3. There are two special forms for
verbs called voice:
Active voice
Passive voice
4. Active voiceActive voice is a grammatical voicegrammatical voice common in
many of the world's languages. It is the unmarkedunmarked
voice for clauses featuring a transitive verbtransitive verb in
nominative–accusative languagesnominative–accusative languages, including
EnglishEnglish and most other Indo-European languagesIndo-European languages
.
Active voice is used in a clause whose subjectsubject
expresses the agentagent of the main verb. That is, the
subject does the action designated by the verb. A
sentence whose agent is marked as grammatical
subject is called an active sentence.
5. The passive voicepassive voice is a grammatical constructiongrammatical construction
in which the subjectsubject of a sentence or clause
denotes the recipient of the action rather than the
performer. In the English languageEnglish language, the EnglishEnglish
passive voicepassive voice is formed with an auxiliaryauxiliary
verbverb (usually be or get) plus a participle (usually
the past participlepast participle) of a transitive verbtransitive verb.
A sentence featuring the passive voice is sometimes
called a passive sentencepassive sentence, and a verb phrase in
passive voice is sometimes called a passive verb.
6. The subject and object are interchanged
The preposition BY is added before the object
The verb is changed to past participle (3rd
form of verb)
A new auxiliary is added to the Past Participle form of
verb.
If the subject or the object in an active voice sentence is a
pronoun (I, we, you, he, she, they, it) it changes: (I-me; we-
us; you-you; he-him; she-her; they-them; it-it) and vice-
versa. e.g. I wrote a letter – A letter was written by me.
The prefect does keep accusing me daily – I am being
accused by the prefect daily.
7. If the subject in the active voice sentence is unknown or
unimportant or obvious, by + object is omitted. We
make butter from cow’s milk. Butter is made from cow’s
milk.
If the verb in the active voice sentence has a modal in it,
the verb is changed to – modal + be + the past participle.
e.g. Rajesh can lift this box. This box can be lifted by
Rajesh. We should obey the rules. The rules should be
obeyed.
When there are two objects, only one object is
interchanged. The second object remains unchanged.
(He told me a story – He- subject; me – object 1; a story
– object 2) ( I was told a story by him; A story was told
to me by him)
8. Active: Simple Present Passive: Simple Present
The movie fascinates me. I am fascinated by the movie.
The movie bores Jack. Jack is bored by the movie.
The movie surprises them. They are surprised by the movie.
9. Active: Simple Past Passive: Simple Past
The movie bored me. I was bored by the movie.
The movie fascinated Jack Jack was fascinated by the movie.
10. Active: Present Continuous Passive: Present Continuous
I am helping Shannon. Shannon is being helped by me.
June is helping Su and Ling Su and Ling are being helped by June.
11. Active: Past Continuous Passive: Past Continuous
I was cleaning the bathroom. The bathroom was being cleaned by me.
They were cleaning the bedroom. The bedroom was being cleaned by
them.
12. Active: Present Perfect Passive: Present Perfect
I have mailed the gift The gift has been mailed by me
Jack has mailed the gifts. The gifts have been mailed by Jack
13. Active: Past Perfect Passive: Past Perfect
Steven Spielberg had directed the movie. The movie had been directed by Steven
Spielberg.
Penny Marshall had directed those
movies.
The movies had been directed by Penny
Marshall.
14. Active: Future Perfect Passive: Future Perfect
John will have finished the project next
month.
The project will have been finished by
next month.
They will have finished the projects
before then.
The projects will have been
finished before then.
16. 8. The accused were sent to jail.
9. The loud noise frightened the baby.
10. The dog chased the cat.
11. The letter was posted yesterday.
12. The oldman takes snuff.
13. The cat drank all the milk.
14. That boy of yours has broken my window again.
15. These shoes of mine pinch me terribly.
17. ANSWERS
1. verb – killed (simple past); voice – active
2. verb – is learning (present continuous); voice –
active
3. verb – was built (simple past); voice – passive
4. verb – has been waiting (present perfect continuous);
voice – active
5. verb – was making (past continuous); voice – active
6. verb – was bitten (simple past); voice – passive
7. verb – was caught (simple past); voice – passive
18. 8. verb – were sent (simple past); voice – passive
9. verb – frightened (simple past); voice – active
10. verb -chased (simple past); voice – active
11. verb – was posted (simple past); voice – passive
12. verb – takes (simple present); voice – active
13. verb – drank (simple past); voice – active
14. verb – has broken (present perfect); voice – active
15. verb – pinch (simple present); voice – active
