Active and Passive Voice
Active Voice
In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action described by the verb. The focus falls on who or what is doing something. This is the default, most direct way to express an action in English — it is concise, energetic, and leaves no ambiguity about who is responsible for the action.
Structure: Subject + verb (+ object) — the subject acts upon the object
Clarity: The doer of the action is always named explicitly as the grammatical subject
Conciseness: Active sentences are shorter and more forceful than their passive equivalents
Default choice: Use active voice unless there is a deliberate reason to shift focus
Active Voice Examples Across Tenses
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Simple Present: The chef cooks the meal.
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Present Continuous: The chef is cooking the meal.
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Present Perfect: The chef has cooked the meal.
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Simple Past: The chef cooked the meal.
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Past Continuous: The chef was cooking the meal.
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Past Perfect: The chef had cooked the meal.
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Simple Future: The chef will cook the meal.
Passive Voice
In the passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the grammatical subject. The verb changes to a form of be + past participle. This shift redirects the spotlight from the doer to the receiver of the action — the reader's attention lands on what happened or what was affected, not on who did it.
Structure: Subject (receiver) + appropriate form of 'be' + past participle (+ by-phrase)
Focus shift: The receiver of the action occupies the subject position, making it the topic of the sentence
Agent optional: The doer can appear in a by-phrase at the end or be omitted entirely
When to choose: Use passive voice when the action or the receiver is more important than who performed it
Passive Voice Examples Across Tenses
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Simple Present: The meal is cooked (by the chef).
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Present Continuous: The meal is being cooked (by the chef).
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Present Perfect: The meal has been cooked (by the chef).
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Simple Past: The meal was cooked (by the chef).
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Past Continuous: The meal was being cooked (by the chef).
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Past Perfect: The meal had been cooked (by the chef).
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Simple Future: The meal will be cooked (by the chef).
The Agent and the By-Phrase
The agent is the entity that performs the action in a passive sentence. It is introduced by the preposition 'by' in a by-phrase placed after the verb phrase. Including the agent answers the question 'Who or what did this?' — but it is not always necessary. Deciding whether to include or drop the by-phrase depends on what the sentence needs to communicate.
Include the agent when the doer is important, surprising, or needs to be credited: 'The painting was created by a local artist.'
Omit the agent when the doer is obvious, unknown, or irrelevant: 'The thief was arrested.' (obvious — the police), 'The window was broken.' (unknown doer)
Impersonal tone: Dropping the agent creates an objective, formal register common in scientific and academic writing
Avoid awkward passives: If you have to include a long by-phrase just to name the agent, active voice is usually clearer
When to Include vs Omit the By-Phrase
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Include — the agent is new information the reader needs: 'The theory was proposed by Einstein in 1905.'
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Include — the agent is surprising or noteworthy: 'The concert was cancelled by the lead singer herself.'
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Omit — the agent is obvious from context: 'The criminals were sentenced.' (by the judge)
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Omit — the agent is unknown: 'My car was stolen yesterday.'
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Omit — the result or process matters more than who did it: 'The solution was heated to 100 °C.'
Tense Preservation in Voice Transformation
When you convert a sentence from active voice to passive voice, the tense must remain exactly the same. Only the grammatical roles change — the subject becomes the agent in the by-phrase, the object becomes the new subject, and the verb shifts to the matching passive form. The auxiliary verb 'be' carries the tense information while the main verb becomes a past participle.
Core rule: The tense of the original active verb is preserved — you never change the time frame during conversion
Be form selection: Choose the form of 'be' that matches the original tense (is/was/has been/will be, etc.)
Participle agreement: The past participle stays the same regardless of tense — it is always the -ed/-en/-irregular form
Modal verbs: Sentences with modals (can, must, should) use 'modal + be + past participle' in the passive
Tense-by-Tense Passive Formation Guide
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Simple Present active → Simple Present passive: writes → is written
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Present Continuous active → Present Continuous passive: is writing → is being written
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Present Perfect active → Present Perfect passive: has written → has been written
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Simple Past active → Simple Past passive: wrote → was written
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Past Continuous active → Past Continuous passive: was writing → was being written
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Past Perfect active → Past Perfect passive: had written → had been written
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Simple Future active → Simple Future passive: will write → will be written
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Future Perfect active → Future Perfect passive: will have written → will have been written
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Modal active → Modal passive: can write → can be written
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Modal Perfect active → Modal Perfect passive: must have written → must have been written
When an active sentence has both a direct object and an indirect object, either one can be promoted to subject position in the passive. The indirect object usually makes a more natural passive subject because it is often a person, but both forms are grammatically correct. The object not chosen as the subject remains in its original position or is introduced with a preposition.
Indirect object as subject: 'The teacher gave the students a task' → 'The students were given a task (by the teacher).'
Direct object as subject: 'The teacher gave the students a task' → 'A task was given to the students (by the teacher).'
Preposition shift: When the direct object becomes the subject, the indirect object typically takes the preposition 'to' or 'for'
Sentences containing modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, should, would) or infinitive structures follow a predictable passive pattern: the modal or infinitive marker stays in place, 'be' is inserted after it, and the main verb becomes a past participle. The tense and meaning of the modal are fully preserved.
Modal passive: 'You must complete the form' → 'The form must be completed.'
Infinitive passive: 'She wants to finish the project' → 'She wants the project to be finished.'
Modal perfect passive: 'They should have repaired the road' → 'The road should have been repaired.'
Going-to future passive: 'They are going to launch the product' → 'The product is going to be launched.'
Object Focus and Communicative Function
Choosing between active voice and passive voice is not a grammar question — it is a communicative function decision. The writer or speaker asks: 'What does the listener need to focus on?' If the doer matters most, active voice delivers the clearest sentence. If the receiver, the result, or the process matters more, passive voice places that information in the prominent subject position. Effective communicators switch between voices to control where the reader's attention lands.
Agent importance: If who did it is the key information, use active — 'Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin' (not 'Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming,' unless the topic is penicillin).
Object importance: If what was affected is the key information, use passive — 'The ancient temple was restored in 2019' (focus on the temple, not the workers).
Flow and cohesion: Passive voice can link sentences smoothly when the previous sentence's object becomes the next sentence's subject — 'The experiment was conducted. The results were recorded. A conclusion was drawn.'
Formal register: Scientific reports, legal documents, and news headlines favour passive voice for its impersonal, objective tone
Voice Selection Decision Guide
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Choose active when the doer is important, known, and the focus of the passage
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Choose active for instructions and commands: 'Press the button' (not 'The button should be pressed')
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Choose passive when the receiver or result is the topic of discussion
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Choose passive when the doer is unknown, obvious, or irrelevant
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Choose passive for an objective, impersonal tone in academic or formal writing
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Choose passive to maintain information flow — old information first, new information last
Special Cases and Restrictions
Only transitive verbs — verbs that take a direct object — can be converted to passive voice. Intransitive verbs such as arrive, sleep, die, happen, and exist have no object to promote, so they cannot form passive constructions. Similarly, stative verbs that describe states rather than actions (belong, resemble, fit, suit) generally resist passive transformation even when they take objects.
No passive for intransitives: 'She arrived late' has no passive — there is no object to move to subject position.
No passive for state-of-being verbs: 'He has a car' cannot become 'A car is had by him' — 'have' in the sense of possession does not passivise naturally.
Middle voice: Some verbs occupy a middle ground — 'The book sells well' is neither purely active nor passive; the subject is not the agent but the sentence is not a passive construction.
Ergative verbs: Verbs like 'open', 'break', 'close' can be used both transitively ('She opened the door') and intransitively ('The door opened'), making passive transformation context-dependent.
Verbs That Cannot Form Passive
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Intransitive verbs: arrive, sleep, die, happen, occur, exist, seem, appear
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State verbs of possession: have, own, possess, lack, belong
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Relational verbs: resemble, equal, contain, comprise, cost, weigh, measure
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Stative perception verbs (in state sense): see (when meaning 'understand'), hear (when meaning 'know')
Phrasal verbs — verb + preposition/adverb combinations such as 'look into', 'turn down', 'put off' — can be passivised when they are transitive. The preposition or adverb particle stays attached to the verb, and the entire unit behaves like a single transitive verb. The object of the phrasal verb becomes the passive subject.
Verb + particle: 'They turned down the proposal' → 'The proposal was turned down.'
Verb + preposition: 'She looked into the matter' → 'The matter was looked into.'
Three-part phrasal verbs: 'They put up with the noise' → 'The noise was put up with.'
Separable particles: When the particle is separable ('turn off the light' / 'turn the light off'), both word orders passivise to the same result: 'The light was turned off.'
Application Strategy
Worked Examples
Problem Statement
Convert to passive voice: 'The mechanic repairs the car.'
simple presenttransitive verb
Step 1
Identify the components
Find the subject (the mechanic), the verb (repairs — simple present), and the object (the car).
Step 2
Move the object to subject position
The car becomes the new grammatical subject of the passive sentence.
Step 3
Form the passive verb
Use the simple present form of 'be' matching the new subject (is) plus the past participle of 'repair' (repaired).
Step 4
Add the by-phrase
Place the original subject in a by-phrase after the verb.
Step 5
Final sentence
The completed passive sentence.
Problem Statement
Convert to passive voice: 'The students submitted the assignments.'
simple pastplural subject agreement
Step 1
Identify the components
Subject: the students. Verb: submitted (simple past). Object: the assignments.
Step 2
Move the object to subject position
The assignments becomes the new subject. It is plural, so the auxiliary must agree.
Step 3
Form the passive verb
Use the simple past plural form of 'be' (were) plus the past participle (submitted).
Step 4
Final sentence
The completed passive sentence.
Problem Statement
Convert to passive voice: 'The team is building the bridge.'
present continuousdouble auxiliary
Step 1
Identify the components
Subject: the team. Verb: is building (present continuous). Object: the bridge.
Step 2
Form the passive verb
The present continuous passive uses 'is being' plus the past participle. The 'is' carries the tense, 'being' marks the continuous aspect, and 'built' is the past participle.
Step 3
Final sentence
The completed passive sentence with the by-phrase.
Problem Statement
Convert to passive voice: 'The company has launched the product.'
present perfecthas been
Step 1
Identify the components
Subject: the company. Verb: has launched (present perfect). Object: the product.
Step 2
Form the passive verb
The present perfect passive uses 'has been' plus the past participle 'launched'. The new subject 'the product' is singular, so 'has' is correct.
Step 3
Final sentence
The completed passive sentence.
Problem Statement
Convert to active voice: 'The novel was written by the author in three months.'
passive to activeagent recovery
Step 1
Identify the components
Passive subject (receiver): the novel. Passive verb: was written. Agent (by-phrase): the author.
Step 2
Recover the active subject
Take the agent from the by-phrase and make it the active subject: the author.
Step 3
Reconstruct the active verb
Remove the auxiliary 'was' and return 'written' to its simple past form 'wrote'.
Step 4
Restore the object
The original passive subject becomes the direct object of the active sentence.
Step 5
Final sentence
The completed active sentence with the time expression preserved.
Problem Statement
Convert to passive voice (both ways): 'The committee awarded the scientist a prize.'
indirect objectdirect objecttwo-object passive
Step 1
Identify both objects
Verb: awarded. Indirect object: the scientist. Direct object: a prize.
Step 2
Passive with indirect object as subject
Promote 'the scientist' to subject position and keep 'a prize' as the direct object.
Step 3
Passive with direct object as subject
Promote 'a prize' to subject position. The indirect object shifts to a prepositional phrase with 'to'.
Problem Statement
Convert to passive voice: 'The government must implement the policy.'
modal verbmodal passive
Step 1
Identify the components
Modal: must. Main verb: implement. Object: the policy.
Step 2
Insert 'be' after the modal
The passive of a modal construction follows the pattern: modal + be + past participle.
Step 3
Final sentence
The completed passive sentence.
Problem Statement
Which voice is more appropriate in the following context? Context: A news report about a painting stolen from a museum. Option A: 'Someone stole the painting from the National Gallery.' Option B: 'The painting was stolen from the National Gallery.'
object focuscommunicative functionvoice selection
Step 1
Analyse the topic
A news report about a stolen painting is primarily about the painting — what happened to it, not who took it. The painting is the topic the audience cares about.
Step 2
Evaluate Option A (active)
Active voice places 'Someone' in subject position. The doer is vague ('someone') and unimportant — this wastes the subject slot on an empty word.
Step 3
Evaluate Option B (passive)
Passive voice places 'The painting' — the real topic — in subject position. The agent is omitted because it is unknown, which is natural and appropriate. The reader's focus stays on what matters: the stolen painting.
Step 4
Conclusion
Option B is the better choice. The passive voice aligns the grammatical subject with the communicative focus — the painting — and naturally handles the unknown agent by omitting it.
Memorize formulas
Passive Voice Core Pattern
The universal template for passive voice. The form of 'be' carries the tense; the past participle stays the same regardless of tense. Subject (receiver) + be (tense-matched) + past participle (+ by agent).
Formula
$$\text{Subject}_{\text{receiver}} + \text{be (tense form)} + \text{past participle} + (\text{by} + \text{agent})$$
Active-to-Passive Transformation Rule
Three-step procedure for converting any active sentence to passive. The object becomes subject, the verb becomes passive (be + past participle), and the original subject moves to a by-phrase or is dropped.
Formula
$$\text{Active: } S + V + O \quad \longrightarrow \quad \text{Passive: } O + \text{be} + V_{\text{past part}} + (\text{by } S)$$
Passive Auxiliary Table
The form of 'be' must match both the tense of the original active verb and the number of the new passive subject. Use this as a quick reference for selecting the correct auxiliary.
Formula
$$\begin{array}{l} \text{Simple Present: am/is/are + past part.} \\ \text{Present Continuous: am/is/are + being + past part.} \\ \text{Present Perfect: has/have + been + past part.} \\ \text{Simple Past: was/were + past part.} \\ \text{Past Continuous: was/were + being + past part.} \\ \text{Past Perfect: had + been + past part.} \\ \text{Simple Future: will + be + past part.} \\ \text{Modal: modal + be + past part.} \end{array}$$
Review
1
Which of the following sentences is written in active voice?
Ans
The committee approved the new policy.
Review
Tap to reveal
Identify the subject-verb relationship
In active voice, the subject is the doer of the action. Check whether each subject is performing or receiving the action.
Active: subject = doer
Check for passive markers
Passive sentences use a form of 'be' + past participle and often include a 'by'-phrase. Sentences with 'was baked,' 'had been broken,' and 'will be announced' all show these markers.
Passive markers: be + past participle
Confirm the active sentence
'The committee approved the new policy' has the subject 'committee' directly performing 'approved' with no auxiliary 'be' + participle construction.
$$\text{The committee (S) + approved (V) + the new policy (O)}$$
2
Convert to passive voice: 'The mechanic repairs the car.'
Ans
The car is repaired by the mechanic.
Review
Tap to reveal
Identify the tense
'Repairs' is simple present (third person singular). The passive must preserve this tense.
Tense: simple present
Apply the passive pattern
Simple present passive = am/is/are + past participle. The object 'the car' becomes the new subject.
$$\text{The car} + \text{is repaired} + \text{by the mechanic}$$
Verify tense preservation
Check that the auxiliary matches the original tense. 'Is' corresponds to simple present, not past or continuous.
is + repaired → simple present passive ✓
3
In a passive sentence, when is the 'by'-phrase typically omitted?
Ans
When the agent is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context
Review
Tap to reveal
Understand the role of the by-phrase
The by-phrase names the agent in a passive construction. It is optional and included only when the agent matters to the meaning.
By-phrase = agent identifier (optional)
Identify omission conditions
The by-phrase is dropped when the agent is unknown, irrelevant, or implied by the situation.
Omit when: agent unknown, unimportant, or obvious
Apply to examples
'English is spoken worldwide' omits the by-phrase because the agent (English speakers generally) is obvious and not the focus.
Example: 'English is spoken worldwide' (no by-phrase)
4
Convert to passive voice: 'The students were writing the essays.'
Ans
The essays were being written by the students.
Review
Tap to reveal
Identify the original tense
'Were writing' = past continuous (was/were + verb-ing). The passive must preserve this exact tense.
Tense: past continuous
Apply past continuous passive pattern
Past continuous passive = was/were + being + past participle. 'The essays' (plural) takes 'were.'
$$\text{The essays} + \text{were being written} + \text{by the students}$$
Eliminate wrong tenses
'Were written' drops 'being' (simple past). 'Are being written' changes to present. 'Had been written' shifts to past perfect.
Only 'were being written' preserves past continuous
5
Which is the correct passive form of: 'She has completed the assignment'?
Ans
The assignment has been completed by her.
Review
Tap to reveal
Identify the original tense
'Has completed' = present perfect (has/have + past participle). The passive must preserve this.
Tense: present perfect
Apply present perfect passive
Present perfect passive = has/have + been + past participle.
$$\text{The assignment} + \text{has been completed} + \text{by her}$$
Check auxiliary accuracy
'Has been' matches singular subject 'the assignment' and preserves present perfect. 'Had been' would incorrectly create past perfect.
has been completed → present perfect passive ✓
6
A sentence reads: 'The new hospital will be opened next month.' What is the active voice form?
Ans
Someone will open the new hospital next month.
Review
Tap to reveal
Identify the passive structure
'Will be opened' = simple future passive (will + be + past participle). The active form needs 'will + base verb.'
Passive: will + be + opened → Active: will + open
Supply an agent
Since the passive omits the by-phrase, the active version requires a general agent like 'someone' or 'they.'
Agent: someone (unknown doer)
Reconstruct the active sentence
Subject (agent) + will + open + object (the new hospital) + time phrase.
$$\text{Someone} + \text{will open} + \text{the new hospital} + \text{next month}$$
7
Convert to passive voice: 'The company can launch the product next quarter.'
Ans
The product can be launched next quarter.
Review
Tap to reveal
Identify the modal verb
'Can' is a modal verb. Modal passive = modal + be + past participle. The modal stays the same.
Modal: can → preserved in passive
Apply modal passive pattern
can + be + past participle (launched). The object 'the product' becomes the new subject.
$$\text{The product} + \text{can be launched} + \text{next quarter}$$
Eliminate errors
'Could' changes the modal meaning. 'Can launched' lacks the essential 'be.' 'Is launched' removes the modal and changes tense.
can be launched → modal passive ✓
8
The sentence 'The teacher gave the student a book' has two objects. Which passive transformation is correct?
Ans
A book was given to the student by the teacher.
Review
Tap to reveal
Identify the two objects
'The student' = indirect object, 'a book' = direct object. Either can become the passive subject.
IO: the student, DO: a book
Choose direct object as subject
When the direct object becomes the passive subject, the indirect object is kept with a preposition (usually 'to').
$$\text{A book} + \text{was given} + \text{to the student} + \text{by the teacher}$$
Verify tense and form
Original tense is simple past ('gave'). Passive = was/were + past participle = 'was given.'
was given → simple past passive ✓
9
In which situation is passive voice the more appropriate choice?
Ans
Reporting a scientific finding where the result matters more than who performed it
Review
Tap to reveal
Evaluate communicative function
Determine whether the doer or the receiver/result is the focus. Passive voice shifts focus to the receiver.
Passive preferred when: object/result is the focus
Analyze each option
Daily routines, personal stories, and instructions all require knowing who performs the action. Scientific findings emphasize what was discovered, not who discovered it.
Scientific finding → agent unimportant → passive
Confirm the choice
'The reaction was observed at 250°C' (passive) is more natural in scientific contexts than 'We observed the reaction at 250°C' (active).
Scientific writing → passive voice appropriate
10
Which sentence CANNOT be converted to passive voice?
Ans
The children laughed loudly at the clown.
Review
Tap to reveal
Check for direct objects
Passive voice requires a direct object to become the new subject. Identify which sentence has no object.
Passive requires: transitive verb + direct object
Analyze each verb
'Cooked' → object 'a meal' (transitive). 'Laughed' → no object, only an adverb 'loudly' (intransitive). 'Launched' → object 'a new product' (transitive). 'Arrested' → object 'the suspect' (transitive).
'Laugh' = intransitive → no passive possible
Confirm the restriction
Intransitive verbs (sleep, arrive, laugh, die) cannot form passive constructions because there is no object to become the subject.
$$\text{Intransitive verbs} \to \text{no passive form}$$
11
Convert to passive voice: 'They are building a new bridge across the river.'
Ans
A new bridge is being built across the river.
Review
Tap to reveal
Identify the tense
'Are building' = present continuous (am/is/are + verb-ing). Passive must preserve this tense.
Tense: present continuous
Apply present continuous passive
Present continuous passive = am/is/are + being + past participle. 'A new bridge' (singular) → 'is being built.'
$$\text{A new bridge} + \text{is being built} + \text{across the river}$$
Verify against alternatives
'Is built' lacks 'being' (simple present). 'Was being built' shifts to past. 'Has been built' changes to present perfect.
is being built → present continuous passive ✓
12
Convert to passive voice: 'The author had written three chapters before the deadline.'
Ans
Three chapters had been written by the author before the deadline.
Review
Tap to reveal
Identify the tense
'Had written' = past perfect (had + past participle). The passive must preserve this.
Tense: past perfect
Apply past perfect passive
Past perfect passive = had + been + past participle.
$$\text{Three chapters} + \text{had been written} + \text{by the author}$$
Eliminate incorrect options
'Were written' drops 'had been' to simple past. 'Have been written' changes to present perfect. 'Were being written' is past continuous.
had been written → past perfect passive ✓
13
Which passive sentence correctly uses the indirect object as the new subject? Active: 'She told the children a story.'
Ans
The children were told a story by her.
Review
Tap to reveal
Identify both objects
'The children' = indirect object (recipient), 'a story' = direct object. Either can become the passive subject.
IO: the children, DO: a story
Use indirect object as subject
When the IO becomes the subject, the DO stays after the verb without a preposition.
$$\text{The children} + \text{were told} + \text{a story} + \text{by her}$$
Verify subject-verb agreement
'The children' is plural, so the auxiliary must be 'were' (not 'was'). Tense remains simple past to match 'told.'
were told → plural simple past passive ✓
14
Why is the sentence 'Mistakes were made' considered evasive in communicative function?
Ans
Because the passive construction omits the agent, avoiding responsibility
Review
Tap to reveal
Analyze the sentence structure
'Mistakes were made' is a grammatically correct passive sentence with no by-phrase identifying the agent.
Structure: subject + was/were + past participle (no agent)
Evaluate communicative function
Omitting the agent shifts focus away from who acted. In political or apologetic contexts, this avoidance of responsibility is deliberate.
No agent named → no one held responsible
Contrast with active version
The active equivalent 'We made mistakes' or 'I made mistakes' would directly assign responsibility.
Passive without agent = avoidance of accountability
15
Select the sentence where active voice is more effective than passive voice for communicative clarity.
Ans
The quarterback threw a 50-yard pass to win the game.
Review
Tap to reveal
Assess each context
Determine whether the actor or the result is the communicative focus in each sentence.
Sports → actor focus; Science → result focus; General belief → no specific agent; Instructions → procedure focus
Identify where active adds value
In narrative and sports contexts, naming the doer and the action creates energy and clarity. 'The quarterback threw' is more vivid than 'A 50-yard pass was thrown.'
Active preferred: sports/narrative contexts
Confirm other passives are appropriate
Scientific writing, impersonal beliefs, and formal instructions conventionally use passive voice for good reason — the focus belongs on the result or procedure, not the agent.
Active voice most effective in option: the quarterback threw
Question 1 of 15
0:00
1
Which of the following sentences is written in active voice?