Active and Passive Voice

1. UNDERSTANDING
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE
VOICE
VOICES OF VERBS

2. WARM UP!
• Identify the doer of the action in the given
sentences. Where are they located?
1. Mrs. Sommers selected a black pair and looked
at them very long and closely.
2. She handed the girl a five-dollar bill.

3. • The normal order of writing sentences is
you begin with the subject or the doer of
the action. This could mean that the
person or thing is emphasized.

4. NOW ANALYZE THIS!
1.A black pair of stockings was selected by
Mrs. Sommers.
2. A five dollar bill was handed to the girl
by Mrs. Sommers.

5. • Where can you find the doer of the
action? It is in the predicate part now.
That could mean that you are no
longer emphasizing the person or thing
doing the action.

10. • The verb in the sentence is in active voice if
the sentence construction begins with the doer
of the action.
• The doer of the action is Mrs. Sommers,
written in the subject part (in the beginning)
and then the receiver of the action (direct
object), which is the black pair, written in the
predicate part.

11. Mr. Reyes teaches us grammar.
doer verb receiver

12. THEREFORE!
• The sentence is in active voice because the
doer of the action, Mr. Reyes comes first
before the receiver of the action, grammar.
This means that there is an emphasis on
the agent or the doer more than the
receiver of the action of teaching.

14. • Whereas, the verb is in the passive
voice when the construction of the
sentence begins with the receiver of the
action and ends with the doer, in the
predicate part.

15. Grammar is taught to us by Mr.
Reyes.

16. THERE ARE SOME CHANGES!
•The receiver of the action comes first before the
doer. Also, the change in the verb also takes place.
From the simple present, teaches, it becomes past
participle taught, which is introduced by a linking
verb (be-verbs). The doer of the action is
introduced by the preposition “by.”

17. TRANSFORMING THE VERBS INTO
PASSIVE VOICE:
Number of Subjects Present Past Future
Singular is + past
participle of
the verb
was + past
participle of
the verb
will + be +past
participle of the
verb
Plural are + past
participle of
the verb
were + past
participle of
the verb
will + be + past
participle of the
verb

19. REMEMBER!
• This only applies when the sentences
in the active voice are in its simple
tenses (simple present, simple past,
and simple future).

20. • The rule in changing the verbs will differ if the
active voice uses verbs in its Perfect Tenses
(Present Perfect, Past Perfect, and Future
Perfect).
• Different rule also applies when the active voice
uses verbs in continuous form (Present
Continuous, Past Continuous, and Future
Continuous).