ACTIVE VOICE TO PASSIVE VOICE (CHANGING RULES AND PRACTICE) FOR ELEMENTARY LEVEL

What is ‘Active Voice and Passive Voice?’

Active voice and passive voice are two different ways to express the action in a sentence.

Active Voice: In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. It is straightforward and direct.

Example: Active Voice: The dog chased the ball.

In this sentence, "the dog" is the subject that performs the action of chasing the ball.

Passive Voice: In passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. The focus is on the recipient of the action rather than the doer.

Example: Passive Voice: The ball was chased by the dog.

In this sentence, "the ball" is the subject that receives the action of being chased. The doer of the action, which is the dog, is mentioned using the preposition "by."

So, to summarize:

• Active voice: The subject performs the action.
• Passive voice: The subject receives the action.

It's important to note that not all sentences can be transformed from active to passive voice, and vice versa. The choice between active and passive voice depends on the emphasis and the desired focus of the sentence. When the AV verb is transitive, the change to PV can be done.

How to change AV to PV?

To change an active voice (AV) sentence to passive voice (PV), you can follow these steps:

1. Identify the subject, verb, and object in the active sentence.
2. Move the object to the beginning of the sentence. It will become the new subject of the passive sentence.
3. Use the appropriate form of the verb "to be" (is, am, are, was, were) according to the tense of the active sentence and the subject of the passive sentence.
4. Add the past participle form of the main verb after the verb "to be."
5. If necessary, add the preposition "by" followed by the doer of the action (optional in some cases).

Here's an example to illustrate the process:

Active Voice: The cat chased the mouse.

1. Subject: The cat
2. Verb: chased
3. Object: the mouse

Passive Voice: The mouse was chased by the cat.

In this example, we followed the steps:

1. Object (the mouse) becomes the new subject.
2. Used the appropriate form of "to be" (was).
3. Added the past participle form of the verb "chased" (chased).
4. Added the preposition "by" followed by the doer of the action (the cat).

The cat                chased                 the mouse.

(Sub)                      (Verb)                  (Object)

The mouse          was chased          by the cat.

(Obj as Sub)         (Verb in be+V3)       (by+doer)

Here is a table that shows the corresponding "to be" forms in active voice (AV) and passive voice (PV) for different tenses:

Tense	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Simple Present	base form of the verb	am/are/is + past participle(en/ed)
Simple Past	past form of the verb	was/were + past participle(en/ed)
Simple Future	will/shall + base form of the verb	will be + past participle(en/ed)
Present Continuous	am/are/is + present participle(ing)	am/are/is being + past participle(en/ed)
Past Continuous	was/were + present participle(ing)	was/were + being + past participle(en/ed)
Present Perfect	have/has + past participle(en/ed)	have/has + been + past participle(en/ed)
Past Perfect	had + past participle(en/ed)	had + been + past participle(en/ed)
Future Perfect	will have + past participle(en/ed)	will + have + been + past participle(en/ed)
Modal Verbs (can, could, may, might, must, etc.)	modal + base form of the verb	modal + be + past participle(en/ed)

Please note that the table provides a general guide, but there may be variations and exceptions in specific cases. Also, keep in mind that the past participle form of the main verb is added after the "to be" form in the passive voice.

Change the AV to PV for the following sentences:

1. Simple Present:
• She loves her dog.
• They clean their room.
• He opens the door.
• The teacher explains the lesson.
2. Simple Past:
• She watched a movie yesterday.
• They baked cookies for the party.
• He fixed his bike last week.
• The cat chased a mouse.
3. Simple Future:
• She will call her friend tomorrow.
• They will buy a new car.
• He will finish his homework tonight.
• The team will win the game next Sunday.
4. Present Continuous:
• She is painting a picture.
• They are playing soccer.
• He is reading a book.
• The chef is cooking dinner.
5. Past Continuous:
• She was playing games all night.
• They were cleaning the house.
• He was playing the guitar at the party.
• The kids were laughing at the joke.
6. Present Perfect:
• She has visited Paris before.
• They have seen that movie already.
• He has bought a new computer.
• The team has won the championship.
7. Past Perfect:
• She had finished her dinner before the guests arrived.
• They had already read the book.
• He had completed the project by the deadline.
• The company had achieved the sales target for the year.
8. Future Perfect:
• She will have painted the picture by next year.
• They will have finished their trip by the end of the month.
• He will have saved enough money for a new car by the summer.
• The team will have scored ten goals by the end of the season.

9.      Can:

• She can solve the puzzle.
• They can bake a delicious cake.
• He can fix the car.
• The dog can fetch the ball.

10.   Could:

• She could play the piano.
• They could answer the question.
• He could paint a beautiful picture.
• The cat could catch the mouse.

11.   May:

• She may write a letter to her friend.
• They may buy a new laptop.
• He may cook dinner for the family.
• The students may complete their assignments.

12.   Might:

• She might take a photograph of the sunset.
• They might adopt a pet from the shelter.
• He might repair the broken chair.
• The bird might build a nest in the tree.

13.   Will:

• She will read a book to her sister.
• They will clean their room.
• He will invite his friends to the party.
• The teacher will grade the exams.

14.   Would:

• She would lend her bicycle to her cousin.
• They would help their neighbor with gardening.
• He would write a letter to his grandparents.
• The children would feed the ducks at the pond.

15.   Shall:

• She shall cook dinner for the family.
• They shall complete the project by tomorrow.
• He shall mow the lawn in the afternoon.
• The students shall submit their assignments on time.

16.   Should:

• She should read a book to improve her vocabulary.
• They should practice playing the guitar.
• He should fix the leaking faucet.
• The students should submit their reports to the teacher.

 

When the AV sentence is an interrogative (Yes/No type):

To change a yes/no type interrogative sentence from active voice to passive voice, follow these steps:

1. Identify the subject and object of the active voice sentence. The subject is the one performing the action, and the object is the one receiving the action.
2. Move the object of the active voice sentence to the beginning of the passive voice sentence. This object will become the subject of the passive voice sentence.
3. Place the auxiliary verb "be" in the appropriate tense before the subject. The tense of the auxiliary verb depends on the tense of the active voice sentence.
4. Change the main verb of the active voice sentence to its past participle form.
5. If there is an auxiliary verb in the active voice sentence, include it in the passive voice sentence as well.
6. Add the word "by" followed by the doer (the one who performs the action) at the end of the sentence.
7. Finally, rephrase the sentence to make it a yes/no type interrogative by using an appropriate question tag.

Here's an example to illustrate the process:

Active Voice: Did they finish the project? Passive Voice: Was the project finished by them?

In this example, we follow the steps outlined above:

1. Subject (active voice): they Object (active voice): the project
2. Object becomes the subject (passive voice): the project
3. Auxiliary verb "be" (appropriate tense): was
4. Past participle of the main verb: finished
5. No auxiliary verb in the active voice sentence.
6. Doer: them
7. Rephrase the sentence to a yes/no type interrogative: Was the project finished by them?

Note: In some cases, it might not be possible to identify the doer of the action. In such cases, you can omit the doer or use a phrase like "by someone" or "by people" instead.

Change the AV to PV for the following sentences:

 

1. Did she eat the apple?
2. Will he complete the assignment?
3. Can they solve the puzzle?
4. Has he finished his work?
5. Are they watching a movie?
6. Did she bake a cake?
7. Will they deliver the package?
8. Can he fix the computer?
9. Did she read the book?
10. Will they invite us to the party?

 

When the AV sentence is an interrogative (Wh- type):

To change a Wh-type interrogative sentence from active voice to passive voice, follow these steps:

1. Identify the subject, object, and the verb of the active voice sentence. The subject is the one performing the action, the object is the one receiving the action, and the verb is the action itself.
2. Move the object of the active voice sentence to the beginning of the passive voice sentence. This object will become the subject of the passive voice sentence.
3. Place the auxiliary verb "be" in the appropriate tense before the subject. The tense of the auxiliary verb depends on the tense of the active voice sentence.
4. Change the main verb of the active voice sentence to its past participle form.
5. If there is an auxiliary verb in the active voice sentence, include it in the passive voice sentence as well.
6. Add the word "by" followed by the doer (the one who performs the action) at the end of the sentence.
7. Rearrange the sentence to form a grammatically correct passive voice question.

Here's an example to illustrate the process:

Active Voice: What did they eat for dinner? Passive Voice: What was eaten for dinner by them?

In this example, we follow the steps outlined above:

1. Subject (active voice): they Object (active voice): What Verb (active voice): eat
2. Object becomes the subject (passive voice): What
3. Auxiliary verb "be" (appropriate tense): was
4. Past participle of the main verb: eaten
5. Auxiliary verb (active voice): did
6. Doer: by them
7. Rearranged sentence: What was eaten for dinner by them?

Note: The passive voice of a Wh-type interrogative sentence may not be common in usage, as it can sound less natural. However, the steps above can be followed to construct a grammatically correct passive voice question.

Change the AV to PV for the following sentences:

1. What did she eat for dinner?
2. Where will he take his family on vacation?
3. Who did they invite to the party?
4. How did he solve the difficult problem?
5. When will they finish the project?
6. What book did she lend to her friend?
7. Who is driving the red car?
8. How did they prepare the delicious meal?
9. What movie did he watch last night?
10. Who gave you that beautiful gift?

When the AV sentence is an imperative sentence:

Imperative sentences in active voice are commands or requests. They typically do not have a specific subject mentioned but are directed towards the listener or a general audience. To change an imperative sentence from active voice to passive voice, you can follow these steps:

1. Identify the action verb in the active voice imperative sentence.
2. Add "Let" or "Let's" at the beginning of the sentence to introduce the passive voice form.
3. Use the auxiliary verb "be" in the appropriate tense after "Let" or "Let's".
4. Change the verb to its past participle form.
5. If there is a specific subject mentioned in the active voice imperative sentence, it becomes the agent in the passive voice sentence and is preceded by "by".

Here's an example to illustrate the process:

Active Voice: Close the door. Passive Voice: Let the door be closed.

In this example, we follow the steps outlined above:

1. Action verb: Close
2. Introduction: Let
3. Auxiliary verb "be" (appropriate tense): be
4. Past participle of the verb: closed
5. No specific subject mentioned, so no agent mentioned in the passive voice sentence.
6. Rearranged sentence: Let the door be closed.

Note: Imperative sentences are more commonly used in active voice as commands or requests, and the passive voice is not typically used to express imperatives.

Change the AV to PV for the following sentences:

1. Open the window.
2. Pass me the salt.
3. Clean your room.
4. Submit your assignment.
5. Pay the bill.
6. Take out the trash.
7. Call your mother.
8. Read the book.
9. Cook dinner for us.
10. Write a letter to your friend.

THE PRONOUN CHANGE:

Active Voice	Passive Voice
I	Me
We	Us
You	You
He	Him
She	Her
It	It
They	Them

 

PRACTICE:

1. The dog chased the cat.
2. The chef prepared a delicious meal.
3. The children played soccer in the park.
4. The scientist conducted an experiment.
5. The artist created a stunning painting.
6. The manager approved the project proposal.
7. The teacher assigned homework to the students.
8. The author wrote a bestselling novel.
9. The gardener watered the plants.
10. The doctor examined the patient.
11. The coach trained the athletes.
12. The musician played a beautiful melody.
13. The mechanic fixed the car.
14. The photographer captured the moment.
15. The students presented their projects.
16. The police officer directed traffic.
17. The volunteers cleaned the beach.
18. The director filmed the movie in New York.
19. The parents celebrated their child's birthday.
20. The engineer designed a new bridge.
21. The librarian organized the books.
22. The waiter served the food.
23. The children built a sandcastle.
24. The nurse assisted the doctor.
25. The editor reviewed the manuscript.
26. The athlete broke the record.
27. The team celebrated their victory.
28. The baker baked fresh bread.
29. The friends planned a surprise party.
30. The technician installed the software.
31. The professor lectured on the topic.
32. The kids drew pictures with crayons.
33. The family visited the museum.
34. The author signed copies of her book.
35. The florist arranged the flowers.
36. The accountant prepared the financial report.
37. The firefighter rescued the cat from the tree.
38. The singer performed at the concert.
39. The students studied for the exam.
40. The designer created a new fashion line.
41. The child read a story to her doll.
42. The chef baked a cake for the event.
43. The company announced a new policy.
44. The athlete trained hard for the competition.
45. The neighbors helped each other with yard work.
46. The teacher explained the lesson clearly.
47. The dog barked at the mailman.
48. The artist exhibited her work at the gallery.
49. The family enjoyed a picnic in the park.
50. The scientist published her findings in a journal.