How to Change Active Voice to Passive Voice

Voice is the form of a verb which shows whether the subject does something or has something done to it. In this way there are two voices in English:

1. Active Voice.
2. Passive Voice.

Let us deal with these in some detail.

The Active Voice

A Verb is in the Active Voice, when its subject does something: as,

1. I play hockey.
2. Do you not play hockey?
3. They do not play hockey.
4. She ate mangoes.
5. He will buy this house.

In above sentences, the subject [I, you, they, she, he] is doing something. Their verbs are, therefore, said to be in the Active Voice.

The Passive Voice

A Verb is in the Passive Voice, when something is done to its Subject; as,

1. Hockey is played by me.
2. Is hockey not played by you?
3. Hockey is not played by them.
4. Mangoes were eaten by her.
5. This house will be bought by him.

In above sentences, the subject [hockey, mangoes, house] is acted upon. They remain inactive or passive and their Verb are, therefore, said to be in the Passive Voice.

Change Active Voice to Passive Voice

The sentences given below have been changed from Active Voice into Passive Voice. Read them carefully to understand how the change in each case takes place.

1. I like mangoes. (Active Voice)
   Mangoes are liked by me. (Passive Voice)
2. Do you like mangoes? (Active Voice)
   Are mangoes liked by you? (Passive Voice)
3. My mother loves me. (Active Voice)
   I am loved by my mother. (Passive Voice)
4. They do not like her. (Active Voice)
   She is not liked by them. (Passive Voice)
5. She bought a book. (Active Voice)
   A book was bought by her. (Passive Voice)
6. He ate five apples. (Active Voice)
   Five apples were eaten by him. (Passive Voice)
7. We shall play hockey. (Active Voice)
   Hokey will be played by us. (Passive Voice)
8. Who beat you? (Active Voice)
   By whom are you beaten? (Passive Voice)
9. You will not beat her. (Active Voice)
   She will not be beaten by you. (Passive Voice)
10. She is singing a song. (Active Voice)
    A song is being sung by her. (Passive Voice)
11. He is selling mangoes. (Active Voice)
    Mangoes are being sold by him. (Passive Voice)
12. You are cheating me. (Active Voice)
    I am being cheated by you. (Passive Voice)
13. He was telling a lie. (Active Voice)
    A lie was being told by him. (Passive Voice)
14. We were doing sums. (Active Voice)
    Sums were being done by us. (Passive Voice)
15. I have bought a house. (Active Voice)
    A house has been bought by me. (Passive Voice)
16. He has kept pigeons. (Active Voice)
    Pigeons have been kept by him. (Passive Voice)
17. She had lost nothing. (Active Voice)
    Nothing had been lost by her. (Passive Voice)
18. We shall have killed the snake. (Active Voice)
    The snake will have been killed by us. (Passive Voice)
19. She will have praised me. (Active Voice)
    I shall have been praised by her.(Passive Voice)

When a sentence is changed from the Active into Passive Voice, the following changes take place:

1. The subject becomes the object; and the object, the subject.
2. The principal verb is changed in to the past participle (if it is not already in that form).
3. The principal verb is preceded by some form of the verb be.
4. The preposition by is placed before the object.

The following examples show the different forms of the passive voice in different tenses:

Present Indefinite Tense

The Present Indefinite Tense uses AM, IS or ARE before the third form of the verb. Lets learn by examples:

1. Active Voice: She likes apples.
   Passive Voice: Apple are liked by her.
2. She buys a book.
   A book is bought by her.
3. She beats you.
   You are beaten by her.
4. The cow eats grass.
   Grass is eaten.

Present Continuous Tense

The Present Continuous Tense uses AM BEING, IS BEING or ARE BEING before the third form of the verb. For example:

1. Active Voice: I am buying mangoes.
   Passive Voice: Mangoes are being bought by me.
2. We are selling mangoes.
   Mangoes are being sold by us.
3. They are buying this house.
   This house is being bought by them.
4. She is eating an apple.
   An apple is being eaten by her.
5. You are being beaten.

Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect Tense uses HAS BEEN OR HAVE BEEN before the third form of the verb. For example:

1. Active Voice: She has cheated me.
   Passive Voice: I have been cheated by her.
2. They have bought a house.
   A house has been bought by them.
3. You have eaten all the mangoes.
   All the mangoes have been eaten by you.
4. Have you been punished for telling a lie?
5. You have been beaten.

Past Indefinite Tense

The Past Indefinite Tense uses WAS or WERE before the third form of the verb. For example:

1. Active Voice: She ate an apple.
   Passive Voice: An apple was eaten by her.
2. I did not beat her.
   She was not beaten by me.
3. Why did you beat him?
   Why was he beaten by you?
4. The dog attached the beggar.
   The beggar was attacked by the dog.

Past Continuous Tense

The Past Continuous Tense uses WAS BEING or WERE BEING before the third form of the verb. For example:

1. Active Voice: They were playing hockey.
   Passive Voice: Hockey was being played by them.
2. Student was not being promoted to class 10.
3. You were not being befooled.
4. Were many flowers being plucked?
5. She was being beaten.

Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect Tense uses HAD BEEN before the third form of the verb. For example:

1. His brother had not been dismissed from service.
2. The window had been broken by the thief.
3. He had been sent to jail.
4. She had been beaten.
5. Lunch had been funished.

Future Indefinite Tense

The Future Indefinite Tense uses SHALL BE or WILL BE before the third form of the verb. Lets learn by examples:

1. Boys will play football.
   Football will be played by the boys.
2. He will beat her.
   She will be beaten by him.
3. My name will not be struck off.
4. Six tickets will be bought.

Future Perfect Tense

The Future Perfect Tense uses SHALL HAVE BEEN or WILL HAVE BEEN before the third form of the verb. Lets learn by examples:

1. I shall have been beaten.
2. We shall have killed the snake.
   The snake shall have been killed by us.
3. Apples will not have been eaten.
4. Will today's newspaper have been published?
5. She will have been beaten.

Important Points about the Voice

Here are a few impotent points about the use of Active Voice and Passive Voice:

• Only Transitive Verbs can be used in the Passive Voice.
• When a Verb has two Objects, only one of them can be used as the subject in the Passive Voice and the other remains as it is; as
  • Active Voice: I gave him a rupee.
  • Passive Voice:
    1. A rupee was given to him by me.
    2. He was given a rupee by me.

• When an incomplete Transitive Verb is changed from active voice into passive voice, it is the object, and not the complement, which becomes the subject; as,
  • Active Voice: We made him captain.
  • Passive Voice: He was made captain by us.

• When a Verb in the Active Voice expresses a command, a request or an advice, we use, in the Passive Voice, the Verb "let" followed by the Passive Infinitive without "to" as,
  • Active Voice: Polish my shoes.
  • Passive Voice: Let my shoes be polished.
  • Active Voice: Always help the poor.
  • Passive Voice: Let the poor be helped always.

Note: Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Continuous and Future Perfect Continuous Tenses never change into Passive Voice.