2. Meaning of
Voice
Voice is the form a verb takes to
indicate whether the subject of the
verb performs or receives the action.
There are two types of voice: active
voice and passive voice.
3. ACTIVE VOICE
Active voice is used to show
that the subject of the
sentence is performing or
causing the action.
Example:
Maria eats candy.
Sophia swept the floor.
4. PASSIVE VOICE
Passive voice is used when the subject is
the recipient of the action.
Only sentence which has a transitive verb
that can be changed into PASSIVE
Example:
Candy is eaten (by Maria).
The floor was swept (by Sophia).
5. USING PASSIVE VOICE
When intentionally trying to hide the subject
of the sentence.
For example: The money was stolen by
someone.
Hiding the subject helps him/her hide the
blame.
When passive voice better emphasizes the
main point of the message, such as “Children
were harmed by the drunk driver.”
6. PATTERN OF PASSIVE VOICE
To be + V3
1.Present Tense is, am, are +
V3
2.Past Tense was were + V3
7. EXAMPLE
Active Passive
1. Lucy eats bread.
2. Lucy doesn’t eat bread.
3. Does Lucy eat bread?
1. Bread is eaten by Lucy (someone).
2. Bread is not eaten by Lucy (someone).
3. Is bread eaten by Lucy (someone)?
Present Tense
To be ( is/ am/ are) + V3
8. EXAMPLE
Past Tense
Active Passive
1. Mother opened the door.
2. Mother didn’t open the door.
3. Did mother open the door?
1. The door was opened.
2. The door wasn’t opened.
3. Was the door opened?
To be ( was/ were) + V3
9.
10.
11. Let’s Practice
Label the following sentences whether ACTIVE or PASSIVE.
1. Rony writes the letter.
2. Emma brings some meals.
3. Uncle bought a new car.
4. Pizza is made by me.
5. Shoes are bought by mother.
6. Father hit the ball.
7. The books were stolen by someone.
8. The window was closed.
9. The shop opens at 9 a.m.
10. Mother doesn’t have money.
12. Rewrite the following paragraph
in the active voice.
Last summer our house was painted by me. First, the
exterior was washed using warm water and a mild
detergent. Then all of the chinks in the walls were sealed
with putty. After the putty had had a chance to dry, the
exterior could be painted. A latex paint was used because it
is easy to apply and cleans up with water. A whole week was
needed to finish this part of the job. A color was used that
was very close to the original color. When the job was
finished, a great deal of satisfaction was felt by me. Even my
dad said that a good job was done.
