Grammar- voice

Active - Passive Voice

Active voice:

When the subject of the verb also performs the action named in the verb, the verb is said to be Active voice.

E.g.: Sudha respects the teacher.

Passive voice:

When the subject of the verb receives the action named in the verb, the action named in the verb, the verb is said to be in passive voice.

E.g.: The teacher is respected by Sudha.

RULES:

1.      The object of the verb in the active voice becomes the subject of the verb in the passive voice.

2.      The subject of the verb in the active voice becomes a prepositional phrase in the passive voice.   i.e.: by + the active subject

3.      The verb in the active voice is changed to a suitable auxiliary + past participle form of the verb.

4.      Personal pronouns also changes while changing voice.

e.g.: I need some help.

        Some help is needed by me.

5.      The object or the subject may be a long phrase instead of a single word. And a complete phrase is rewritten after changing voice.

6.      When the verb in the active voice in ditransitive, there are 2 forms in the passive voice.

e.g.:  Your uncle teaches us English.             

         We are taught English by your uncle.

         English is taught to us by your uncle.

7.      Active verbs followed by prepositions retain them when they are changed into passive voice.

e.g.: She did not care for me.

        I was not cared for by her.

8.      When interrogative sentence are change into passive voice, they retain their interrogative form.

e.g.: Do you obey your parents?

        Are your parents obeyed by you?

9.      While using modal auxiliaries- would, can, could, may, might, must, ought to.

e.g.: We ought to preserve our heritage.

        Our heritage is ought to be preserve by us.

10.  The commanding sentence is changed in following way:

e.g.:  Open the door.

         Let the door be opened.

        The door should be opened.

Change in tense while changing voice:

o   Simple Present Tense:

Active- invite(s)                              Passive- is/ are/ am invite

·         Does she love me?

Am I loved by him?

·         Somebody rings a bell every half an hour.

A bell is rung every half an hour.

o   Simple Past Tense:

Active- invited                               Passive- was/ were invited

·         The driver immediately applied the brakes.

The brakes were immediately applied by the driver.

·         Did you attend the meeting? No, I wasn’t informed.

How many members were informed in time?

o   Simple Future Tense:

Active- will invite                           Passive- will be invited

·         I shall post these letters tomorrow.

These letters will be posted tomorrow.

·         Somebody will send the invitation cards today.

The invitation cards will be sent today.

o   Present Continues Tense:

Active: is/ are/ am inviting              Passive: is/ am/ are being invited

·         Our drama society in staging is ballet.

A ballet is being staged by our drama society.

·         Somebody is tapping our phone.

Our phone is being tapped.

o   Past Continues Tense:

Active: was/ were inviting                Passive: was/ were being inviting

·         We were renovating the living room.

The living room was being renovated.

·         All of us cheering our team.

Our team was being cheered by all of us.

o   Future Continues Tense:

·         Verbs in the future continue tense cannot be changed.

o   Present Perfect Tense:

Active: has/ have invited                 Passive: has/ have been inviting

·         The workers have called off the strike.

The strike has been called off by workers.

·         Who has used my towel?

By who has my towel has been used?

o   Past Perfect Tense:

Active: had invited                          Passive: had been invited

·         Somebody had already informed the police.

The police had already been informed.

·         Had you taken all the precautions?

Had all precautions been taken?

o   Future Perfect Tense:

·         They will have counted the votes before night.

The votes have been counted before night.

·         Civic authorities will have demolished these houses by the end of the month.

These houses will have been demolished by the end of the month.