Active and Passive Voice: Types, Rules and Examples
Voice is the form of a verb that shows whether the subject performs the action or receives it. When the subject does the action, the sentence is in the active voice, as in "Ram wrote the letter". When the subject receives the action, the sentence is in the passive voice, as in "The letter was written by Ram". The active voice is direct and strong; the passive voice is used when the doer is unknown, unimportant or better left unmentioned, and it is common in reports, notices and scientific writing.
Active and passive voice is a favourite topic in APSC, ADRE, Assam Police, SSC and Railway examinations, and it is tested through direct voice change, error spotting and sentence improvement. It is closely linked to tense and to subject-verb agreement, because the passive is built from the correct form of "be" plus the past participle. This deep-study note gives the basic terms, the core rules, the kinds of questions, the step-by-step method, the common mistakes and a practical preparation plan.
Basic Terms
- Active voice: the subject performs the action, as in "She sings a song".
- Passive voice: the subject receives the action, as in "A song is sung by her".
- Agent: the doer of the action, usually placed after "by" in the passive.
- Object: the receiver of the action, which becomes the subject in the passive.
- Past participle: the third form of a verb, such as written, sung and taken, used in the passive.
- Auxiliary "be": am, is, are, was, were, be, being and been, which carries the tense in the passive.
- Dummy subject: "it" used in passives such as "It is said that ...".
- Retained object: the object kept in a passive sentence that has two objects.
- Impersonal passive: a passive with "it" and a clause, common with reporting verbs.
- Voice change: the process of changing a sentence from active to passive or back.
Core Concepts and Rules
- Only transitive verbs, which take an object, can be made passive; intransitive verbs such as sleep, die and come have no passive form.
- The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive, and the subject becomes the agent after "by".
- The tense of the active verb is kept, but the form changes to the correct part of "be" plus the past participle.
- Simple present becomes "am/is/are + past participle"; simple past becomes "was/were + past participle".
- Present continuous becomes "am/is/are being + past participle"; past continuous becomes "was/were being + past participle".
- Present perfect becomes "has/have been + past participle"; past perfect becomes "had been + past participle".
- The future becomes "will be + past participle", and the future perfect becomes "will have been + past participle".
- With modals, the passive is "modal + be + past participle", as in "The work can be done".
- In the passive, the pronoun after "by" changes its form: I becomes me, we becomes us, he becomes him and so on.
- When the active sentence has two objects, either object may become the subject, and the other is retained: "I gave him a book" becomes "He was given a book" or "A book was given to him".
- Imperative sentences are made passive with "Let" or "You are requested to": "Open the door" becomes "Let the door be opened".
- Questions are made passive by keeping the question form: "Did he write it?" becomes "Was it written by him?".
- When the doer is unknown or unimportant, "by" is dropped: "My purse was stolen".
Types of Active and Passive Voice Questions
The first type gives a sentence in the active voice and asks for its passive form, or the reverse. The second type gives four options that differ only in the helping verb or the participle. The third type tests the passive of imperatives with "Let". The fourth type tests the passive of questions. The fifth type tests the passive of sentences with two objects, and the sixth type is error spotting where the wrong helping verb or the wrong participle has to be corrected.
Steps to Solve a Voice-Change Question
First, find the verb, the subject and the object, because the voice change moves them. Second, identify the tense of the active verb. Third, keep the same tense and build the passive with the right part of "be" plus the past participle. Fourth, make the old object the new subject and the old subject the agent after "by", changing the pronoun form. Fifth, adjust the verb to agree with the new subject. Finally, for imperatives add "Let", for questions keep the question form, and for an unknown doer drop "by", then read the sentence to check that it sounds natural.
Examination Trends
Voice change is a direct and predictable question. The examiner repeats the present continuous, present perfect and simple past passives, the passive of imperatives with "Let", and the passive of questions. Error spotting often hides a wrong participle or a missing "be". Sentences with two objects, such as "offer", "give", "teach" and "ask", appear because they have two correct passives. Sentences with modals and with "it is said that" are also tested, and a candidate who fixes the tense first usually avoids the common traps.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not make a passive from an intransitive verb; verbs such as sleep, die and arrive have no passive.
- Do not drop the helping verb "be" before the past participle.
- Do not use the past tense form instead of the past participle, as in "was wrote" instead of "was written".
- Do not keep the subject pronoun unchanged after "by": use me, him, her, us and them.
- Do not forget "Let" in the passive of an imperative sentence.
- Do not let the passive verb disagree with the new subject.
How to Prepare This Topic
Start by writing the active and passive forms of one verb in all twelve tenses, because seeing the forms side by side fixes the pattern. Then change ten active sentences of different tenses into the passive, checking the helping verb and the participle each time. After that, practise imperatives and questions, which are the two forms candidates most often get wrong.
A useful habit is to read a news report and find the passive sentences, asking each time why the writer chose the passive and whether the doer is known. This shows that the passive is a choice and not merely a rule, and it makes the form meaningful. Keep a personal list of the participle forms that you forget, such as written, sung, taken, broken and chosen, and revise it before every test. Twenty questions a day for a fortnight, in English and Assamese, makes voice change quick and accurate and also strengthens tense and subject-verb agreement.
Quick Revision Tips
- Only transitive verbs have a passive form.
- The passive is the correct part of "be" plus the past participle.
- Keep the same tense when changing voice.
- Change the pronoun after "by": me, him, her, us, them.
- Imperatives take "Let", and questions keep the question form.
- Drop "by" when the doer is unknown or unimportant.
Final Revision Note
In the final revision, take ten active sentences of different tenses and change each into the passive, then change five back into the active. Note down the participle forms and helping verbs you miss and redrill only those. The examiner tests whether you can keep the tense and the meaning intact while moving the doer, and a steady daily habit of voice practice makes this topic fast, safe and useful throughout the English paper.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between active and passive voice?
In the active voice the subject performs the action, while in the passive voice the subject receives the action.
How is the passive voice formed?
The passive is formed with the correct part of the verb "be" plus the past participle of the main verb, keeping the same tense as the active sentence.
Can intransitive verbs be made passive?
No. Only transitive verbs, which take an object, can be made passive; intransitive verbs such as sleep and die have no passive form.
How is the passive of an imperative sentence made?
With "Let", as in "Open the door" becoming "Let the door be opened", or with "You are requested to".
When is the passive voice used?
It is used when the doer is unknown, unimportant or better left unmentioned, and it is common in reports, notices and scientific writing.