Active and Passive Voice Rules | Rules,

Examples, Exercise of Active and Passive Voice

Active and Passive Voice Rules: Active and Passive voice rules: In English, the
sentences can be written both active and passive voice. Active voice is a direct form
and passive voice is an indirect form.

In English, the verb represents that subject, whether an object or a person, of a

sentence, has done something or something is done by the subject called the voice. A
sentence that starts with the subject or the item to decide if the sentence was classified
as dynamic or detached voice sentences.

In this article, we will discuss the voices of verbs with rules and examples. Learn the
active and passive rules with examples here to prepare for academic as well as
competitive exams. Use these rules to form simple, negative and interrogative
sentences.

What is the Voice of Verb?

The voice of a verb communicates whether the subject in the sentence has performed
or gotten the activity. There are two types of voices in English grammar:

 Active Voice

 Passive Voice

Active Voice: When an activity performed by the subject is communicated by the action
word, it is an active voice. Dynamic voice is utilized when more clear connection and
lucidity are needed between the subject and the action word.

Passive Voice: When the activity communicated by the action word is gotten by the
subject, it is a passive voice. Passive voice is utilized when the practitioner of the
activity isn’t known and the focal point of the sentence is on the activity and not the
subject.

Active and Passive Voice Examples

Active Voice Examples Passive Voice Examples

Mohan sings a song A song is sung by Mohan

Sita reads a book A book is read by Sita

He writes a letter A letter is written by him

She plays cricket Cricket is played by her

He sells book Books are sold by him

I have made some tea Tea has been made by me

Active Voice and Passive Voice Rules Chart

The rules for an active and passive voice for different types of tenses are given here,
such as:

 Present simple tense

 Present continuous tense

 Present perfect tense

 Past simple tense

 Past continuous tense

 Past perfect tense

 Future simple tense

 Future perfect tense

But there are no passive voice formation for these tenses:

 Present Perfect Continuous Tense

 Past Perfect Continuous Tense

  Future Perfect Continuous Tense

 Future Continuous Tense

Present Simple Tense

Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb –

Active Voice Example
is/am/are)

Subject + V1+s/es+ object Object+ is/am/are+ V3+ by + subject

Subject + Do/does+ not + Object + is/am/are+ not + V3+ by Active: He writes an essay

V1 + Object Subject Passive: An essay is written by him

Does+ Subject+ V1+Object Is/am/are + Object+ V3+ by subject

Present Continuos Tense

Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb-

Active Voice Example
is/am/are + being)

Subject + is/am/are+ v1+ ing + object Object+ is/am/are+ being+ V3+ by + Active: Sam is playing guitar
 subject

Passive: The guitar is played by

Subject + is/am/are+ not+ v1+ ing+ Object + is/am/are+ not + being+V3+
Sam
object by Subject

Is/am/are+ subject+v1+ing + object Is/am/are + Object+ V3+ by subject

Present Perfect Tense

Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb-

Active Voice Example
has/have +been)

Object+ has/have+ been+ V3+ by +

Subject + has/have+ v3+ object
subject

Active: Ram created this masterpiece

Subject + has/have+ not+ v3+ Object + has/have+ not + been+V3+

Passive: The masterpiece is created by Ram
object by Subject

Has/Have + Object+ been+V3+ by

Has/have+ subject+ v3 + object
subject

Past Simple Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb- Example

 was/were)

Subject + V2+ object Object+ was/were V3+ by + subject

Active: Rama paid the bills

Object + was/were+ not +V3+ by

Subject +did+ not+v1+ object Passive: The bills were paid by Rama
Subject

Did+ subject+V1+ object Was/were + Object+ V3+ by subject

Past Continuous Tense

Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb-

Active Voice Example
was/were + being)

Subject + was/were + v1+ing+ Object+ was/were +being+V3+ by +

object. subject
Active: Asha was learning English

Subject +was/were+ not+v1+ing Object + was/were+ not +being+V3+ Passive: English was being learned by
+ object by Subject Asha

Was/were+ Subject + V1+ing + Was/were + Object+ being+v3+ by+

object subject
Past Perfect Tense

Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb- had

Active Voice Example
+been)

Subject + had + v3+ object. Object+ had+been +V3+ by + subject

Active: Hina won the match

Subject +had+ not+v3+ Object + had+ not +been+V3+ by Passive: The match had been won by
object Subject Hina

Had+ Subject + V3+ object Had + Object+ been+v3+ by+ subject

Future Simple Tense

Passive Voice (Auxiliary Verb- will+

Active Voice Example
be)

Subject + will+ v1+ object Object+ will+ be +V3+ by + subject

Active: Manu will write a letter

Subject +will + not+ Passive: A letter will be written by

Object + will+ not +be+V3+ by Subject
V1+object Manu

Will+ Subject + V1+ object Will + Object+ be +v3+ by+ subject

Future Perfect Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice Example

Subject + will+ have +v3+ Object+ will+ have+ been +V3+

object. by + subject
Active: India will have won the matc

Subject + will+ have +not+v3+ Object + will+ have Passive: The match will have won by
object. +not+been+v3+ subject India

Will + object+have+been+v3+by
Will+ Subject+have+v3+ object
+subject

Noun and Pronoun for Active and Passive

See how the pronoun in active voice has to be converted into pronoun in passive voice
with the help of this table.

Active Voice Pronoun Passive Voice Pronoun

I Me

We Us
 He Him

She Her

They Them

You You

It It

FAQ’s on Active and Passive Voice Rules

Question 1.
What is active voice? Give example.
Answer:
When an activity performed by the subject is communicated by the action word, it is an
active voice. Dynamic voice is utilized when more clear connection and lucidity are
needed between the subject and the action word. For example, “Rita is playing
badminton” is an active voice.

Question 2.
What is passive voice? Give example.

Answer:
When the activity communicated by the action word is gotten by the subject, it is a
passive voice. Passive voice is utilized when the practitioner of the activity isn’t known
and the focal point of the sentence is on the activity and not the subject. For example,
“Badminton is being played by Rita”.

Question 3.
What are the basic rules for active voice and passive voice?

Answer:
The basic three rules are:

 The subject becomes the object and the object becomes the subject

 Use third form of verb such as is/ am/ are/ was/ were/ been/ being, as per
the tenses in passive voice

 Active pronoun changes to passive pronoun, like ‘I’ changes to ‘me’.

 There is no passive voice of present/ past/ future perfect continuous and

future continuous sentences

 Use “by” before subject in passive voice

What Is Voice in Grammar? (with
Examples)
Voice is the term used to describe whether a verb is active or passive.

In other words, when the subject of the verb is doing the action of the
verb (e.g., "The dog bit the postman."), the verb is said to be in the
active voice. When the subject of the verb is being acted upon (e.g.,
"The postman was bitten."), the verb is said to be in the passive voice.
So, the voice of a verb tells us whether the subject is acting or being
acted upon.

What Is the Active Voice?

If the subject is performing the action, then the verb is said to be in the
active voice. Look at this:

What Is the Passive Voice?

If the subject is having the action done to it, then the verb is said to be in
the passive voice. Look at this:
Easy Examples of Voice
Here are some more examples of verbs (shown in bold) in the active
voice.

 Lee ate the pies.

(Lee is the subject of the verb. The subject is doing the

action of the verb.)

 We play hockey.

(We is the subject of the verb. The subject is doing the

action of the verb.)

 The sharks will attack the cage.

(The sharks is the subject of the verb. The subject is doing

the action of the verb.)

Here are some more examples of verbs in the passive voice.

 The pies were eaten by Lee.

(The pies is the subject of the verb. The subject is being

acted upon.)

 Hockey is played by us.

 (Hockey is the subject of the verb. The subject is being
acted upon.)

 The cage will be attacked by the sharks.

(The cage is the subject of the verb. The subject is being

acted upon.)

Real-Life Examples of Voice

In the examples above, the actions of the verbs (to eat, to play, to attack)
are obvious physical activities. Remember though that not all verbs
describe such obvious activities. This is particularly true for verbs in the
active voice. The verbs in these four examples are all in the active voice.

 Dogs sniff good smells with their left nostril.

 I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I
have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of
England too. (Queen Elizabeth I)
 The voice of Mickey Mouse and the voice of Minnie Mouse
became husband and wife in real life.
 Only a quarter of the Sahara Desert is sandy.

Here are some verbs in the passive voice with less obvious actions.

 At one time, Melbourne was known as Batmania.

 Philosophy was considered science once. (Satirist PJ
O'Rourke)

Only a verb that acts on something else (called a transitive verb) can be
written in the passive voice.

 More people are killed taking selfies than in shark attacks.

(To kill is a transitive verb; i.e., you kill something.)

  That tiny pocket in jeans was designed to store pocket
watches.

(To design is a transitive verb; i.e., you design something.)

 Avocados were named after the Nahuatl word for testicles.

(To name is a transitive verb; i.e., you name something.)

If a verb is intransitive (i.e., it does not act on something else), it will

always be in the active voice.

 Being English, I always laugh at anything about the lavatory

or bottoms. (Actress Elizabeth Hurley)

(To laugh is an intransitive verb. You can't laugh a dog, for

example.)

 Anybody who smiles automatically looks better. (Actress

Diane Lane)

(To smile and to look are intransitive verbs. You can't smile
a dog or look a dog, for example.)

 Our noses and ears grow throughout our lives.

(Here, to grow is an intransitive verb.)

Other common intransitive verbs are to cry, to die, to disappear, and to

wait. Remember that these cannot be used in the passive voice. As
intransitive verbs don't act on something (i.e., have no objects), there is
nothing to become the subject of a verb in the passive voice.

It gets a little bit more complicated because some verbs, like to grow,
can be intransitive or transitive.

 I grew tomatoes.
 (Here, to grow is transitive. That means we can make it
passive.)

 Tomatoes were grown by me.

(This is the passive version.)

 The beanstalk grew quickly.

(Here, to grow means to get bigger. In this meaning, it is

intransitive. That means we can't make it passive. The
beanstalk was got bigger quickly. That's nonsense.)

Read more about transitive verbs and intransitive verbs.

Here's something else to look out for. It is extremely common for verbs in
the active voice and the passive voice to be used after words like can,
cannot, may, might, must, and should (called modal auxiliary verbs).

 He who is to be a good ruler must have been ruled.

(Philosopher Aristotle)

(Is is in the active voice. Have been ruled, which follows the
modal must, is in the passive voice.)

 Canadians say "sorry" so much that The Apology Act was

passed in 2009, declaring that an apology cannot be used
as evidence of admission of guilt.

(Was passed is in the passive voice. Be used, which follows

the modal cannot, is also in the passive voice.)

It is common for verbs in the active voice and passive voice to appear in
the same sentence.

 Theodore Roosevelt owned a pet hyena, which was given

to him by an Ethiopian emperor.
 (Owned is in the active voice. Was given is in the passive
voice.)

 My music was considered uncool, but I always felt a

connection with the audience. (Singer David Cassidy)

(Was considered is in the passive voice. Felt is in the active

voice.)

 The scary thing is that in my lifetime, 95 per cent of the

world's rhinos have been killed.

(Is is in the active voice. Have been killed is in the passive

voice.)

Why Voice in Grammar Is Important

There are four good reasons to care about grammatical voice.

(Reason 1) The active voice offers some

great benefits.
Writers tend to opt for the active voice over the passive voice for the
following reasons:

 (Reason 1) The active voice is more succinct.

 (Reason 2) The active voice is more direct.
 (Reason 3) The active voice is more informative.
 (Reason 4) The active voice is more authoritative.
 (Reason 5) The active voice is more engaging.

(NB: Each of these benefits is explained in more detail on the active

sentences page.)
(Reason 2) The passive voice offers some
great benefits.
Here are four benefits of the passive voice.

 (Reason 1) The passive voice can be used to avoid blame.

 (Reason 2) The passive voice shows a neutral or objective
tone.
 (Reason 3) The passive voice is often appropriate when the
doer of the verb is obvious, unimportant or unknown.
 (Reason 4) The passive voice allows you to focus on what's
important by bringing it to the front of your sentence.

(NB: Each of these benefits is explained in more detail on the passive

sentences page.)

(Reason 3) Use both the active and passive

voice, as required.
Even though the passive voice has its benefits, the bias for the active
voice is so strong that proofreaders (real people) and grammar checkers
(computer programs) will often try "to correct" a passive construction to
an active one.

Have the confidence to ignore your grammar checker. Use the active
voice and the passive voice, as required, to control the flow of text and to
stress the most important parts of your sentences. Look at these
sentences written in active voice:

 King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. He placed limits

on his powers and proclaimed certain liberties.

Now compare the mixed sentences telling the same information:

 In 1215, the Magna Carta was signed by King John. He

placed limits on his powers and proclaimed certain liberties.

There are two important things happening in our second example. First,
we've made the Magna Carta the subject of the sentence to highlight
what we're talking about. Second, we've ended our sentence with King
John. As the first word of the second sentence is He, our text now flows
smoothly.

(Reason 4) Are you even dealing with the

passive voice?
It's not uncommon for proofreaders and grammar checkers to identify
something as passive voice that is, in fact, active voice.

Proofreaders and grammar checkers look for passive-voice

constructions by finding a form of the verb "to be" (e.g., am, are, is, was,
were, has been, have been, had been, will be, will have been, being, be)
followed by a past participle (i.e., the form of the verb that typically ends
in -ed or -en). Most of the time, this system works.
Form of the verb to Past
Passive voice
be participle

am licensed I am licensed to kill.

was developed It was developed last year.

has been seen He has been seen in France.

will have been eaten It will have been eaten by

then.

Remember that modals like can, cannot, could, might, and should can
also feature.
Form of
Past
Modal the verb Passive voice
Participle
to be

cannot be licensed I cannot be licensed to kill.

might be developed It might be developed last year.

should have seen He should have been seen in

been France.

could have eaten It could have been eaten by then.

been

However, some constructions that look like the passive voice aren't.
Here's an example:

 I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should

have been more specific. (Actress Lily Tomlin)

(There is no past participle after have been.)

Here's an example of something that looks a lot like passive voice but
isn't:

 All the mistakes I have ever made in my life have been

when I have been drunk. (Artist Tracy Emin)
 (There is no past participle after have been. Here, drunk is
an adjective and not part of the verb, even though drunk is
the past participle of to drink. Confused? Think of it like this:
the subject of the verb (I) is not being acted upon.)

This is passive voice:

 I have been drunk under the table by Russian sailors.

(Here, the subject of the verb (I) is being acted upon. "The
Russian sailors drank me under the table" is an active-voice
version.)

Here's another example of something that looks a lot like passive voice
but isn't:

 Europeans were scared of eating tomatoes when they were

introduced.

(Were is in the active voice. Were introduced is in the

passive voice. Here, were scared looks like it's in the
passive voice, especially because scared is the past
participle of to scare. However, scared is not part of the verb
in this example. It's an adjective meaning afraid.)

So, it's quite understandable why some proofreaders and grammar

checkers confuse the passive voice with an active-voice sentence that
features the verb "to be" in one of its forms. Here's a pretty good trick to
avoid that mistake, and it's fun.

If you can include the term "by zombies" after your verb and it still makes
sense, then you're dealing with the passive voice. (Thanks to Dean of
Academics and Deputy Director Rebecca Johnson for this tip.)

 The car could have been stolen…by zombies.

(This makes sense. Therefore, have been stolen is in the

passive voice.)
  The car could have been illicit…by zombies.

(This makes no sense. Therefore, have been illicit is in the

active voice.)

As a native English speaker, you're probably already great at deciding

between active and passive voice. You are pretty safe to let your instinct
guide you, but, as a general rule, you should try to use the active voice
unless you specifically want one of the benefits offered by the passive
voice.

Here's a great example of a proofreader trying way too hard to avoid the
passive voice:

 When the author of Diabetes for Dummies (Dr Alan Rubin)

wrote "The patient was comatose and was given thyroid
hormone," his editors changed it to "The patient was
comatose and took thyroid hormone." In response to this
edit, Rubin said: "These are extremely sick patients. They
can't take care of themselves. They have to be passive
whether Wiley [style guide] likes it or not."

(Better a passive sentence than an inappropriate one.)

Key Points

Develop a bias for active sentences over passive sentences because active
sentences are shorter, more direct, more informative, more authoritative,
and easier to absorb.

Don't be dogmatic about using active sentences though because passive

sentences are also useful for avoiding blame, portraying a neutral tone, and
focussing on the recipient of the action of a verb rather than the doer.

 Active and Passive voice rules

 Active and Passive voice rules for Present Indefinite Tense
 Here we have some active and passive rules for present
Indefinite Tense.
 Passive Voice Main Verb-
Types of
Active Voice V3 Helping Verb- is, am, are Use of Helping verb
Sentences
Do/ Does

Subject + V1 + s/es + New subject + Is /am /are + V3 + by + Is- He, She, It and
Simple
Object New Object Singular Noun

Subject + do/ does+ not + N. Subject + is/ am/ are + not + V3 + ‘Not’ is always placed
Negative
V1 + Object by +  N Subject at 3ed Place.

Do/ does + Subject + V1 Is/ am/ are + N. Subject + V3 + by +

Interrogative  
+ Object N. Object  

Interrogative Do/ Does + Subject + not Is/ am/ are + N. subject + V3 + by + N.

 
Negative + V1 + Object Object  

Examples: –

Active voice:        Geeta writes a Noble.

Passive Voice:      A Noble is written by Geeta
Active voice:        He plays football.
Passive Voice:      Football is played by him.
Active voice:        Sonu does not read Science.
Passive Voice:      Science is not read by Sonu.
Active voice:        They do not meet the manager.
Passive Voice:      The manager is not meat by them.
Active voice:        Does he cook the food?
Passive Voice:      Is the food cooked by him?
Active voice:        Do you learn English?
Passive Voice:      Is English learned by you?
Active voice:        Do you not play the music?
Passive Voice:      Is the music not played by you?
Active voice:        Does Radha not clear the IAS exams?
Passive Voice:      Are the IAS exams not cleared by Radha?
Active voice:        Does he not teach me?
Passive Voice:      Am I not taught by him?

Active and Passive voice rules for Present Continuous

Tense
 Here we have some active and passive voice rules for present
Continuous Tense.

Passive Voice
Types of
Active Voice Main Verb– V3 Use of Helping verb
Sentences
Helping Verb– Is/ am/ are

Is– He, She, It and

Subject + is/ am/ are + V1 + New subject + is/ am/ are + being + Singular Noun
Simple
ing + Object V3 + by + New Object Are– You, We, They
Am– I

Subject + is/ am/ are + not + N. Subject + is/ am/ are + not + ‘Not’ is always placed
Negative
V1 +ing + Object being + V3 + by +  N Subject at 3ed Place.

Is/ am/ are + Subject + V1 + is/ am/ are + N. Subject + being + V3

Interrogative  
ing  + Object + by + N. Object  

Interrogative Is/ am/ are + Subject + not + is/ am/ are + N. subject + not + being
 
Negative V1 + ing  + Object + V3 + by + N. Object  

Active and Passive Voice Example with Answers of Present

Continuous Tense

Examples: –

Active voice: He is playing hockey.

Passive Voice: Hockey is being played by him.

Active voice: Ram is driving a car.

Passive Voice: A car is being driven by Ram.

Active voice: You are not solving the sums.

Passive Voice: The sums are not being solved by you.

Active voice: I am not running a race.

Passive Voice: A race is not being run by me.

Active voice: Is he teaching me?

Passive Voice: Am I being taught by him?

Active voice: Whom are you abusing?

Passive Voice: Who is being abused by you?

Active voice: Why are you telling lies?

Passive Voice: Why are lies being told by you?

Active voice: Why are they disturbing her?

Passive Voice: Why is she being disturbed by them?

Active voice: Is she not helping you?

Passive Voice: Are you not being helped by her?

Active and Passive voice rules for Present Perfect

Tense

Here we have some active and passive voice rules for present
Perfect Tense.
 Types of Passive Voice Main Verb- V3 Helping
Active Voice Use of Helping verb
Sentences Verb- Has/ have + been

Has– He, She, It and

Subject + has/ have + V3 New subject + Has/ have + been + V3 + Singular Noun
Simple
+ Object by + New Object Have– You, I, We,
They

Subject + has/ have + not N. Subject+ Has/ have +not + been +V3 ‘Not’ is always placed
Negative
+ V3 + Object + by +  N Subject at 3ed Place.

Has/ have + Subject + Has/ have + N. Subject + been + V3 + by

Interrogative  
V3 + Object + N. Object  

Interrogative Has/ have + Subject + Has/ have + N. subject + been + V3 + by

 
Negative not + V3 + Object + N. Object  

Active and Passive Voice rules Example with Answers of

Present Perfect Tense

Examples: –

Active voice: They have delivered the food.

Passive Voice: The food has been delivered by them.

Active voice: Roshani has read Holy Books.

Passive Voice: Holy books have been read by Roshani.

Active voice: You have not completed your project.

Passive Voice: Your project has not been completed by you.

Active voice: He has not stolen my purse.

 Passive Voice: My purse has not been stolen by him.

Active voice: Has Sharda policed her shoes?

Passive Voice: Her shoes have not been policed by Sharda?

Active and Passive voice rules for Past Indefinite

Tense

Here we have some active and passive voice rules for Past
Indefinite Tense.

Types of Passive Voice Main Verb-

Active Voice Use of Helping verb
Sentences V3 Helping – Did

New subject + was/ were + V3 + by + Was– He, She, It, I, etc

Simple Subject + V2 + Object
New Object Were– You, They, Them

Subject + did + not + V1 N. Subject+ was/ were +not + +V3 + ‘Not’ is always placed at
Negative
+ Object by +  N Subject 3ed Place.

Did + Subject + V1 + Was/ were + N. Subject + V3 + by +

Interrogative  
Object N. Object  

Interrogative Did + Subject + not + Was/ were + N. subject + V3 + by +

 
Negative V1 + Object N. Object  

Active and Passive Voice Example with Answers of Past

Indefinite Tense

Examples: – Some important examples of active and passive

voice rules. All of these examples are important for the exam.

Active voice: Edison invented the first gramophone.

Passive Voice: The first gramophone was invented by Edison.

Active voice: I took tea yesterday.

Passive Voice: Teas was taken by me yesterday.

Active voice: We did not sing songs.

Passive Voice: Songs were not sung by us.

Active voice: He did not steal my purse.

Passive Voice: My purse was not stolen by him.

Active voice: Did Sharda police her shoes?

Passive Voice: Were her shoes policed by Sharda?

Active voice: Who crushed the old lady?

Passive Voice: By whom was the old lady crushed?

Active voice: Did you tell lies?

Passive Voice: Were you told lies?

Active voice: Did they disturb her?

Passive Voice: Was she disturbed by them?

Active voice: Did she not help you?

 Passive Voice: Were you not helped by her?

Active and Passive voice rules for Past Continuous

Tense

Here we have some active and passive voice rules for present
Continuous Tense.

Passive Voice
Types of
Active Voice Main Verb– V3 Use of Helping verb
Sentences
Helping Verb– Was/ were

Subject + Was/ were + V1 + New subject + Was/ were + being + Was– He, She, It, I, etc
Simple
ing + Object V3 + by + New Object Were– You, They, hem

Subject + Was/ were + not N. Subject + Was/ were + not + being ‘Not’ is always placed
Negative
+ V1 +ing + Object + V3 + by +  N Subject at 3ed Place.

Was/ were + Subject + V1 + Was/ were + N. Subject + being + V3

Interrogative  
ing  + Object + by + N. Object  

Interrogative Was/ were + Subject + not Was/ were + N. subject + not + being
 
Negative + V1 + ing  + Object + V3 + by + N. Object  

Active voice: The cat was drinking milk.

Passive Voice: Milk was being drunk by the cat..

Active voice: He was taking food yesterday.

Passive Voice: Food was being taken by him yesterday.

Active voice: We were not singing songs.

Passive Voice: Songs were not being sung by us.

 Active voice: She was not washing my Cloths.

Passive Voice: My Cloths were not being washed by her.

Active voice: Was She insulting her brother?

Passive Voice: Was her brother being insulted by her?

Active voice: What was Pawan doing?

Passive Voice: What was being done by Pawan?

Active voice: Whom were you scolding?

Passive Voice: Who was being scolded by you?

Active voice: Were they disturbing her?

Passive Voice: Was she being disturbed by them?

Active voice: Was she not helping the poor?

Passive Voice: Was the poor not being helped by her?

Active and Passive voice rules for Past Perfect Tense

Here we have some active and passive voice rules for past Perfect
Tense.

Types of Passive Voice Main Verb- V3

Active Voice Use of Helping verb
Sentences Helping Verb- Had + been
 Subject + had + V3 + New subject + had + been + V3 + by
Simple
Object + New Object

Subject + had + not + V3 N. Subject+ had +not + been +V3 + ‘Not’ is always placed at
Negative
+ Object by +  N Subject 3ed Place.

Had + Subject + V3 + Had + N. Subject + been + V3 + by +

Interrogative  
Object N. Object  

Interrogative Had + Subject + not + Had + N. subject + been + V3 + by +

 
Negative V3 + Object N. Object  

Active and Passive Voice rules Example with Answers of Past

Perfect Tense

Examples: –

Active voice: They had delivered the food.

Passive Voice: The food had been delivered by them.

Active voice: Principal had read English Books.

Passive Voice: English books had been read by Principal.

Active voice: You had not cooked the food.

Passive Voice: Food had not been cooked by you.

Active voice: He had not stolen my purse.

Passive Voice: My purse had not been stolen by him.

Active voice: Had Neetu policed her shoes?

 Passive Voice: had Her shoes not been policed by Neetu?

Active and Passive voice rules for Future Indefinite

Tense

Here we have some active and passive voice rules for Future
Indefinite Tense.

Types of Passive Voice Main Verb-

Active Voice Use of Helping verb
Sentences V3 Helping – Shall/ Will

Subject + shall/ will + V1 New subject + shall/ will + be + V3 + Will– He, She, It, etc
Simple
+ Object by + New Object Shall- I, We

Subject + shall/ will + not N. Subject+ shall/ will +not + be +V3 ‘Not’ is always placed
Negative
+ V1 + Object + by +  N Subject at 3ed Place.

Shall/ will + Subject + V1 Shall/ will + N. Subject + V3 + by +

Interrogative  
+ Object N. Object  

Interrogative Shall/ will + Subject + not Shall/ will + N. subject + V3 + by +

 
Negative + V1 + Object N. Object  

Active and Passive Voice Example with Answers of Future

Indefinite Tense

Examples: – Some important examples of active and passive

voice rules. All of these examples are important for the exam.

Active voice: I shall write many letters.

Passive Voice: Many letters will be written by me.

Active voice: She will do a lot of work.

Passive Voice: A lot of work will be done by her.

Active voice: You will attain the science quiz.

Passive Voice: The science quiz will be attained by you.

Active voice: Manmohan Singh will not elect minister.

Passive Voice: Minister will not be elected by Monmohan

Singh

Active voice: Will Ram not prepare GK Quiz?

Passive Voice: GK quiz will not be prepared by Ram?

Active voice: Who will not play Football?

Passive Voice: By whom will football not be played?

Active voice: Will you tell lies?

Passive Voice: Will you be told lies?

Active and Passive voice rules for Future Perfect

Tense

Passive Voice Main Verb- V3

Types of
Active Voice Helping Verb- Will/ shall Use of Helping v
Sentences
Have + been

Subject + Will/ shall + have + Subject + Will/ shall + have + been

Simple
V3 + Object + V3 + Object
 Subject + Will/ shall + not + Subject + Will/ shall + not + have + ‘Not’ is always p
Negative
have + V3 + Object been + V3 + Object at 3ed Place.

Will/ shall + Subject + have + Will/ shall + Subject + have + been

Interrogative  
V3 + Object + V3 + Object

Interrogative Will/ shall + Subject + not + Will/ shall + Subject + not + have +
 
Negative have + V3 + Object been + V3 + Object

Here we have some active and passive voice rules for Future
Perfect Tense.

Active and Passive Voice rules Example with Answers of

Future Perfect Tense

Examples: –

Active voice: She will have cooked the meal.

Passive Voice: The meal have been cooked by her.

Active voice: They will have considered the matter.

Passive Voice: English books had been read by Principal.

Active voice: The matter will have been considered by them.

Active voice: Shall I not scolded him?

Passive Voice: Will he not have been scolded by me?

Active voice: Who will have robbed you?

Passive Voice: By whom will you have been robbed?

Active and passive voice rules for Imperative

Sentences

There are some active and passive rules for imperative sentences.
Which is most important for the competition exams.

 The active to passive voice formula is Let + New object

+ be/ not be + V3.

 Request, Education, and Order sentences can be

changed by using You are requested to/ advised to/
ordered to.

 Please and kindly like words removed from the

sentences. read more
Active voice Passive voice

Close the window. Let the window be closed.

Do not oppress the poor. Let the poor not be oppressed.

Open the Door. Let the door be opened.

 Practice Exercise
Active: They have built this robot themselves.
Passive: This robot has been built by them themselves.

Active: The judge advised them to settle the matter.

Passive: They were advised by the judge to settle the matter.

Active: You are spending too much time on this matter.

Passive: Too much time is being spent by you on this matter.

Active: He will have advised her.

Passive: She will have been advised by him.

Active: That scientist discovered a new pill to stimulate the appetite.

Passive: A new pill was discovered by that scientist to stimulate the appetite.
Active: He is running a hospital these days.
Passive: A hospital is being run by him these days.

Active: You must do your duty.

Passive: Your duty must be done by you.

Active: No one ever taught me how to play the guitar.

Passive: I was never taught by anyone how to play the guitar.

Active: One must do one’s duty.

Passive: Duty must be done (by all).

Active: The man could not climb the tree.

Passive: The tree could not be climbed by the man.

Active: I have proved all his calculations wrong.

Passive: All his calculations have been proven wrong by me.

Active: Who is disturbing you?

Passive: By whom are you being disturbed?

Active: I would have attended the meeting if it were possible.

Passive: The meeting would have been attended by me if it were possible.

Active: We have to do it very early in the morning.

Passive: It has to be done by us very early in the morning.

Active: She will have finished the paper by 1 o’clock.

Passive: The paper will have been finished by her by 1 o’clock.

Active: Has he made all the necessary arrangements?

Passive: Have all the necessary arrangements been made by him?

Active: You should switch off the inverter when changing a fuse.
Passive: The inverter should be switched off while changing a fuse.
Active: He asked me to wait there.
Passive: I was asked by him to wait there.

Active: She should have helped her friends.

Passive: Her friends should have been helped by her.

Active: You cannot expect him to understand these problems.

Passive: He can’t be expected to understand these problems.

Active: He will have closed his shop by now.

Passive: His shop will have been closed by him by now.

Active: You could have solved this question.

Passive: This question could have been solved by you.

Active: You should return the book next week.

Passive: The book should be returned by you next week.

Active: They can’t put you in prison.

Passive: You can’t be put in prison by them.

Active: The owner himself showed her the house.

Passive: She was shown the house by the owner himself.

Active: We ought to respect our elders.

Passive: Our elders ought to be respected by us.

Active: She always gives me gifts at new year.

Passive: I am always given gifts by her at new year.

Active: Did you paint these pictures in your house?

Passive: Were these pictures painted in your house?

Active: We should obey our teachers.

Passive: Our teachers should be obeyed by us.
Active: They rejected his proposal.
Passive: His proposal was rejected by them.

Active: Let them do it now.

Passive: Let it be done by them now.

Active: He can help you.

Passive: You can be helped by him.

Active: He will rob them if they are not cautious.

Passive: They will be robbed by him if they are not cautious.

Active: They did not tell me anything about the situation.

Passive: I was not told anything about the situation.

Active: They might win the match.

Passive: The match might be won by them.

Active: Post this letter.

Passive: Let this letter be posted.

Active: Cut your shirt according to your requirement.

Passive: Let your shirt be cut according to your requirement.

Active: They have decided to increase the level.

Passive: It has been decided to increase level.

Active: Never tell a lie.

Passive: Let a lie never be told.

Active: He performed a dance for the first time last week.

Passive: His dance was performed for the first time last week.

Active: Do not pluck flowers.

Passive: Let flowers not be plucked.
Active: They will look after you.
Passive: You will be looked after by them.

Active: Tell him to go.

Passive: Let him be told to go.

Active: They promised Rahul a new phone on his birthday.

Passive: Rahul was promised a new phone on his birthday.

Active: Did they not tell you to be here by 8 o’clock?

Passive: Were you not told to be here by 8 o’clock?

Active: Have they carried out his orders?

Passive: Have his orders been carried out by them?

Active: Mom will have to amuse him with riddles.

Passive: He will have to be amused by mom with riddles.

Active: Please sit here and wait till I come back.

Passive: You are requested to wait here till I come back.

Active: Ravi chose his words with care.

Passive: Words were chosen with care by Ravi.

Active: Is he running a race?

Passive: Is a race being run by him?

Active: Has someone told her about her result?

Passive: Has she been told about her result?

Active: It shocked me to hear that someone had bothered you.

Passive: I was shocked to hear that you had been bothered by someone.

Active: Everyone knows that he is a footballer.

Passive: He is known to be a footballer.
Active: Do they like my teachers?
Passive: Are my teachers liked by them?

Active: Work hard.

Passive: You are advised to work hard.

Active: Can you solve this question?

Passive: Can this question be solved by you?

Active: Let him sing a song.

Passive: Let a song be sung by him.

Active: Please shut the door.

Passive: You are requested to shut the door.

Active: Who teaches you Maths?

Passive: By whom are you taught Maths?

Active: Hurry up, please.

Passive: You are requested to hurry up.

Active: Did you grow vegetables?

Passive: Were vegetables grown by you?

Active: It is time to take a cup of coffee.

Passive: It is time for a cup of coffee to be taken.

Active: Did he win the match?

Passive: Was the match won by him?

Active: She ran fast to win the race.

Passive: She ran fast for the race to be won.

Active: This bottle contains water.

Passive: Water is contained in this bottle.
Active: Why do you blame me?
Passive: Why am I blamed by you?

Active: Does this guy sell grocery?

Passive: Is grocery sold by this guy?

Active: My progress satisfied my parents.

Passive: My parents were satisfied with my progress.

Active: Were they singing songs?

Passive: Were songs being sung by them?

Active: They know my father.

Passive: My father is known to them.

Active: Ravi married Asha.

Passive: Asha was married to Ravi.

Active: Sugar tastes sweet.

Passive: Sugar is sweet when tasted.

Active: It is now time to close the doors.

Passive: It is now time for the doors to be closed.

Active: He hopes to win a medal.

Passive: It is hoped that he will win a medal.

Active: Her failure shocked us.

Passive: We were shocked at her failure.

Active: The rose smells great.

Passive: The rose is great when smelt.

Active: I want to buy a pen.

Passive: I want a pen to be bought.
Active: People take this meal all over the world.
Passive: This meal is taken by people all over the world.

Active: You cannot please him.

Passive: He cannot be pleased with you.

Active: The gardener is watering the flowers.

Passive: The flowers are being watered by the gardener.

Active: He has invited me.

Passive: I have been invited by him.

Active: The news of his departure shocked us.

Passive: We were shocked at the news of his departure.

Active: They have insulted us.

Passive: We have been insulted by them.

Active: I had never seen such a lovely girl before.

Passive: Such a lovely girl had never been seen by me before.

Active: I do not love him.

Passive: He is not loved by me.

Active: I had sold the old books.

Passive: The old books had been sold by me.

Active: They had prepared many things.

Passive: Many things had been prepared by them.

Active: Did he consult you?

Passive: Were you consulted by him?

Active: He had not seen this place before.

Passive: This place had not been seen by him before.
Active: I will never forget your behavior.
Passive: Your behavior will never be forgotten by me.

Active: The lady had already cooked food.

Passive: Food had already been cooked by the lady.

Active: We were expecting her.

Passive: She was being expected by us.

Active: The peon has done it.

Passive: It has been done by the peon.

Active: The issue is being looked into by the judge.

Passive: The judge is looking into the issue.

Active: We have painted the windows.

Passive: The windows have been painted by us.

Active: They have won the match.

Passive: The match has been won by them.

Active: The rich must help the poor.

Passive: The poor must be helped by the rich.

Active: My uncle helped me.

Passive: I was helped by my uncle.

Active: They will help me.

Passive: I will be helped by them.

Active: They wrote several letters.

Passive: Several letters were written by them.

Active: The doctor treats these patients well.

Passive: These patients are treated well by the doctor.
Active: I do not understand this problem.
Passive: This problem is not understood by me.

Active: He writes stories.

Passive: Stories are written by him.

Active: He sang a song.

Passive: A song was sung by him.

Active: They will not disobey you.

Passive: You will not be disobeyed by them.

Active: The laborers will repair the road.

Passive: The road will be repaired by the laborers.

Active: The teacher corrected my homework.

Passive: My homework was corrected by the teacher.

Active: It is time to say prayers.

Passive: It is time for prayers to be said.

Active: We must follow the rules.

Passive: The rules must be followed.

Active: Somebody gave her something on her birthday.

Passive: Something was given to her on her birthday. / She was given something on her
birthday.

Active: Did you say something?

Passive: Was something said by you?

Active: He does not obey his teachers.

Passive: His teachers are not obeyed by him.

Active: It is necessary to write this poem.

Passive: It is necessary for this poem to be written.
Active: They are watching cricket.
Passive: Cricket is being watched by them.

Active: We should serve our country.

Passive: Our country should be served by us.

Active: Children like chocolates.

Passive: Chocolates are liked by children.

Active: The girl is flying a kite.

Passive: A kite is being flown by the girl.

Active: He will teach a new lesson today.

Passive: A new lesson will be taught by him today.

Active: My mother was telling a story.

Passive: A story was being told by my mother.

Active: We can buy this but not that one.

Passive: This can be bought by us but not that one.

Active: People will remember him.

Passive: He will be remembered by people.

Active: We are not wasting time here.

Passive: Time is not being wasted by us here.

Active: The boys are drawing the pictures.

Passive: The pictures are being drawn by the boys.

Active: Get out of my house.

Passive: You are ordered to get out of my house.

Active: There is no money to waste.

Passive: There is no money to be wasted.
Active: A child cannot throw it.
Passive: It cannot be thrown by a child.

Active: They laughed at me.

Passive: I was laughed at by them.

Active: You might have heard his name.

Passive: His name might have been heard by you.

Active: He might do it.

Passive: It might be done by him.

Active: Who has broken the cup?

Passive: By whom has the cup been broken?

Active: Has he returned the pens?

Passive: Have the pens been returned by him?

Active: Will you have read the magazine by tomorrow?

Passive: Will the magazine have been read by you by tomorrow?

Active: Have they finished their assignments?

Passive: Have their assignments been finished by them?

Active: What have you made?

Passive: What has been made by you?

Active: They have built this robot themselves.

Passive: This robot has been built by them themselves.

Active: The judge advised them to settle the matter.

Passive: They were advised by the judge to settle the matter.

Active: You are spending too much time on this matter.

Passive: Too much time is being spent by you on this matter.

Active: He will have advised her.

Passive: She will have been advised by him.
Active: That scientist discovered a new pill to stimulate the appetite.
Passive: A new pill was discovered by that scientist to stimulate the appetite.

Active: He is running a hospital these days.

Passive: A hospital is being run by him these days.

Active: You must do your duty.

Passive: Your duty must be done by you.

Active: No one ever taught me how to play the guitar.

Passive: I was never taught by anyone how to play the guitar.

Active: One must do one’s duty.

Passive: Duty must be done (by all).

Active: The man could not climb the tree.

Passive: The tree could not be climbed by the man.

Active: I have proved all his calculations wrong.

Passive: All his calculations have been proven wrong by me.

Active: Who is disturbing you?

Passive: By whom are you being disturbed?

Active: I would have attended the meeting if it were possible.

Passive: The meeting would have been attended by me if it were possible.

Active: We have to do it very early in the morning.

Passive: It has to be done by us very early in the morning.

Active: She will have finished the paper by 1 o’clock.

Passive: The paper will have been finished by her by 1 o’clock.

Active: Has he made all the necessary arrangements?

Passive: Have all the necessary arrangements been made by him?

Active: You should switch off the inverter when changing a fuse.
Passive: The inverter should be switched off while changing a fuse.
Active: He asked me to wait there.
Passive: I was asked by him to wait there.

Active: She should have helped her friends.

Passive: Her friends should have been helped by her.

Active: You cannot expect him to understand these problems.

Passive: He can’t be expected to understand these problems.

Active: He will have closed his shop by now.

Passive: His shop will have been closed by him by now.

Active: You could have solved this question.

Passive: This question could have been solved by you.

Active: You should return the book next week.

Passive: The book should be returned by you next week.

Active: They can’t put you in prison.

Passive: You can’t be put in prison by them.

Active: The owner himself showed her the house.

Passive: She was shown the house by the owner himself.

Active: We ought to respect our elders.

Passive: Our elders ought to be respected by us.

Active: She always gives me gifts in the new year.

Passive: I am always given gifts by her in the new year.

Active: Did you paint these pictures in your house?

Passive: Were these pictures painted in your house?

Active: We should obey our teachers.

Passive: Our teachers should be obeyed by us.

Active: They rejected his proposal.

Passive: His proposal was rejected by them.
Active: Let them do it now.
Passive: Let it be done by them now.

Active: He can help you.

Passive: You can be helped by him.

Active: He will rob them if they are not cautious.

Passive: They will be robbed by him if they are not cautious.

Active: They did not tell me anything about the situation.

Passive: I was not told anything about the situation.

Active: They might win the match.

Passive: The match might be won by them.

Active: Post this letter.

Passive: Let this letter be posted.

Active: Cut your shirt according to your requirement.

Passive: Let your shirt be cut according to your requirement.

Active: They have decided to increase the level.

Passive: It has been decided to increase the level.

Active: Never tell a lie.

Passive: Let a lie never be told.

Active: He performed a dance for the first time last week.

Passive: His dance was performed for the first time last week.

Active: Do not pluck flowers.

Passive: Let flowers not be plucked.

Active: They will look after you.

Passive: You will be looked after by them.

Active: Tell him to go.

Passive: Let him be told to go.
Active: They promised Rahul a new phone on his birthday.
Passive: Rahul was promised a new phone on his birthday.

Active: Did they not tell you to be here by 8 o’clock?

Passive: Were you not told to be here by 8 o’clock?

Active: Have they carried out his orders?

Passive: Have his orders been carried out by them?

Active: Mom will have to amuse him with riddles.

Passive: He will have to be amused by mom with riddles.

Active: Please sit here and wait till I come back.

Passive: You are requested to wait here till I come back.

Active: Ravi chose his words with care.

Passive: Words were chosen with care by Ravi.

Active: Is he running a race?

Passive: Is a race being run by him?

Active: Has someone told her about her result?

Passive: Has she been told about her result?

Active: It shocked me to hear that someone had bothered you.

Passive: I was shocked to hear that you had been bothered by someone.

Active: Everyone knows that he is a footballer.

Passive: He is known to be a footballer.

Active: Do they like my teachers?

Passive: Are my teachers liked by them?

Active: Work hard.

Passive: You are advised to work hard.

Active: Can you solve this question?

Passive: Can this question be solved by you?
Active: Let him sing a song.
Passive: Let a song be sung by him.

Active: Please shut the door.

Passive: You are requested to shut the door.

Active: Who teaches you Maths?

Passive: By whom are you taught Maths?

Active: Hurry up, please.

Passive: You are requested to hurry up.

Active: Did you grow vegetables?

Passive: Were vegetables grown by you?

Active: It is time to take a cup of coffee.

Passive: It is time for a cup of coffee to be taken.

Active: Did he win the match?

Passive: Was the match won by him?

Active: She ran fast to win the race.

Passive: She ran fast for the race to be won.

Active: This bottle contains water.

Passive: Water is contained in this bottle.

Active: Why do you blame me?

Passive: Why am I blamed by you?

Active: Does this guy sell groceries?

Passive: Are groceries sold by this guy?

Active: My progress satisfied my parents.

Passive: My parents were satisfied with my progress.

Active: Were they singing songs?

Passive: Were songs being sung by them?
Active: They know my father.
Passive: My father is known to them.

Active: Ravi married Asha.

Passive: Asha was married to Ravi.

Active: Sugar tastes sweet.

Passive: Sugar is sweet when tasted.

Active: It is now time to close the doors.

Passive: It is now time for the doors to be closed.

Active: He hopes to win a medal.

Passive: It is hoped that he will win a medal.

Active: Her failure shocked us.

Passive: We were shocked at her failure.

Active: The rose smells great.

Passive: The rose is great when smelt.

Active: I want to buy a pen.

Passive: I want a pen to be bought.

Active: People take this meal all over the world.

Passive: This meal is taken by people all over the world.

Active: You cannot please him.

Passive: He cannot be pleased with you.

Active: The flowers are being watered by the gardener.

Passive: The gardener is watering the flowers.

Active: He has invited me.

Passive: I have been invited by him.

Active: The news of his departure shocked us.

Passive: We were shocked at the news of his departure.
Active: They have insulted us.
Passive: We have been insulted by them.

Active: I had never seen such a lovely girl before.

Passive: Such a lovely girl had never been seen by me before.

Active: I do not love him.

Passive: He is not loved by me.

Active: I had sold the old books.

Passive: The old books had been sold by me.

Active: They had prepared many things.

Passive: Many things had been prepared by them.

Active: Did he consult you?

Passive: Were you consulted by him?

Active: He had not seen this place before.

Passive: This place had not been seen by him before.

Active: I will never forget your behavior.

Passive: Your behavior will never be forgotten by me.

Active: The lady had already cooked food.

Passive: Food had already been cooked by the lady.

Active: We were expecting her.

Passive: She was being expected by us.

Active: The peon has done it.

Passive: It has been done by the peon.

Active: The issue is being looked into by the judge.

Passive: The judge is looking into the issue.

Active: We have painted the windows.

Passive: The windows have been painted by us.
Active: They have won the match.
Passive: The match has been won by them.

Active: The rich must help the poor.

Passive: The poor must be helped by the rich.

Active: My uncle helped me.

Passive: I was helped by my uncle.

Active: They will help me.

Passive: I will be helped by them.

Active: They wrote several letters.

Passive: Several letters were written by them.

Active: The doctor treats these patients well.

Passive: These patients are treated well by the doctor.

Active: I do not understand this problem.

Passive: This problem is not understood by me.

Active: He writes stories.

Passive: Stories are written by him.

Active: He sang a song.

Passive: A song was sung by him.

Active: They will not disobey you.

Passive: You will not be disobeyed by them.

Active: The laborers will repair the road.

Passive: The road will be repaired by the laborers.

Active: The teacher corrected my homework.

Passive: My homework was corrected by the teacher.

Active: It is time to say prayers.

Passive: It is time for prayers to be said.
Active: We must follow the rules.
Passive: The rules must be followed.

Active: Somebody gave her something on her birthday.

Passive: Something was given to her on her birthday. / She was given something on her
birthday.

Active: Did you say something?

Passive: Was something said by you?

Active: He does not obey his teachers.

Passive: His teachers are not obeyed by him.

Active: It is necessary to write this poem.

Passive: It is necessary for this poem to be written.

Active: They are watching cricket.

Passive: Cricket is being watched by them.

Active: We should serve our country.

Passive: Our country should be served by us.

Active: Children like chocolates.

Passive: Chocolates are liked by children.

Active: The girl is flying a kite.

Passive: A kite is being flown by the girl.

Active: The students were solving the problems.

Passive: The problems were being solved by the students.

Active: He is betraying me.

Passive: I am being betrayed by him.

Active: You are going through this lesson.

Passive: This lesson is being gone through by you.

Active: Many worship the rising sun.

Passive: The rising sun is worshipped by many.
Active: He will teach a new lesson today.
Passive: A new lesson will be taught by him today.

Active: My mother was telling a story.

Passive: A story was being told by my mother.

Active: We can buy this but not that one.

Passive: This can be bought by us but not that one.

Active: People will remember him.

Passive: He will be remembered by people.

Active: We are not wasting time here.

Passive: Time is not being wasted by us here.

Active: The boys are drawing the pictures.

Passive: The pictures are being drawn by the boys.

Active: Get out of my house.

Passive: You are ordered to get out of my house.

Active: There is no money to waste.

Passive: There is no money to be wasted.

Active: A child cannot throw it.

Passive: It cannot be thrown by a child.

Active: They laughed at me.

Passive: I was laughed at by them.

Active: You might have heard his name.

Passive: His name might have been heard by you.

Active: He might do it.

Passive: It might be done by him.

Active: Who has broken the cup?

Passive: By whom has the cup been broken?
Active: Has he returned the pens?
Passive: Have the pens been returned by him?

Active: Have they finished their assignments?

Passive: Have their assignments been finished by them?

Active: What have you made?

Passive: What has been made by you?