

- Active voice promotes clarity and immediacy.
- Passive voice can emphasize the action or the recipient of the action, useful in
scientific writing or when the doer is unknown.
Structure and Formation

Active Voice Structure

The sentence follows a straightforward structure:
Subject + Verb + Object
Example: The teacher explained the lesson.

Passive Voice Structure

The sentence rearranges to:
Object + Form of 'to be' + Past Participle + (Optional 'by' Agent)
Example: The lesson was explained by the teacher.

Tense
Different tenses in English have distinct grammatical forms, and these forms change
when constructing sentences in active or passive voice. Each tense has unique rules
for how the subject, verb, and object interact. Here's an explanation of how these
different tenses are written.

Tense Active Form Passive Form

Present Simple Subject + Verb (base/-s) + Object + is/are/am + Past
Object Participle
Present Continuous Subject + is/are/am + Object + is/are/am + being +
Verb-ing + Object Past Participle
Present Perfect Subject + has/have + Past Object + has/have + been +
Participle + Object Past Participle
Past Simple Subject + Verb (past) + Object + was/were + Past
Object Participle
Past Continuous Subject + was/were + Object + was/were + being +
Verb-ing + Object Past Participle
Past Perfect Subject + had + Past Object + had + been + Past
Participle + Object Participle
Future Simple Subject + will + Verb (base) + Object + will + be + Past
Object Participle
Future Perfect Subject + will + have + Past Object + will + have + been +
Participle + Object Past Participle
Modal Verbs Subject + Modal Verb + Verb Object + Modal Verb + be +
(base) + Object Past Participle

Example sentences

Tense Active Form Passive Form

Present Simple She writes a letter. A letter is written by her.
Present Continuous She is writing a letter. A letter is being written by
her.
Present Perfect She has written a letter. A letter has been written by
her.
Past Simple She wrote a letter. A letter was written by her.
Past Continuous She was writing a letter. A letter was being written by
her.
Past Perfect She had written a letter. A letter had been written by
her.
Future Simple She will write a letter. A letter will be written by her.
Future Perfect She will have written a letter. A letter will have been written
by her.
Modal Verbs She can write a letter. A letter can be written by her.

Differences and Use Cases

Differences in Focus
1. Active Voice: Focuses on the subject (doer).
Example: The chef prepared the meal.
2. Passive Voice: Focuses on the object (recipient).
Example: The meal was prepared by the chef.

Clarity and Directness

Active voice is more straightforward and precise, often preferred in everyday
communication and storytelling. A passive voice is useful for emphasizing the action or
when the actor is unknown or irrelevant.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Active Voice
Advantages:
•​ Clear and concise.
•​ Easy to understand.
•​ Engages the reader directly.
Disadvantages:
•​ Can feel overly simplistic or blunt in some contexts.

Passive Voice
Advantages:
•​ Useful for emphasizing actions or results.
•​ Creates a formal or neutral tone.
•​ Ideal for scenarios where the doer is unknown, irrelevant, or obvious.
•​ To avoid assigning blame or responsibility.
•​ When the result of the action is more important than who did it..

Disadvantages:
 •​ Can be wordy and less direct.
•​ Might obscure the doer of the action, leading to ambiguity.
Condition Under Which Conversion from Active Voice to Passive Voice is
not Possible
(A) The sentence in which the main verb is Intransitive can not be converted into
Passive voice.
For Example
(i) I read.
(ii). We go.
(iii). They laugh.
(B) The sentences of Future Continuous Tense can not be converted into Passive
Voice.
(C) No Perfect Continuous Tense of any Tense can not be converted into Passive Voice.
Rules for Conversion from Active Voice to Passive Voice
Rule 1:
Interchange of Subject and Object
While changing from the Active Voice to Passive Voice, the Subject is made the
Object, and the Object becomes the Subject in the Passive Voice. Also, 'By' is
used before the subject when it is made the object in the Passive Form.
Sometimes 'By' is kept understood or implied also.
For Example.
Active: Ram loves Shyam.
Passive: Shyam is loved by Ram.
Rule 2:
While Interchanging the Subject and Object in the Passive Voice, the Articles,
Adjectives and Adjectives Phrases connected with each other are also carried over with
them. They are not separated from the Subject or the Object. For Example
Active: All the children heard an interesting story.
Passive: An interesting story was heard by all the children.

Rule 3
When the pronouns are transferred from the place of Object in the Active Voice to the
place of Subject of Passive Voice, their forms are changed. For Example
(i). I in place of me.
(ii). We in place of Us.
(iii). He in place of him.
(iv). She in place of her.
(v). They in place of them
Note: No change is made in the change of You or It or any Noun. For Example
Active: Mohan hates them.
 Passive: They are hated by Mohan.
Rule 4
When the pronouns are transferred from the place of subject in the Active Voice to the
place of Object in the Passive Voice, Their forms are changed. For Example
(i). By me in place of I
(ii). By us in place of We.
(iii). By him in place of He.
(iv). By her in place of She.
(v). By them in place of They.
Note: There is no change in You, It or any Noun, but by is added before them. For
Example
Active: We love the Child.
Passive: The child is loved by us.
Active: You wrote a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by you.
Rules for Change In Verbs
Rule 5
The following changes are made in the verb -
(i). The main Verb are used in the third Form.
(ii). An Appropriate verb to be ( is, am , are, was, were, be, been, being ) is used
before the
Third Form of the main verb According to the Number and Person of the Subject and
Tense of the Verb.
Rule 6
In a sentence in which an Auxiliary Verbs can / could / may / might / should / Would are
used with Finite Verbs, they are retained as they are given in the Active Voice, they are
followed by Be + V3 Structure of the verbs in this tense is. Auxiliary Verbs + V3 For
Example.
Active: She should help Sita.
Passive: Sita should be helped by her.
Rule 7
In some sentence, verbs ' to be ' ( Is , am , Are, was , were ) is followed by Has / Have /
Had, Which are followed by an Infinite ( To + verb ), While converting these sentence
into Passive Voice, Verb ' to be' and ' Has / Have / Had' are retained in the form
appropriate to the subject, after which are used to be +V3
For Example.
Active: She has to help me.
Passive: I have to be helped by her.
Rule 8
Sometimes an intransitive verb joined with a Preposition does the work of a transitive
verb. Sentences using this type of verb are converted into Passive Voice According to
the normal rules, keeping in mind that the preposition must be retained with the verb.
For Example
Active: She looks after him.
Passive: He is looked after by her.
Rule 9
Some sentences have two objects. Direct Object Or Indirect Object.
For Example
She teaches me grammar.
Here "grammar' is Direct Object and me is Indirect Object.
While converting such sentences into Passive Voice, The Indirect Object should be
used as Subject.
For Example
Active: I shall give you necessary help.
Passive: You will be given necessary help.
Note Sometimes, Direct Object can also be used as a Subject in the Passive Voice.

Rule 10
Some sentences containing Double Object begin with Let in the Active Voice. In Passive
Voice also these sentences begin with Let , and the Direct Object is used as the
Subject. Also, Be should be used before the third form of the verb.
For Example.
Active: Let him bring a glass of water.
Passive: Let a glass of water be brought by him.
Conversion of Imperative sentences into Passive Voice
Rule 11
If the Imperative sentence carries the sense of Order or Command, Its Passive Voice
should begin with Let, and be should be used before the third form of the verb.
For Example
Active: Shut the door.
Passive: Let the door be shut.
Rule 12
If the Imperative sentence carries the request of advice, it should be used before the
third form of the Verb. These sentences do not begin with Let.
For Example
Active: Love Your country.
Passive: Your country should be loved by you.
Rule 13
If the Imperative sentence is negative, the Passive voice should have Let not in place of
Do not. Also, after the subject be + Third form of the verb should be used.
Active: Do not beat the Child.
Passive: Let not the child be beaten.
Conversion of negative sentences into passive Voice
Rule 14
Negative sentences are converted into Passive Voice just like the Affirmative
Sentences. Not is retained at its normal position.
For Example
Active: The baby was not hitting a toy.
Passive: A toy was not being hit by the baby.
Conversion of Interrogative Sentences Into Passive Voice
Rule 15
If the Interrogative sentences begin with the helping verb ( do, does, did, is, was, were,
are, am, has, have, had ), The passive voice also begin with the Helping Verb, but the
form of the Helping Verb changes according to the new subject in the Passive Voice.
For Example
(i). Has, Have, had taken before the third form of the verb.
(ii) Interrogative sentences beginning with an Interrogative pronoun / Adverb ( Who,
What , Whom etc...) begin in the Passive Voice with By whom or By With What. For
Example
Active: Has he killed the dog. ?
Passive: Has the dog been killed by him ?
Some Other Structures
Rule 16
Usually By is used before the Object in the Passive Voice. But there are some verbs on
account of which some other prepositions are used before the Object in place of By.
(i). 'at' is used after- Shocked, Surprised, astonished, alarmed, disappointed,
displeased, distress.
(ii). 'To' is used after - Obliged, Known
(iii). 'With' is used after - Pleased, disgusted, impressed, Satisfied.
(iv). 'In' is used after - Consisted, contained, interested.
For Example
Active: Her behavior disappointed me.
Passive: I was disappointed at her behavior.
Rule 17
Some sentences begin with ' There' followed by Verb + Subject + Infinitive. No change
is made in such a sentence in the Passive Voice that the Simple Present Infinitive is
changed into the Past Infinitive ( To be + Past Participle). The rest of the sentence
remains unchanged.
For Example
Active: There is no milk to waste.
Passive: There is no milk to be wasted.
Rule 18
In some sentences Infinitive without ' to ' is used.
For Example.
Active: I made him run away.
Passive: he was made to run away.
In sentences of this pattern normal Rules are applied for conversion into Passive Voice.
with one more provision. that Infinitive without 'to' is used in place of Infinitive without '
to'. The structure of the main verb would be - to be + Past Participle.
Active: We saw him jump the ditch.
Passive: He was seen to jump the ditch.
Note: It may be noted here that ' to' is not used after ' let' even in the Passive Voice.
Rule 19
In some sentences that + a noun clause is used after the principle clause, and this Noun
Clause is the Object of the Transitive Verb in the Principle Clause. Some Special care
has to be taken in converting such sentences into the Passive Voice. In such sentences
no Passive Voice is made of the Principal Clause, only its sentence is expressed in
some way. Then the noun clause is changed into the Passive Voice according to the
normal rules. In such sentences, we don't usually use By + Object. For Example
Active: We know that he is a great scholar.
Passive: He is known to be a great scholar.
Note The verb after which a Noun Clause can be used as the object are [Link],
Consider, Believe, say, Know, Find, Claim, find, report, hold, etc...
Rule 20
Sometimes in the sentences of the above pattern, the noun clause is already in the
Passive Voice.
In converting such sentences into passive voice, the principle clause is retained
unchanged. That + Subject + Verb of the noun clause are removed. After the verb of
the Principle Clause we should use to be + third form of the verb of the noun clause.
For Example
Active: He desires that he should be respected by all.
Passive: He desires to be respected by all.
Real-World Applications
Everyday Communication:
Active voice is dominant in everyday conversations due to its clarity and simplicity.
Example:
 •​ Active: She booked the tickets.
•​ Passive: The tickets were booked.

Professional and Academic Writing:

In scientific or technical contexts, passive voice is commonly used to emphasize the
process, result, or data rather than the researcher or author.
In formal, objective writing passive voice can sound more neutral and objective. Active
voice can sometimes seem too personal or direct in these contexts.
Example:
•​ Active: The solution was heated to 100°C
•​ Passive: We heated the solution to 100°C. (This is technically correct, but less
formal and less common in scientific writing.)
Media and News:
A passive voice can sometimes soften the tone in news reporting, especially in sensitive
topics.
Example: The decision was made to close the factory.

Creative Writing:
Active voice drives action and immediacy in storytelling, while passive voice adds
variety or suspense.
Example:
•​ Active: He slammed the door shut.
•​ Passive: The door was slammed shut by him.

Active sentences that seem passive

Some sentences can appear passive but are actually in the active voice. These typically
involve certain structures, such as stative verbs, verbs in the passive form that are
actually acting as adjectives, and ambiguous wording. Here are examples of sentences
that seem passive but are active:

1. Stative Verbs That Describe Conditions or States

Certain verbs, like seem, appear, look, and sound, describe a state rather than an
action, which can make a sentence feel passive even though it’s active.
Example: She seems tired.
Explanation: "Seems" is an active verb describing a state, not an action done to her.
This gives it a passive-like quality, but the sentence is active because there’s no "to be"
verb + past participle construction.

2. Linking Verbs with Past Participles as Adjectives

Sentences using linking verbs (e.g., is, feels, becomes) paired with past participles or
adjectives can look like the passive voice, but they simply describe the subject's
condition or state.
Example: The door is closed.

Explanation: This sentence may seem passive, but here, "closed" functions as an
adjective describing the door’s state, not an action performed on it. It’s active in
structure because "is" is a linking verb, not part of a passive voice construction.

3. Sentences with “Get” Used as a Causative Verb

Sentences with "get" can sometimes look passive because "get" can introduce a result,
but it is often part of an active construction that implies causation.
Example: She got promoted last year.

Explanation: "Got promoted" might sound like the passive "was promoted," but it’s
actually a colloquial active structure where "got" implies an action happened to her, and
she is the subject of that action.

4. Phrasal Verbs Ending in Prepositions

Some phrasal verbs that end with a preposition can give sentences a passive feel,
especially when they use past participles. However, they’re active because the subject
is performing the action.

Example: She took care of the problem.

Explanation: This might feel passive because "of" suggests a prepositional phrase, but
"took care" is an active phrasal verb, with "she" as the subject actively handling the
problem.

Conclusion
Active and passive voice are essential tools in writing, each serving distinct purposes.
Active voice is ideal for clear, engaging communication, while passive voice offers
formality. Writers should consider their audience, purpose, and tone when choosing
between the two. Being proficient in both voices improves communication efficiency and
adaptability.