Voice Change for the Assam Police Constable (AB & UB) Exam
Voice tells us whether the subject of a sentence does the action or receives it, and the two voices are the active voice and the passive voice. In the active voice the subject acts, as in she writes a letter, while in the passive voice the subject is acted upon, as in a letter is written by her. The General English paper tests voice by giving an active sentence and asking for its passive form, or the reverse, and the question carries good marks because the change follows a fixed method. There is no passage to read; the answer depends on knowing the tense of the given verb and on applying the same steps every time. The difficulty is that each tense has its own passive form, that imperative and interrogative sentences need special treatment, and that the agent is often left out. This page explains the method, gives the passive form tense by tense, handles the special cases, and lists the high-yield patterns that repeat in the paper. The material follows the standard grammar reference books used for Assam recruitment examinations and is reviewed before it is published.
How This Portion Is Set
The examiner usually gives a sentence and asks for its passive form, or gives a passive sentence and asks for the active form. Sometimes four passive forms are given and the correct one has to be chosen. In every case the candidate must first find the tense of the verb, then find the object, then use the correct form of be with the past participle. A candidate who follows this fixed method answers faster and with fewer mistakes.
Active Voice and Passive Voice
- Active voice: the subject does the action, as in the boy broke the window.
- Passive voice: the subject receives the action, as in the window was broken by the boy.
- Subject in active becomes the agent with by in the passive.
- Object in active becomes the subject in the passive.
The Steps of the Change
- Find the object of the active sentence and make it the subject.
- Take the verb of the active sentence and put the correct form of be with its past participle.
- Put the old subject after by as the agent.
- Change the pronouns and the helping verbs as the new subject demands.
Passive Form of Each Tense
- Simple present: writes becomes is written; does becomes is done.
- Present continuous: is writing becomes is being written.
- Present perfect: has written becomes has been written.
- Simple past: wrote becomes was written; broke becomes was broken.
- Past continuous: was writing becomes was being written.
- Past perfect: had written becomes had been written.
- Simple future: will write becomes will be written.
- Future perfect: will have written becomes will have been written.
- With modals: can write becomes can be written; must obey becomes must be obeyed.
Imperative Sentences
An imperative sentence begins with the verb and has no subject. In the passive it begins with let and uses be with the past participle.
- Open the door becomes let the door be opened.
- Do not touch the wires becomes let the wires not be touched.
- The teacher told the students to open their books, when reported, becomes the students were told to open their books.
Interrogative Sentences
In a question the word order changes so that the verb comes before the subject. In the passive the question keeps its form and takes the passive verb.
- Did he write the letter becomes was the letter written by him.
- Has she finished the work becomes has the work been finished by her.
- Who wrote this letter becomes by whom was this letter written.
Sentences with Two Objects
When a verb has two objects, either object may become the subject, and the other is kept. He taught me English becomes I was taught English by him. She gave me a book becomes I was given a book by her, or a book was given to me by her.
When the Agent Is Left Out
The agent with by is left out when the doer is unknown, unimportant or obvious. Someone has stolen my pen becomes my pen has been stolen. People speak English all over the world becomes English is spoken all over the world. In each case the meaning is complete without the agent.
Special Cases
- Verbs of perception and knowing take to instead of by, as in I know him becomes he is known to me.
- Intransitive verbs have no passive, because they have no object.
- The perfect continuous tenses have no passive form.
- With let, the passive uses let followed by be and the past participle.
Traps That Cost Marks
- Keeping the same tense marker but using the wrong form of be, as in a letter was write instead of was written.
- Forgetting being in the continuous tenses, as in is written instead of is being written.
- Forgetting been in the perfect tenses, as in has written instead of has been written.
- Changing the wrong pronoun, as in by she instead of by her.
- Leaving an interrogative sentence in the active word order.
- Using by with verbs such as know, where to is needed.
High-Yield Sentences to Memorise
- She writes a letter: a letter is written by her.
- He is reading a book: a book is being read by him.
- They have finished the work: the work has been finished by them.
- She sang a song: a song was sung by her.
- He can solve the problem: the problem can be solved by him.
- Open the door: let the door be opened.
A Revision Plan for This Block
- Learn the passive form of each tense in a small table, with one example each.
- Learn the four steps of the change and apply them in the same order every time.
- Learn the imperative and interrogative changes as separate patterns.
- Learn the special cases, especially know and the intransitive verbs.
- Practise ten sentences a day, from active to passive and from passive to active.
Voice Used in Sentences
The paper tests voice inside a full sentence, and the candidate must change the entire structure and not merely one word. A sentence may speak of a letter that is written by her, a problem that can be solved by him, or a door that should be opened. Reading the sentence first, and finding its tense and its object, answers the question more safely than recalling a form without looking at the context.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we change an active sentence into the passive voice?
Make the object the new subject, use the correct form of be with the past participle of the verb, and put the old subject after by as the agent, as in she writes a letter becomes a letter is written by her.
What is the passive form of an imperative sentence?
An imperative sentence takes let with be and the past participle, as in open the door becomes let the door be opened.
When is the word by left out in the passive voice?
The agent with by is left out when the doer is unknown, unimportant or obvious, as in my pen has been stolen.
Why do we say he is known to me and not by me?
Verbs of knowing and perception take to instead of by in the passive, so I know him becomes he is known to me.
Can every sentence be changed into the passive voice?
No. Only a transitive verb, which has an object, can be changed into the passive. Intransitive verbs and the perfect continuous tenses have no passive form.