Active and Passive Voice
Subject: English | Topic: Active and Passive Voice
For TLT, ECT, PST, JEST & All Competitive Exams
In our last topic, we studied Tenses — how verbs change form to show time. Now we look at Voice, which shows whether the subject of a sentence performs the action or receives the action. Voice change is one of the most frequently tested grammar topics in TLT, ECT, PST, and JEST exams.
What is Voice?
Voice is the form of a verb that shows the relationship between the subject and the action. English has two voices: Active Voice and Passive Voice.
- Active Voice: the subject performs the action. Example: "Ali writes a letter."
- Passive Voice: the subject receives the action. Example: "A letter is written by Ali."
Active vs Passive Voice
Basic Rules to Change Voice
- The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- The main verb changes to its past participle (V3) form.
- A form of "to be" (is, am, are, was, were, has been, will be, etc.) is added before the V3, matching the tense.
- The subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence, introduced by "by".
Voice Change in Different Tenses
| Tense | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Present Indefinite | Ali writes a letter. | A letter is written by Ali. |
| Present Continuous | Ali is writing a letter. | A letter is being written by Ali. |
| Present Perfect | Ali has written a letter. | A letter has been written by Ali. |
| Past Indefinite | Ali wrote a letter. | A letter was written by Ali. |
| Past Continuous | Ali was writing a letter. | A letter was being written by Ali. |
| Past Perfect | Ali had written a letter. | A letter had been written by Ali. |
| Future Indefinite | Ali will write a letter. | A letter will be written by Ali. |
| Future Perfect | Ali will have written a letter. | A letter will have been written by Ali. |
Sentences That Cannot Be Changed to Passive Voice
Sentences with intransitive verbs (verbs that do not take an object) cannot be changed into passive voice, since there is no object to become the new subject. Example: "She sleeps" cannot be made passive, because "sleeps" has no object.
Why This Topic Matters
Voice change questions test whether a student understands both tense and sentence structure together, making this one of the most combined and high-weightage grammar topics in TLT, ECT, PST, and JEST exams.
Practice MCQs
1. Change into passive voice: "She writes a story."
a) A story is written by her b) A story was written by her c) A story writes by her d) A story has written by her
2. Change into passive voice: "He is reading a book."
a) A book is read by him b) A book was read by him c) A book is being read by him d) A book has been read by him
3. Which of these sentences is in Passive Voice?
a) The cat chased the mouse b) The mouse was chased by the cat c) The cat is chasing the mouse d) The cat will chase the mouse
4. Change into passive voice: "They have completed the project."
a) The project is completed by them b) The project was completed by them c) The project has been completed by them d) The project will be completed by them
5. Which type of verb cannot be changed into passive voice?
a) Transitive verb b) Intransitive verb c) Auxiliary verb d) Modal verb
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