ACTIVE and PASSIVE Voice in English

ACTIVE and PASSIVE Voice in English ADVANCED ENGLISH GRAMMAR

Explanation + Extra activities

What is the Passive Voice?

The passive voice is a way of constructing sentences where the focus is on the action or the object of the action, rather than the person or thing performing the action (the subject). In the passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

Active vs. Passive Voice

  • Active voice: The subject performs the action.
    • Example: The chef cooked the meal.
      • Subject: The chef
      • Verb: cooked
      • Object: the meal
  • Passive voice: The action is done to the subject.
    • Example: The meal was cooked by the chef.
      • Subject: The meal
      • Verb: was cooked
      • (Optional) Agent: by the chef

Structure of Passive Voice:

  • Passive Structure: Object + to be (in the correct tense) + past participle (of the main verb) + (by agent, if needed)
    • The letter was written (by John).

When Do We Use the Passive Voice?

  1. When the doer is unknown or unimportant:
    • The window was broken (we don’t know who broke it).
  2. When the focus is on the action or result, not the doer:
    • The project was completed on time.
  3. In formal or scientific writing:
    • The experiment was conducted to measure the effects.

How to Form the Passive Voice (Tenses)

TenseActive VoicePassive Voice
Present simpleThey build houses.Houses are built.
Past simpleThey built the house.The house was built.
Future simpleThey will build the house.The house will be built.
Present continuousThey are building the house.The house is being built.
Past continuousThey were building the house.The house was being built.
Present perfectThey have built the house.The house has been built.
Past perfectThey had built the house.The house had been built.
Future perfectThey will have built the house.The house will have been built.
ModalsThey must build the house.The house must be built.

Difficult Cases in Passive Voice

  1. Verbs with Two Objects Some verbs (like give, send, show, offer) take two objects (direct and indirect).Active:She gave me a gift.
    • You can make either object the subject in passive:
      • Passive 1: I was given a gift (by her).
      • Passive 2: A gift was given to me (by her).
  2. Passive Voice with Modals Modals (like can, must, should) still follow the structure but require the base form of “be.”Active: They should finish the report.
    Passive: The report should be finished (by them).
  3. Phrasal Verbs When using phrasal verbs (verb + preposition), the whole phrase moves to the passive.Active: They called off the meeting.
    Passive: The meeting was called off.
  4. Passive with Infinitives When using infinitives, especially in more formal contexts, the passive voice can also appear.Active: They expect to complete the project.
    Passive: The project is expected to be completed.
  5. Stative Verbs vs. Dynamic Verbs Some verbs (like have, own, resemble) cannot be used in the passive voice because they describe states, not actions.Incorrect: A car is owned by me. Correct: I own a car.
  6. Impersonal Passive In formal English, we often use the passive to make impersonal statements.Active: People believe that he is honest.
    Passive 1: It is believed that he is honest.
    Passive 2: He is believed to be honest.
  7. Get-Passives In informal English, you can use “get” instead of “be” to form the passive.Active: Someone stole my wallet.
    Passive (with be): My wallet was stolen.
    Passive (with get): My wallet got stolen.

Why Use Passive Voice?

  1. To focus on the result of an action.
    • The bridge was completed in 2020.
  2. To avoid mentioning the doer (if it’s obvious or unknown).
    • The cake was eaten.
  3. In formal or impersonal contexts.
    • It is said that the company will close.

By understanding when and how to use the passive voice, you can add variety to your sentences and shift the focus of your message when necessary.

Extra Practice

ESL Quiz: Active Voice to Passive Voice Conversion

Beginner Level (15 Questions)

  1. Active: The chef cooks the meal.
    Passive: The meal ______ by the chef.
  2. Active: The teacher explains the lesson.
    Passive: The lesson ______ by the teacher.
  3. Active: They build houses.
    Passive: Houses ______ by them.
  4. Active: The dog eats the bone.
    Passive: The bone ______ by the dog.
  5. Active: She waters the plants.
    Passive: The plants ______ by her.
  6. Active: He writes a letter.
    Passive: A letter ______ by him.
  7. Active: We clean the house every day.
    Passive: The house ______ every day by us.
  8. Active: The police catch the thief.
    Passive: The thief ______ by the police.
  9. Active: The company sells many products.
    Passive: Many products ______ by the company.
  10. Active: The postman delivers the letters.
    Passive: The letters ______ by the postman.
  11. Active: They paint the walls.
    Passive: The walls ______ by them.
  12. Active: She prepares breakfast.
    Passive: Breakfast ______ by her.
  13. Active: He repairs the car.
    Passive: The car ______ by him.
  14. Active: They sing songs.
    Passive: Songs ______ by them.
  15. Active: The child breaks the toy.
    Passive: The toy ______ by the child.

Beginner Level Answers:

  1. is cooked, 2. is explained, 3. are built, 4. is eaten, 5. are watered, 6. is written, 7. is cleaned, 8. is caught, 9. are sold, 10. are delivered, 11. are painted, 12. is prepared, 13. is repaired, 14. are sung, 15. is broken

Intermediate Level (15 Questions)

  1. Active: They are baking a cake.
    Passive: A cake ______ by them.
  2. Active: The company will launch the new product next month.
    Passive: The new product ______ by the company next month.
  3. Active: She has completed the assignment.
    Passive: The assignment ______ by her.
  4. Active: They are building a new bridge.
    Passive: A new bridge ______ by them.
  5. Active: The workers fixed the road yesterday.
    Passive: The road ______ by the workers yesterday.
  6. Active: He has read the book.
    Passive: The book ______ by him.
  7. Active: We will visit the museum tomorrow.
    Passive: The museum ______ by us tomorrow.
  8. Active: They are holding a meeting.
    Passive: A meeting ______ by them.
  9. Active: She had finished the report before the deadline.
    Passive: The report ______ by her before the deadline.
  10. Active: They will clean the park this weekend.
    Passive: The park ______ by them this weekend.
  11. Active: The manager is checking the documents.
    Passive: The documents ______ by the manager.
  12. Active: We should protect the environment.
    Passive: The environment ______ by us.
  13. Active: He had eaten the sandwich before leaving.
    Passive: The sandwich ______ by him before leaving.
  14. Active: The committee is discussing the new plan.
    Passive: The new plan ______ by the committee.
  15. Active: They will complete the project next month.
    Passive: The project ______ by them next month.

Intermediate Level Answers:

  1. is being baked, 2. will be launched, 3. has been completed, 4. is being built, 5. was fixed, 6. has been read, 7. will be visited, 8. is being held, 9. had been finished, 10. will be cleaned, 11. is being checked, 12. should be protected, 13. had been eaten, 14. is being discussed, 15. will be completed

Advanced Level (15 Questions)

  1. Active: They might have finished the work by now.
    Passive: The work ______ by now.
  2. Active: The scientists are researching the new vaccine.
    Passive: The new vaccine ______ by the scientists.
  3. Active: The government should have implemented the policy last year.
    Passive: The policy ______ by the government last year.
  4. Active: The students had been preparing the presentation for weeks.
    Passive: The presentation ______ by the students for weeks.
  5. Active: They would have built the school if they had enough funds.
    Passive: The school ______ by them if they had enough funds.
  6. Active: We must protect endangered species.
    Passive: Endangered species ______ by us.
  7. Active: The workers have been constructing the new building since last year.
    Passive: The new building ______ by the workers since last year.
  8. Active: They can cancel the meeting at any time.
    Passive: The meeting ______ by them at any time.
  9. Active: She could have painted the house earlier.
    Passive: The house ______ by her earlier.
  10. Active: People say that the Earth is round.
    Passive: It ______ that the Earth is round.
  11. Active: The professor had been grading the papers all night.
    Passive: The papers ______ by the professor all night.
  12. Active: They may announce the results tomorrow.
    Passive: The results ______ by them tomorrow.
  13. Active: The manager was considering several options.
    Passive: Several options ______ by the manager.
  14. Active: Someone has been using this computer.
    Passive: This computer ______ by someone.
  15. Active: They will have completed the task by next week.
    Passive: The task ______ by next week.

Advanced Level Answers:

  1. might have been finished, 2. is being researched, 3. should have been implemented, 4. had been prepared, 5. would have been built, 6. must be protected, 7. has been being constructed, 8. can be canceled, 9. could have been painted, 10. is said, 11. had been being graded, 12. may be announced, 13. were being considered, 14. has been being used, 15. will have been completed
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