is, is being, was, will be) + the past participle form of the verb (e.g. In passive voice, the verb is composed of a form of to be (e.g. A main verb is passive when the subject of the sentence is the receiver of the action. To create an authoritative or factual tone. A main verb is active when the subject of the sentence is the doer (or the agent) of the action.For example, ‘I had the feeling that I was being watched.’ - I don’t know who was watching me Because we don't know or do not want to say who performed the action.For example, the castle was built in 1066 - we are interested in the castle, not in who built it. To show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action.Reasons to use the passive voiceĪlthough the active voice is usually the preferred choice, there are sometimes good reasons to use the passive voice: Rewrite the sentence so that the subject in the 'by' phrase is closer to the beginning of the sentence.įor example:‘The exam was passed by the pupil’ would change to ‘The pupil passed the exam’. One way to avoid using the passive voice is to look for a ‘by’ phrase. Who scored the goal? Doesn’t the writer know? Converting sentences to active voice Passive sentences can cause confusion because they can be vague about who is responsible for the action. Active: The teacher collected the books.Passive: The books were collected by the teacher.Rita will be wanting to be invited by Stella.Using the active voice in a sentence often means less words are used than in the passive voice.Rita will want to be invited by Stella.The beggar was being laughed at by the boy.When the opposite is true (i.e., the subject of the sentence is being acted upon by the verb), it is said to be in passive voice. The beggar was being laughed by the boy. Formal Definitions Active and Passive Voice Active voice is a quality of a verb that describes when its subject is acting out the verb.In the following questions, change the Voice into Passive Voice.

Passive Voice – My car will have been sold by me. In the active voice, the subject of a sentence acts, like Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

Active Voice – I shall have my car sold. There are two voices in writing: Active and passive.

Passive Voice – The window pane has been broken by the children.

Active Voice – The children have broken the window pane.

Passive Voice – Your friend is being waited for by you.

Active Voice – You are waiting for your friend.

Passive Voice – I was given flowers by Peter on my birthday.

Active Voice – Peter gave me flowers on my birthday.

Passive Voice – The food is not cooked by her. Solved Questions Change the sentences from Active Voice to Passive Voice Perfect Participle having kept having been kept Perfect Infinitive to have kept to have been kept Past continuous was keeping was being keptĬonditional Present would keep would be keptĬonditional Past would have kept would have been kept Present continuous is keeping is being kept In other words, the subject does the action, and the object receives the action. Read the rules for changing from Active voice to Passive voice in more detail here. What Is Active Voice The active voice is when the subject of a sentence performs an action on an object. The structure of these sentences is different from the others. You can often come across such objects, especially in literary texts. Such sentences often reflect a more literary ambiance. The past participle form of the verb is used as the main verb in passive voice. Passive Voice is used in sentences in which the object affected by the action or situation becomes the subject. When a verb changes from Active Voice to Passive, the subject and object change places with each other. Source – Pinterest Changing the voice from Active to Passive Sentences in Passive Voice are not simple, as more importance is given to the action rather than the subject. It is generally used to show the action, which means that the focus is on the action and not the subject who does the action. Therefore, we can say that the verb is in passive when the subject of the verb is acted upon. Passive Voice – Here, the subject receives the action that is expressed by the verb.

See the structure of Active voice and Passive voice in more detail here. The sentences in Active Voice are simple and easy to understand. So, we can say that a verb is in the active voice when the subject is the doer of the action that is expressed by the verb. It is a pretty straightforward relationship between the subject and the verb. These are the Active and passive.Īctive Voice – Here, the subject performs the action. Grammar Rules for Active and Passive VoiceĪ transitive verb has two forms or two voices.

What is a active voice