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Group 10 assignment
Active and Passive Voices
statements
Questions
Objectives:
At the end of this lesson you will be able to
know:
• How each voice works in English grammar
• When to use the two voices
• How to change a sentence from active to
passive and vice versa.
• How to change a question into passive voice.
 What is Active Voice?

The active voice is when the subject of a sentence

performs an action on an object. In other words, the
subject does the action, and the object receives
the action.

The active voice is easy to identify in writing

because it follows a simple form which is the basis
of English grammar.
Subject (doer) → verb → object(receiver)
Example: The dog ate my lunch.

In this example, “the dog” is the subject, “ate” is the verb,

and “my lunch” is the object. Here’s a diagram to
better show this connection:
subject verb object

The dog ate my lunch

Here, “the dog” is doing(or, in this case, has already

done) the action: it is one that “ate”. Meanwhile, “lunch”
Here is another example of active voice without an
object.
He sings.
In these sentence, we have a subject “he” and a
verb “sings” but no object. Regardless, because the
subject is performing the act of singing, we can
identify this as the active voice.
 What is Passive Voice?
The passive voice is basically the opposite of the
active voice: it’s when the subject is acted upon
by the object. In other words, the subject
receives the action, and the object does the
action.
The passive voice is a little trickier to identify, as it
uses more words than the active voice. The basic
structure is as follows:
 Subject(receiver) → verb(past participle of “to
be form) → object( doer)
Additionally, the verb takes its “to be” form
(meaning it’s preceded by “is/are” for the
present tense and “was/were” for the past
tense) and is put in the past participle (e.g.
“eaten” for the verb “eat” or “given” for the verb
“give”)
Here is an example of a sentence using the
passive voice:
The ice cream was bought by the little girl.
In this example, “the ice cream” is the subject,
“bought” is the verb, and “ the little girl” is the
object.
subject Verb Object

The ice cream Was bought The little girl

 Active Vs Passive Voice: When Do We Use Them?

The active and passive voice express the same

ideas, just in different ways.
In general, you should always aim to use the
active voice whenever you write.
This is because the active voice is clearer and more
direct, while the passive voice is wordier and more
confusing.
That being said, this doesn’t mean that the
passive voice is inherently wrong.
 There are many cases in which you might opt for the
 Here are some scenarios in which you might
want to use the passive voice:

• When you want to emphasize the recipient of the

action.
• When you want to emphasize the action itself.
• When you don’t know who or what is performing
the action.
• When the doer of the action is irrelevant or
unimportant
 Changing from active to passive (and vice versa)

There are many times you might want to change a

sentence from passive to active, or even from active
to passive.
To do this, you’ll need to understand exactly how
the two types of voices work.
 Active Voice Vs Passive Voice:

Here is an example of a sentence in the active

voice Vs passive voice:

Active: She created a travel blog.

Passive: A travel blog was created by her.

Below is another way of looking at the

difference between active and passive voice:
 subject verb Object

Active voice she created A travel blog

Passive voice A travel blog Was created By her

As you can see here, in the active voice, “she” is the

subject and doer, whereas “a travel blog” is the object
and the recipient of the verb “created”.
 .
To sum up, to convert from active to passive voice,
here’s what you must do:
• Switch the positions of the subject and object so the
original object is now the subject and the original subject is
now the object.
• Add the word “by” before the new object.
• Convert the verb into its “to be” past participle form based
on the original tense used.
Most likely, though, you’ll need to convert from passive
to active. The process for this is essentially the same just
backwards.
 .
The verb is arguably the trickiest part of
converting from passive to active. You want to
make sure you’re keeping the same tense as
indicated by the original verb and sentence.

As an example, here’s how you’d change various

tenses of the word “do” from passive to active:
• is done---- do/does
• is/are being done---- is/are doing
• was/were done---- did
• was/were being done--- was/were doing
 .
Finally, know that you cannot convert from active to
passive pr passive to active if you do not have an
object. You can see why this doesn’t work in these
active Vs passive voice examples:
Active (without object): I drank
Passive: ??? was drunk by me.
Without an object, we have no idea what “I” actually
“drank”.
Passive (without object): The project will be
completed by tomorrow.
Active: ??? will complete the project by
tomorrow.
Without an object, we cannot explain who “will
complete the project”.
 Changing questions into passive

• First question is of two types: yes/no questions

and questions with WH words.
For example:
Can you speak French? (yes/no)
What motivates you? ( WH question)
 ? How to change Questions from active to passive?

Questions with auxiliary verbs (yes/no types)

Formulas:
1) Make the question a statement (assertive
sentence).
2) Change the voice of the statement.
3) Again make it an interrogative sentence.
 Example:
1) Have you washed your cloth? (active question)
= You have washed your cloth.( assertive sentence)
= Your cloth has been washed by you. ( passive assertive)
= Has your cloth been washed by you? (passive question)

2) Can you speak English?( active question)

=You can speak English. (assertive sentence)
= English can be spoken by you. (passive assertive)
= Can English be spoken by you? (passive question)
 Questions with WH words

Formula:
1) Cut the WH words and make the sentence a
statement.
2) Change the voice of the statement.
3) Write the WH word followed by the auxiliary
verb
 Example:
1) Why are you doing this? (active question)
= You are doing this. ( statement)
= This is being done by you. ( passive statement)
= Why is this being done by you?( passive
question)
 Changing Imperatives into passive

• An imperative sentence does not normally

have a subject. It is used to express a
command or request.
• An imperative sentence in the passive voice
takes the following form:
Let + object + be + past participle
• When the active voice is in the negative, the
passive voice takes the following form:
Let not + object + be + past participle
 Example:
1) Close the door.
= Let the door be closed.
2) Do not close the window.
= Let the window not be closed.
3) Do your homework.
= Let your homework be done.
 Active Vs Passive voice quiz
Fill in the blank

1) The toy will be soon______ by him. (fix)

2) Convert to Passive
Jessica is teaching me how to speak Italian.
3) Convert to Active
He was advised by his dentist to floss more.
4) Convert to Active
The valuable painting is finally going to be sold this
year.
5) Convert to passive
When you give me the book.
6) Convert to passive
Finish the job at once.
 Answers
1) The toy will soon be fixed by him.
2)I am being taught how to speak English by
Jessica.
3) His dentist advised him to floss more.
4) We have no idea who is going to sell the
painting. We cannot create a sentence in the
active voice without a subject.
5) When is the book given by you?
6) Let the job be finished at once.
 Any
Questions??
Thank You.