I have tried to cover the concept of voices in a very simple way. I hope the readers will learn something new and enjoy it as well.

1. Voices: Active & Passive
Only those active sentences can be changed into passive ones which have transitive verb.
The Transitive Verb
A transitive verbhastwocharacteristics.First,it is an action verb, expressing a doable activity like kick, want,
paint, write, eat, clean, etc. Second, it must have a direct object, something or someone who receives the
action of the verb.
Here are some examplesoftransitive verbs:
1. Radha kicked Rabi under the table.
Kicked = transitive verb; Rabi = direct object.
2. Chetan painted the canvas in contemporary fashion.
Painted = transitive verb; canvas = direct object.
3. Alicia wrote a love poem on a restaurant napkin.
Wrote = transitive verb; poem = direct object.
4. Antonio eats lima beans drenched in brown gravy.
Eats = transitive verb; lima beans = direct object.
5. Pinky cleans the dirty dishes with her brush before Grandma loads the "prewashed" items into
dishwasher.
Cleans, loads = transitive verbs; dishes, items = direct objects.
Important note: When no direct object follows an action verb, the verb is intransitive.
What are intransitive verbs:Intransitive verbsare actionverbs butunlike transitiveverbs,theydo not have an
object receiving the action.
More examples of intransitive verbs:
I laughed.
I cried.
The book fell.
The horse galloped.
The sun set.
In all of the above cases the subject is performing the action of the verb and nothing is receiving the action.
The soundknowledge of the tense is a must for dealing with the voices. Keeping this in view, we have
given a tense –wise study of the topic in detail.
Tense 1 2 3 4
Present Indefinite Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous
Past Indefinite Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous
Future Indefinite Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous
It is clear from the chart that there are in all twelve kinds of tenses. However, out of these kinds, the
following cannot be changed into the passive voice:
a. Present Perfect Continuous
b. Past Perfect Continuous
c. Future Perfect Continuous
d. Future Continuous

2. TENSE WISE STUDY OF THE VOICE
Present Tense
a. Present Indefinite Tense
Clara writes a letter.
The above sentence is in present indefinite and has three requirements:
Subject (S): Clara
First Form of verb (V1): writes
Object (O): a letter
It meansforan active voice inthe presentindefinite tense,we canframe the following formula:
S + V1 + O = Active voice
Method to change it into the passive voice. The five steps:
1. Object takes the position of the subject.
2. Thisis followedbyis/am/are (accordingtothe demandof the new subject-previousobject).
Is/am/are, are helping verbs written as HV in the formula.
3. Is/am/are is followed by the third form of the verb.
4. This form of the verb is followed by ‘by.’
5. ‘By’ is followed by the subject.
Considering the above points, we get the following formula:
O(New Subject) + is/am/are + V3 + by + S(New Object) = Passive Voice
A letter is written by Clara. (Passive Voice)
In this way, you can proceed with any sentence of present indefinite (Assertive only).
b. Present Indefinite (Interrogative)
All interrogative sentences of present indefinite tense start with do/does.
For example:
1. Do I disturb you?
2. Does Zia sing a song?
3. Do they make a chair?
Note:Do/Doesinthe active voice changesintois/am/are in the passive voice according to the demand
of the subject.
For the change of an interrogative sentence of present indefinite into passive voice, we use the
following formula:
Is/am/are + O + V3 + by + S?= Passive voice
Warning: Is/am/are is to be used according to the nature of the object (or new subject) in the above
formula.
Example: Do I disturb you? (Active)
Applying the passive voice formula, the sentence changes as following:
Are you (New Subject) disturbed by me (New Object)?
Note: If the interrogative sentence starts with who, the passive formula will be follows:
Who knocks at the door? (Active)
By whom is the door knocked at? (Passive)
Please remember:
1. Who changes into ‘by whom’.
2. If a verbisfollowedbyaprepositioninthe active voice,the preposition will remain attached to
the verb even in the passive voice. (Note the above example).
c. Present Continuous Tense
Study the following sentence:

3. The above sentence is in the present continuous tense. (Assertive)
The sentence has four requirements:
Subject (S) = Kashi
Helping Verb (HV) = is
Verb (V1 + ing) = writing
Object (O) = a letter
Considering the above points, we get the following formula:
S + HV + V1 + ing + O= Active Voice
Applyall the five pointsof change fromactive topassive andadd‘being’ before V3.We getthe following
formula:
O + is/am/are + being + V3 + by + S = Passive Voice
Now apply the formula to the sentence:
Kasha is writing a letter. (Active)
S HV V1+ing O
A letter is being written by Kashi. (Passive)
O HV being V3 by S
(Here HV means helping verb is/am/are)
d. Present Continuous (Interrogative)
Is Mala writinga letter? (Active)
Is a letter written by Mala? (Passive)
Is/am/are + O + being + V3 + by + S?= Passive Voice
Note:If the interrogativesentence startswithwho,the passive voice formulawillbe asfollows:
Who is writing a letter? (Active)
By whom is a letter being written? (Passive)
By whom+ HV + O + being+ V3?= Passive Voice
e. Present Perfect
Ahmed has written a letter.
This sentence is in present perfect tense and is in the active form. It has four requirements:
Subject (S) Ahmed
Helping Verb (HV) has
Third form of the Verb (V3) written
Object (O) a letter
So the formula for the present perfect (active) will be:
S + HV (has/have) + V3 + O = Active Voice
For changing it into passive voice, apply the five points as given and add ‘been’ before V3.
O (New Subject) + HV (has/have) + been + V3 + by + S (New Object) = Passive Voice
Note: Helping verbs of present perfect are has and have.
Now,whenwe applythisformulawe getpassive voice for‘Ahmedhaswrittenaletter’asunder:
A letter has been written by Ahmed.
f. Present Perfect (Interrogative)
Has Ahmed written a letter?
Has a letter been written by Ahmed?
Has/have + O + been + V3 + by + S? = Passive Voice
If the interrogative sentence starts with who, the passive voice formula is:
By whom + has/have + O + been + V3? = Passive Voice
Who has written the letter? (Active)

4. By whom has the letter been written? (Passive)
Past Tense
a. Past Indefinite
Sachin wrote a letter.
S + V2 + O
b. Past Continuous
Sachin was writing a letter.
S + was/were + V1 + ing + O
c. Past Perfect
Sachin had written a letter.
S + had + V3 + O
Notes:
1. All the above formulas are for the active voice.
2. Interrogative sentences of the above tense can be obtained by shifting the position of
the HV before the subject.
Chart Showing Transformation from Active to Passive in Past Tense
Tense form Active voice formula Passive voice formula
Indefinite Sachin wrote a letter.
S + V2 + O
A letter was written by Sachin.
O was/were V3 by S
(New Subject) (New Object)
Continuous Sachin was writing a letter.
S was/were V1+ing O
A letter was being written by Sachin.
O was/were being V3 by S
(New Subject) (New Object)
Perfect Sachin had written a letter.
S had V3 O
A letter had been written by Sachin.
O had been V3 by S
(New Subject) (New Object)
Future Tense
Similarly,we neednotstudytransformationfromactive topassive voice in the case of the future tense
in detail. We can prepare a chart and understand this very well.
Study the following chart carefully:
Chart Showing Transformation from Active to Passive in Future Tense
Tense form Active voice formula Passive voice formula
Indefinite Zia will sing a song.
S will/shall V1 O
A song will be sung by Zia.
O will/shall be V3 by S
(New Subject) (New Object)
Perfect Zia will have sung a song.
S will/shall have V3 O
A song will have been sung by Zia.
O will/shall have been V3 by S
(New Subject) (New Object)
Notes:
1. Interrogative in active as well as passive can be obtained by shifting the position of the HV
(will/shall) before the subject.
2. Has or had cannot be usedaftershall or will.Alwaysuse have aftertheminfuture perfecttense.
3. Future continuous cannot be changed into the passive voice.

5. SOME DISCUSSION ON VOICE
1. Sometimes we have two objects in active sentences. In such cases two passive sentences are
possible.
I gave your watch to him. (Active)
In the above sentence there are two objects i.e., your watch and him.
Naturally two passive sentences are possible:
a. Your watch was given to him by me.
b. He was given your watch by me.
2. Sometimes we get active sentences starting with:
‘It is time to ….’ or ‘It was time to ….’. We should use the following formula for changing such
sentences into passive voice:
It is/was + time + for + noun + to + be + V3.
Example:
a. It is time to take the medicine.
It is time for the medicine to be taken.
b. It is time to take the action.
It is time for the action to be taken.
Mark the following:
3. Some imperative sentences can be changed into the passive voice by using let.
Obey your parents.
Let the parents be obeyed by you.
4. If an active sentence starts with They say or People say, it is changed into the passive voice by
using It is said.
For example:
They say that God is omnipresent.
It is said that God is omnipresent.
5. SometimesV3ispassive voice isnotfollowedby‘by’,because of the special nature of the verb.
Use of the preposition in such case is determined by the nature of the verb. Some of them are
given below:
a. Known to
b. Contained in
c. Interested in
d. Satisfied with
e. Surprised at
f. Annoyed at
6. In imperative type of sentences, we proceed as follows:
You are requested/ordered/advised/prayed + to V1 +……….
Example:
a. Please help me with some money.
You are requested to help me with some money.
b. Leave the class at once.
You are ordered to leave the class at once.
c. Work hard for a better tomorrow.
You are advised to work hard for a better tomorrow.
7. If in an active sentence,the verbisfollowedbyapreposition,the preposition must be retained
in the passive voice.
He knocks at the door.
The door is knocked at by him.
To + V1
(Active)
To + be + V3
(Passive)
To take
(Active)
To be taken
(Passive)
To do
(Active)
To be done
(Passive)

6. Passage 1
(Home Assignment)
Read the following passage and try to answer all the questions of the passage:
When we talk of education in our present age, we think largely in terms of schools and colleges. The
man whose well-to-do spends money in sending his son to foreign lands, in the belief that some
wonderful process will take place there transforms a dull fellow into a genius. Yet, the products of
expensive schoolsand universities often fail to make good. On the other hand, the poor man who has
struggled against adversity often earns the highest honors. The fact is that the true background of
early educationis home.The home,the influence ofthe mother, the example that are held before the
child at an age while he is impressionable; all these are the true ground-work of character.
a. A ‘well-to-do’ man sends his son to foreign lands:
1. So that the son may learn the customs of those countries.
2. In order to make him familiar with the persons and places of those countries.
3. In the belief that his dull son will change into genius.
4. Because it is the fashion of the day.
b. The highest honor is earned by:
1. The son of a well-to-do man.
2. A person who has seen only prosperity.
3. A man who has struggled against adversity.
4. A man who has received education in a foreign country.
c. True background of early education is:
1. A school
2. A college
3. A temple
4. The home.
d. Who can help in our character building?
1. A foreign university
2. Example of parents
3. A ‘well-to-do’ man
4. A man who has seen prosperity