This document provides information about active and passive voice in sentences. It defines active voice as having the subject perform the action of the verb, while passive voice has the subject acted upon by the verb. Using passive voice is generally discouraged as it can obscure meaning. The document then gives extensive examples of changing sentences between active and passive voice based on tense, including examples with modal verbs. It also covers changing imperative, interrogative, and negative sentences between active and passive voice.

2. Change of
voice
• When a sentence is written, it can either be
written in active voice or passive voice.
• Active voice is used when the subject performs
the action stated by the verb.
For example: Tom changed the flat tire.
• Passive voice is used when the subject is acted
upon by the verb.
For example: The tire was changed by Tom.
• In most cases, writing sentences in passive voice
is discouraged because it can obscure the
subject of the sentence and confuse the reader.

3. Defining
Active Voice
• Every sentence contains, at minimum, a subject and
an action. The subject is the person or thing the
sentence is about, and the action is what the subject
is doing.
• When a sentence is in active voice, the subject is
performing the action and the subject (typically)
comes before the action in the sentence. For
example:
• I swim.
I is the subject. Swim is the action. The subject doing
the action comes before the action, so it is
immediately clear to the reader who is doing what.

4. Defining
passive voice
• When a sentence is in passive voice, the subject is being acted on
by the verb and the subject typically comes after the action. For
example:
• Swimming is something I do.
Here, the action is swimming. The subject is I. The sentence is in
passive voice, since the person doing the action (I) is not mentioned
until after the action.
• Some sentences also contain objects - the thing being acted upon.
This can make it more difficult to determine whether the sentence is in
passive voice. For example, here is a sentence in active voice:
• Anna hits the ball.
Anna is the subject. Hits is the action. The ball is the object.
• That same sentence in passive voice reads:
• The ball is hit by Anna.
The ball is the object, not the subject of the sentence. The ball is not
doing an action. Therefore, it should be after the subject (Anna).

5. Structure of
sentence
ACTIVE VOICE
Subject + Verb + Object
• Example:
I write articles.
PASSIVE VOICE
Object + be verb+ verb’s past participle + by+
subject
• Example:
Articles are written by me.

6. EXAMPLES
She praises me.
(Active)
I am praised by
her. (Passive)
She praised me.
(Active)
I was praised by
her. (Passive)
She will praise
me. (Active)
I shall be praised
by her. (Passive)
She is praising
me. (Active)
I am being
praised by her.
(Passive)
She is praising
him. (Active)
He is being
praised by her.
(Passive)
She was praising
me. (Active)
I was being
praised by her.
(Passive)
She will be
praising me.
(Active)
I shall be being
praised by her.
(Passive)
She has praised
him. (Active)
He has been
praised by her.
(Passive)
She had praised
me. (Active)
I had been
praised by her.
(Passive)
he will have
praised me.
(Active)
I shall have been
praised by her.
(Passive)

7. OTHER RULES
• If the sentence uses May/might/can/could/must/ought to/going
to then the passive sentence is formed as below
• Object’s subject+ may/might/can/could/ must/ought to/going to+
be+ Verb’s past participle+ by+ subject’s object
• Example:
• You must write the poem. (Active)
• The poem must be written by you. (Passive)
• She may help you. (Active)
• You may be helped by her. (Passive)
• We ought to obey our parents. (Active)
• Our parents ought to be obeyed by us. (Passive)
• We are going to organize a party. (Active)
• A party is going to be organized by us. (Passive)

8. Imperative
Sentence
• Main verb+ sentence
Let+ Object’s subject + be+ verb’s past participle
• Example:
• Write the article. (Active)
• Let the article be written. (Passive)
• Prepare the assignment. (Active)
• Let the assignment be prepared. (Passive)
• Do not
• Let not + Object’s subject + be+ verb’s past participle
• Example:
• Do not write the article. (Active)
• Let not the article be written. (Passive)
• Do not prepare the assignment. (Active)
• Let not the assignment be prepared. (Passive)

9. Imperative
sentences
• Sentence “Let” personal object + me/us/him/her/you/them
• Let+ Object’s subject + be + verb’s past participle+ personal object
• Example:
• Let me write the article. (Active)
• Let the article be written by me. (Passive)
• Let him write the letter. (Active)
• Let the letter be written by him. (Passive)
• Never sentences
• Let not + Object’s subject + ever be + verb’s past participle
• Example:
• Never deceive anyone. (Active)
• Let not anyone ever be deceived. (Passive)
• Never go there. (Active)
• Let not there ever be gone. (Passive)

10. Interrogative
Sentence
• Have you written the article? (Active)
• Has the article been written by you? (Passive)
• Who is writing the poem? (Active)
• By whom is the poem being written? (Passive)
• Whom did you recommend? (Active)
• Who was recommended by you? (Passive)
• What is he doing? (Active)
• What is being done by him? (Passive)
• What does he need? (Active)
• What is needed by him? (Passive)

11. EXERCISE
1.He usually buys the tickets.
2. We booked the flights.
3. He opened the bottle easily.
4. She cleans my shoes.
5. They arrested the burglars.
6. He wrote the note.
7. They washed the car.
8. She found the key.
9. He sold his coin collection.
10. We started a new system.
11. Someone stole his car.
12. They used the towels.
13. We turned on the TV.
14. She served tea at 4.
15. The rain flooded the camp.