This discussion of the important types of Changing Voice are suitable for the language learners, the academic students (High School to College level) & Recruitment Tests.
Voice is an important element of English Grammar. It also helps us to improve English Language. However, now I am discussing voice step by step for the readers' interest.
Definition:
Example: He does the work. The work is done by him. Here verb is expressed in two ways- Active & Passive. So from that sense voice is of two kinds.
1. Active voice:
It is the form of a verb which is used to say what the subject does.Example: He plays cricket.
She cooks food.
2. Passive Voice:
It is such an expression of verb that when the subject of a verb doesn't act, that's why, it remains silent and the function of objects fall upon that verb.Example: It was done by me.
This was said by him.
How to make a voice(Active to passive)- Short Tactics
1. Change the object into the subject.
2. Helping Verbs( According to tense)
3. Past Participle of verbs
4. Preposition: by (generally 'by' but preposition depends on voice category)
5. Change the subject into the object.
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| Helping Verbs of Voice |
*** Modal Helping Verbs: can, could, may, might, would, must, should etc.
The short cut way of identifying the helping verbs of voice:
** Active Voice to Passive Voice
1. We will have to add "being" to the helping verbs of all continuous tenses.
As for example- Active: He is doing the work. (Present continuous)
Passive: The work is being done by him
Active: She was writing a letter(Past continuous)
Passive: A letter was being written by her.
Active: I will be doing the sum.(Future continuous)
Passive: The sum will be being done by me.
In the case of Perfect continuous Tense we will also do the same case.
Example-Active: The man has been catching fish. (Present Perfect Continuous)
Passive: Fish has been being caught by the man.
Active: I have been reading the book.
Passive: The book has been being read by me.
Active: I had been teaching them (Past Perfect Continuous)
Passive: They had been being taught by me.
Active: She will have been cooking food.(Future Perfect Continuous)
Passive: Food will have been being cooked by her.
That's why, we can see "being" in the passive voices of all the continuous tenses. In the case of voice we will have to memorize only the helping verbs of tenses. That's okay.
Thus, in the case of all the perfect tenses we will have to add "been".
Example-
Example-
Active: I have got this.
Passive: This has been got by me. (Present Perfect )
Active: He had won the match. (Past Perfect Continuous)
Passive: The match had been won by him.
Active: You will have driven this car. (Future Perfect Continuous)
Passive: This car will have been driven by you.
*Modal + Verb( Active Voice)...........> Modal + be + part participle(Passive)
Active: You should obey your parents.
Passive: Your parent should be obeyed by you.
Active: You must do this.
Passive: This must be done by you.
Active: I am to help him
Passive: He is to be helped by me.
Active: We are to invite you.
Passive: You are to be invited by us.
Important Items of Voice
Voice-01. We know that if there are two verbs in a sentence, generally we add “to” before the 2nd verb. But if “to” is silent from the 2nd verb in active voice, we will have to use “to” before the 2nd verb in the passive voice.
As for example:Active Voice: I watch her play (here “to” is silent from the 2nd verb play).
Passive Voice: She is watched to play by me. (In passive
voice, “to” is used before the 2nd verb play).
Active Voice: I saw him go.
Passive voice: He was seen to go by me.
N.B. if there is ‘let’ as the 2nd verb in a
sentence, in both active & passive voice ‘to’ is silent.
Example: Active Voice: I let him come in.
Passive
Voice: He was let come in by me.
(Here before the 2nd verb ‘to’ is
silent.)
Voice-02. Voice of Present Participle.
We will always do this kind of voice in this way-
1. Object(after the first verb) to subject
3. Past Participle
4. The rest part of the sentence
5. By ( or other preposition depends on verb)
6. Subject to object.
Now look below:
Active Voice: I saw him opening the door.
Passive Voice: He was seen opening the door by me.
(Analysis: How to find out verb in a sentence: we will count the word as
a verb if it is used just after subject)( ‘Saw’ is a verb because it is used
just after subject)
Active Voice: He saw me reading a book
Passive Voice: I was seen reading a book by me.
Let + the object + be + past participle of the verb + extensionVoice-03. Active Voice (with Quasi-passive Verb) to Passive Voice
This voice change can be done in two ways.
1.
a) The subject of this kind of voice is not changeable.
b) ‘to be’ verb + the complement of the verb
c) Then if the subject is singular, when it is and again if the subject is plural- when they are.
d) Past participle of main Verb
b) ‘to be’ verb + the complement of the verb
c) Then if the subject is singular, when it is and again if the subject is plural- when they are.
d) Past participle of main Verb
Example:
Active Voice: Rice sells cheap
Passive Voice: Rice is cheap when it is sold.
(Analysis: here in active voice ‘Rice’ subject is unchangeable’. Then we
use ‘to be’ verb: is. Again we use ‘cheap’ that is the complement of verb ‘sell’.
Then as the subject ‘Rice’ is singular, we
use ‘when it is’. Then we use ‘sold’ that is the past participle of main verb:
sell)
2.
Subject + to be verb (am, is, are, was, were) +
the past participle of the main verb + the complement of the verb.
Example:
Active Voice: Rice sells cheap.
Passive Voice: Rice is sold cheap.
Active Voice: The books read well.
Passive Voice: The books are well when they are read.
Or,
Passive Voice: The books are read well.
Active Voice: The moons look beautiful.
Passive Voice: The moon is beautiful when it is looked
Or,
Passive Voice: The moon is looked beautiful.
** If after the subject, the ‘to be’ verb(am, is, are, was, were) + the past
participle of the verb are present, we can change this kind of active voice into
passive by this following way:
The subject + ‘to be’ verb (am,
is, are, was, were) + being+ the past participle of the verb.
Example:
Active: The house is building.
Passive: The house is being built.
Active: The cows are milking.
Passive: The cows are being milked.
Active: The followers are smiling.
Passive: The followers are being smiled.
Voice-04. Voice of Imperative Sentence
(a) Imperative Sentence Starting with Main Verb
Example:
Active: Do the work.
Passive: Let the work be done.
Active: Shut the door.
Passive: Let the door be shut.
Active: Let the house.
Passive: Let the house be let.
Active: Tell him to go.
Passive: Let him be told to go. ( here 'to go' is extension)
(b) Imperative Sentence Starting with 'Don't'
Let not + object + be + the past participle of the verb + extensionExample:
Active: Don't hate the poor.
Passive: Let not the poor be hated.
Active: Do not play cricket at noon.
Passive: Let not cricket be played at noon ( here 'at noon' is extension)
Active: Take care of your health.
Passive: Let your health be taken care of.
Active: Don't tease him.
Passive: Let him not be teased. (here 'not' is used before noun and after pronoun.)
(c) Imperative Sentence with 'Let'
Let + object + be + past participle + by + object( with 'Let'.)
Example:
Example:
Active: Let him do it.
Passive: Let it be done by him.
Active: Let me help the poor.
Passive: Let the poor be helped by me.
(d) Imperative Sentence with 'Please'
'You are requested to' instead of 'Please' + the rest of the sentence.
Example:
Active: Please come here.
Passive: You are requested to come here.
Active: Please don't waste your time.
Passive: You are requested not to waste your time. ( Please don't = you are requested not to)
Active: Please do what I tell you.
Passive: You are requested to do what you are told by me.
Active: Please write as I tell you.
Passive: You are requested to write as you are told be me.
( in such a type of voice both part of voice are to be changed into passive)
(e) Imperative Sentence with Double Object
Let + direct object + be + past participle of the verb + for + indirect object.
Example:
Active: Buy me a book.
Passive: Let a book be bought for me.
Active: Bring me a dress.
Passive: Let a dress be brought for me.
(here 'me' : indirect object, 'book' and 'dress' are direct object)
Active: Give me the pen.
Passive: Let the pen be given to me.
( here after 'given' the preposition 'to' is to be used and in the case of other verbs, the preposition 'for' used.)
Voice-05. Voice with Reflexive Object
i) Subject is unchangeable + helping verb according to tense + by Reflexive Object(myself, himself, ourselves, themselves, yourselves etc.)
Example:
Example:
Active: You should help yourself.
Passive: You should be helped by yourself.
Active: She praises herself.
Passive: She is praised by herself.
Voice-06: Voice with 'be' verb + to
Verb + to(Active).....................>Verb+ to + be + past participle(passive)Example:
Active: I am to help him
Passive: He is to be helped by me.
Active: We are to invite you.
Passive: You are to be invited by us.
Voice-07. Voice of Intransitive
We know that the intransitive verb can't be changed into passive. But the intransitive verb with cognate object can be changed into Passive.
Example: Active: He ran a race ( here race is cognate object)
Passive: A race was run by him.
Active: He slept a sound sleep.
Passive: A sound sleep was slept by him
Voice-08. Voice of Group Verb
Group verbs act like a transitive verbs. So they can be changed into passive.
Like normal voice we can do the voice of group.
Example: Active: I look after my parents.
(here look after is a group verb & this verb acts like a transitive verb)
Passive: My parents are looked after by me
Active: We talked of them.
Passive: They were talked of by us.
Voice-09. Active Voice(Agree, determine, decide + infinitive+object) into Passive.
i) The subject & verb of active voice are unchangeable.
ii) that (instead of 'to')
iii) object of 'to+verb' into subject
iv)should be
v) past participle of infinitive
Example:
Active: She decides to leave her job
Passive: She decides that her job should be left.
Active: I determined to sell the house.
Passive: I determined that the house should be sold.
Example: Active: I know the man.
Passive: The man is know to me.
Active: He pleased his father.
Passive: His father was pleased with him
Active: His father's death shocked him much.
Passive: He was much shocked at his father's death.
Active: The newspaper contains daily news.
Passive: Daily news is contained in the newspaper.
Active: He annoyed her.
Passive: She was annoyed with him
Active: His behaviour annoyed me.
Passive: I was annoyed at his behaviour.
Active: Smoke filled the room.
Passive: The room was filled with smoke.
Active: The boy satisfied us.
Passive: We were satisfied with the boy.
In complex sentence there will be two clauses. If both the clauses possess the transitive verbs + object/without object, we will have to change the both clauses. But if one clause is transitive, another intransitive, we will only change the clause that has transitive verbs & the other clause will be unchangeable. Please look below.
Active: He told me that he had done his duty.
Passive: I was told that his duty had been done by him
( here as both clauses ' by him' is the same, we use it at the last clause. )
Active: We hope that we can do this work
a) Who/Whom- Voice: In the passive voice 'who' becomes 'by whom' and 'whom' 'who'.
As for example: Active: Who helps me?
Passive: By whom am I helped?
Active: Whom do you want?
Passive: Who is wanted by you?
b) How/ which+ noun/ what/ why- voice:
How, which+ noun, what, why + helping verb according to tense+ past participle + by + subject to object.
Example:
Active: What do you want?
Passive: What is wanted by you?
Active: How do you get it?
Passive: How is got it by you?
At the time of changing Passive to Active, we will take
i) subject understanding the meaning,
ii) Verb ( according to tense),
iii) Object
iv)the rest part of the sentence(if necessary)
Example: Passive: English is spoken all over the world.
Active: People speak English all over the world.
Passive: Rome was not built in a day.
Active: Romans didn't built Rome in a day
ii) that (instead of 'to')
iii) object of 'to+verb' into subject
iv)should be
v) past participle of infinitive
Example:
Active: She decides to leave her job
Passive: She decides that her job should be left.
Active: I determined to sell the house.
Passive: I determined that the house should be sold.
Voice 10. The different prepositions ( without 'by') used in the passive voice.
Generally we use 'by' as preposition at the time of voice changing. But without 'by' we also use other prepositions in the voice changing. Look at the below active & passive voice.Example: Active: I know the man.
Passive: The man is know to me.
Active: He pleased his father.
Passive: His father was pleased with him
Active: His father's death shocked him much.
Passive: He was much shocked at his father's death.
Active: The newspaper contains daily news.
Passive: Daily news is contained in the newspaper.
Active: He annoyed her.
Passive: She was annoyed with him
Active: His behaviour annoyed me.
Passive: I was annoyed at his behaviour.
Active: Smoke filled the room.
Passive: The room was filled with smoke.
Active: The boy satisfied us.
Passive: We were satisfied with the boy.
Voice-11. The Voice of Complex Sentence
In complex sentence there will be two clauses. If both the clauses possess the transitive verbs + object/without object, we will have to change the both clauses. But if one clause is transitive, another intransitive, we will only change the clause that has transitive verbs & the other clause will be unchangeable. Please look below.Active: He told me that he had done his duty.
Passive: I was told that his duty had been done by him
( here as both clauses ' by him' is the same, we use it at the last clause. )
Active: We hope that we can do this work
Passive: It is hoped that this work can be done by us.
( here as the principal clause has no object, while changing voice, we use it as subject. )
Active: I said that Belal is honest.
Passive: It is said me that Belal is honest
Voice-12. Voice of Interrogative Pronoun
As for example: Active: Who helps me?
Passive: By whom am I helped?
Active: Whom do you want?
Passive: Who is wanted by you?
b) How/ which+ noun/ what/ why- voice:
How, which+ noun, what, why + helping verb according to tense+ past participle + by + subject to object.
Example:
Active: What do you want?
Passive: What is wanted by you?
Active: How do you get it?
Passive: How is got it by you?
Voice-13: Passive to Active:
At the time of changing Passive to Active, we will takei) subject understanding the meaning,
ii) Verb ( according to tense),
iii) Object
iv)the rest part of the sentence(if necessary)
Example: Passive: English is spoken all over the world.
Active: People speak English all over the world.
Passive: Rome was not built in a day.
Active: Romans didn't built Rome in a day
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