ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE FOR

B.Com, B.A, B.Sc, ICMAP, ICAP, APTITUDE TEST,

AND ADVANCED LEARNERS

Series

THE EASIEST WAY

TO LEARN ENGLISH

GRAMMAR

ZEESHAN MATEEN

THE EASIEST WAY TO LEARN ENGLISH GRAMMAR BY ZEESHAN MATEEN

PREFACE

This book is more practical than theoretical. Correct uses of active & passive voice have been

explained with examples and detailed interpretation. This book is for those students, who think

voice a difficult task to understand and face difficulty in writing English correctly.

This book is very useful for preparing for examination. The easiest way has been adopted to

make grammar understand. Everyone will find this book useful in enhancing grammatical skills

and using this book will be very helpful in speaking and writing English correctly.

The aim of writing this book is to share English grammar knowledge. The common mistakes,

which are made by the students at the time of speaking and writing English, have been

explained in detail.

This book has been divided into two parts. The first part consists of correct uses of active &

passive voice and the second part is related to exercises of voice.

This book is equally useful for aptitude test, advanced learners of English language and

everyone.

Dedicated

To

My Beloved Parents

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

system, or trasmitted in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

recording without the permission of the author.

Contact: spreadeducation100@gmail.com

ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE Voice:

Voice is that form of the verb, which shows whether the subject of the sentence acts or is acted upon; in

other words, whether the subject of the sentence is the doer or the receiver of the action expressed by

the verb.

Active Voice:

When we want the doer to be the subject, the verb is said to be in the active voice.

Passive Voice:

When we want the receiver of the action to be the subject, the verb is said to be in the passive voice.

Principal Verb:

A verb, which expresses a meaning of its own is called a principal verb.

Principal verbs are of two kinds:

1. Transitive

2. Intransitive

Transitive Verb:

A verb is said to be used transitively when it indicates an action, which passes over to an object; in

other words transitive verb is one that can have an object.

For instance:

• He kicked the ball.

Intransitive Verb:

A verb is said to be used intransitively when it indicates an action, which does not pass over to an object.

Since intransitive verb has no object, it cannot be used in passive voice.

For instance:

• Water boils.

Reflexive Verb:

Transitive verbs are sometimes used in such a way that grammatical subject and object denote the same

thing, such verbs are said to be used reflexively; in other words the action bends or turns upon the doer.

For instance:

• He killed himself

Direct & Indirect Object:

Most transitive verbs take one object after them. Some transitive verbs take two objects after them.

One of these objects is usually the name of something is known as direct object, while the other is

usually the name of a person or animal and is known as indirect object. The indirect object comes

before the direct object. When the indirect object is used after the direct object, the indirect object

must be governed by a preposition.

For instance:

He asked the teacher a question.

Indirect object Direct object

He offered a chair to the visitor.

Direct object Indirect object

Active To Passive Voice:

The object of a verb in the active voice becomes the subject of that verb in the passive voice and we use

tenses of the auxiliary be followed by the past participle.

Use Of Passive Voice:

The passive voice is used, when we wish to emphasize a thing done or when the doer is unknown (when

we are not interested in saying who or what does/did it).

For instance:

• ‘My book has been stolen’ is much more usual than ‘A thief has stolen my book’.

Use Of By:

In a passive voice sentence the agent or doer of the action is not usually mentioned, when the agent is

mentioned; it is preceded by “By”.

For instance:

• This house was built in 1970.

• This house was built in 1970 by my grandfather.

Problems

Problem #1:

Verbs used reflexively cannot be used in the passive voice.

For instance:

• She killed herself. (Correct)

• She was killed by herself. (Incorrect)

Problem #2:

When the agent is not expressed in the passive voice, it must be supplied in the active voice.

For instance:

• A promise should be kept. (Passive Voice)

• One should keep one’s promise. (Active Voice)

• My mobile phone has been stolen. (Passive voice)

• Someone has stolen my mobile phone. (Active voice)

Problem #3:

This problem is related to the passive voice of two objects that is direct and indirect object. There are a

few verbs, which take the direct object after them and then indirect object after preposition.

Active Voice Structure: Verb + Direct object + Preposition + Indirect object

If we make passive voice, we will use only direct object as the subject of the passive voice.

For instance:

• Someone has explained the problem to Abdullah. (Active voice)

• The problem has been explained to Abdullah. (Passive voice) (Correct)

• Abdullah has been explained the problem. (Passive voice) (Incorrect)

• We threw eggs at them. (Active voice)

• Eggs were thrown at them. (Passive voice) (Correct)

• They were thrown eggs at. (Passive voice) (Incorrect)

Problem #4:

Possessive pronouns cannot become the subject of the passive voice.

For instance:

• He broke my bike. (Active voice)

• My bike was broken. (Passive voice) (Correct)

• I was bike broken. (Passive voice) (Incorrect)

• I damaged her car. (Active voice)

• Her car was damaged. (Passive voice) (Correct)

• She was car damaged. (Passive voice) (Incorrect)

Problem #5:

When we make passive voice, the preposition cannot be dropped.

For instance:

• Someone listens to him. (Active voice)

• He is listened to. (Passive voice) (Correct)

• He is listened. (Passive voice) (Incorrect)

Problem #6:

In active voice structures (see/make) these verbs are used Object + Infinitive without to and in passive

voice structures to-infinitives are used.

For Instance:

• We saw them come out of the class. (Active voice)

• They were seen to come out of the class. (Passive voice)

PASSIVE VOICE STRUCTURES

Present Indefinite Structure Present Continuous Strcuture

Active voice Sub +V1 + Obj Active voice Sub + is/am/are +V4+ Obj

Passive voice Obj + is/am/are + V3 Passive Voice Obj + is/am/are + being + V3

Present Perfect Structure Past Indefinite Structure

Active voice Sub + has/have + V3 + Obj Active Voice Sub + V2 + Obj

Passive voice Obj + has/have + been +V3 Passive Voice Obj + was/were + V3

Past Perfect Strcuture Past Continuous Structure

Active voice Sub + had + V3 + Obj Active voice Sub + was/were + V4 + Obj

Passive voice Obj + had + been + V3 Passive voice Obj + was/were + being + V3

Future Perfect Structure Future Indefinite Structure

Active voice Sub + will have + V3 + Obj Active voice Sub + will + V1 + Obj

Passive voice Obj + will have + been + V3 Passive voice Obj + will + be + V3

Cases Structures

Active Voice Passive Voice

Be Going To Sub + is/am/are + going to + V1 + Obj Obj + is/am/are + going to + be + V3

Modal & Auxiliary Sub + can/could/may/has to + V1 Obj + can/could/may/has to + be + V3

Past Passive Form Sub + should/must + have + V3 + Obj Obj + should/must + have + been + V3

Passive Of Two Objects Sub + H.V + V + Indirect Obj + Direct Obj Direct Obj + H.V + be/being/been +

V3 + Preposition + Indirect Obj

Sub + H.V + V + Direct Obj + Preposition + Indirect Obj + H.V + be/being/been +

Indirect Obj V3 + Direct Obj

Imeprative Sentences V1 + Obj Let + Obj + be + V3

Whom Who + H.V + V + Obj? By whom + H.V + Obj + be/being

been + V3?

Verbs With Prepositions Sub + H.V + V + Preposition + Obj Obj + H.V + be/being/been + V3 +

Preposition

Infinitive Objects Sub + H.V + V + Infinitive + Obj It + H.V + be/being/been + V3 +

Infinitive + Obj

EXERCISES OF ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE

Exercise of Present Indefinite Exercise of Present Continuous

He plays cricket daily. Everyone is riding the bikes.

Cricket is played daily. The bikes are being ridden.

Students don't read the magazines in the library. No one is operating computer.

Magazines are not read in the library. Computer is not being operated.

Is football played here? He is being listened to.

Does anyone play football here? Someone is listening to him.

Exercise of Present Perfect Exercise of Past Indefinite

I have informed him. Saif told the stories.

He has been informed. The stories were told.

A car has been given to him by me. Someone broke the mirror.

I have given a car to him. The mirror was broken.

I have explained the situation to him. The books were sold in the market by them.

The situation has been explained to him. They sold the books in the market.

Exercise of Past Continuous Exercise of Past Perfect

A student was studying books. My mother had helped me.

Books were being studied. I had been helped by my mother.

The door was being opened by Abdullah. The books had been written by him.

Abdullah was opening the door. He has written the books.

He was not closing the door. The police had arrested him.

The door was not being closed. He had been arrested.

Exercise of Future Indefinite Exercise of Future Perfect

Your tricks will not fool me. The mechanic will have repaired the bike.

I will not be fooled by your tricks. The bike will have been repaired.

Areeb will break the cup. The birds will have been shot by them.

The cup will be broken by Areeb. They will have shot the birds.

Exercise of Two Objects Exercise of Imperative Sentences

He told me a story Open the window.

I was tolad a story by him. Let the window be opened.

A story was told me by him. Let the guitar be played.

He will lend me a book. Play the guitar.

I will be lent a book. Don't smoke the cigarettes in the office.

A book will be lent me. You are ordered not to smoke the cigarettes

in the office.

Exercise of Whom Exercise of Verbs with Prepositions

Who broke the window? Someone is listening to the songs.

By whom was the window broken? The songs are being listened to.

Who teaches English here? Everyone has looked at the plan.

By whom is English taught here? The plan has been looked at.

Who told you?

By whom were you told?

Exercise of Infinitive Objects Exercise of Going To

We decided to meet in the evening. I am going to help him.

It was decided to meet in the evening. He is going to be helped by me.

Are you planning to marry next year? The teacher is going to explain the lesson to us.

Is it being planned to marry next year? The lesson is going to be explained to us by

the teacher.

Exercise of Modal & Auxiliary Exercise of Modals & Auxiliary

Adeefa can speak Urdu and English. The police should have arrested them.

Urdu and English can be spoken by Adeefa. They should have been arrested.

Mechanic has to repair my bike. He must have told everyone in the class.

My bike has to be repaired. Everyone must have been told in the class.

EXERCISES OF ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE

Exercise #1

Chnge the voice.

1. He is writing an essay.

2. Shekespeare wrote that play.

3. The farmer’s wagon was being pulled by two horses.

4. The teacher is going to give a lecture.

5. She has suggested a new idea.

6. Customers are served by waiters.

7. Azan is preparing that report.

8. My father is building the house.

9. He has been tortured.

10. Abudllah will invite him.

11. Saif has returned the book to the library.

12. The song was sung by me.

13. The president will have made the announcement.

14. He has done his job.

15. She has informed everyone.

Exercise #2

Change the voice.

1. Nothing has been shared by us.

2. I made him write a letter.

3. A promise should be kept.

4. He decided to go there.

5. You are requested to offer five times prayer.

6. The kashmiries are being attacked by indian army.

7. Is she washing the clothes?

8. He has been installed as a manager by the CEO.

9. They will be beaten in the street.

10. He must have broken the doors.

11. Who told you?

12. They have been abducted yesterday.

13. She taught that lesson.

14. I was informed by her.

15. He doesn’t play cricket.

Exercise #3

Change the active to passive if possible.

1. His cat died two months ago.

2. Noman dropped the cup.

3. A hurricane destroyed the small village.

4. A strange thing happend yesterday.

5. Dinosaurs existed millions years ago.

6. The children seemed happy when they went to zoo.

7. Ronaldinio scored the winning goal.

8. One of the students always erased the white board.

9. Who developed that theory?

10. It is raining in karachi.

11. He was walking to the river.

12. The manager interviewed me.

13. She will go to school tomorrow.

14. The birds fly in the air.

15. The pilot flies the plane.

Note:

In exercise #3 the sentences 1, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13 and 14 cannot be changed because these are

intransitive verbs.