Active and passive voice describe two ways of organizing a sentence. In active voice, the subject performs the action. In passive voice, the receiver of the action becomes the grammatical subject. This lesson explains the rules, tense structures and common mistakes through 33 solved examples and a practice exercise for 9th Class English.
Difference Between Active and Passive Voice
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| The subject performs the action. | The subject receives the action. |
| Ali writes a letter. | A letter is written by Ali. |
| Usually clearer and more direct. | Useful when the action or receiver is more important than the doer. |
Basic Rules for Changing Voice
- Identify the subject, verb and object.
- Move the object of the active sentence into the subject position.
- Use the correct form of be according to the original tense.
- Change the main verb to its past participle or third form.
- Move the original subject after by only when the agent is useful.
- Keep the original meaning and tense.
Formula:
Active: Subject + verb + object
Passive: Object + appropriate form of be + past participle + optional by-agent
When Passive Voice Is Not Normally Possible
Only transitive verbs—verbs that take an object—normally form the passive. A sentence such as “The baby slept” has no object, so it cannot normally be changed into passive voice.
Active and Passive Voice Tense Table
| Tense | Active Structure | Passive Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Present Indefinite | write/writes | am/is/are + written |
| Past Indefinite | wrote | was/were + written |
| Future Indefinite | will write | will be + written |
| Present Continuous | am/is/are writing | am/is/are being + written |
| Past Continuous | was/were writing | was/were being + written |
| Present Perfect | has/have written | has/have been + written |
| Past Perfect | had written | had been + written |
| Future Perfect | will have written | will have been + written |
33 Solved Active and Passive Voice Examples
| No. | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khurshid helps Naushaba. | Naushaba is helped by Khurshid. |
| 2 | The driver opened the car door. | The car door was opened by the driver. |
| 3 | The boy makes the picture. | The picture is made by the boy. |
| 4 | The mother loves the children. | The children are loved by their mother. |
| 5 | They are buying this house. | This house is being bought by them. |
| 6 | She has not beaten the dog. | The dog has not been beaten by her. |
| 7 | She bought five video films. | Five video films were bought by her. |
| 8 | Why did she write such a letter? | Why was such a letter written by her? |
| 9 | She was teaching the students. | The students were being taught by her. |
| 10 | They had gained nothing. | Nothing had been gained by them. |
| 11 | He will write a letter. | A letter will be written by him. |
| 12 | We will have killed the snake. | The snake will have been killed by us. |
| 13 | She likes apples. | Apples are liked by her. |
| 14 | The boy is climbing the wall. | The wall is being climbed by the boy. |
| 15 | We did not hear a sound. | A sound was not heard. |
| 16 | They have bought a horse. | A horse has been bought by them. |
| 17 | The Board has given me a gold medal. | I have been given a gold medal by the Board. |
| 18 | He praised the boy for his courage. | The boy was praised for his courage. |
| 19 | The teacher was helping the students. | The students were being helped by the teacher. |
| 20 | Why were they beating the boy? | Why was the boy being beaten by them? |
| 21 | They have not done their job. | Their job has not been done. |
| 22 | A car ran over an old man. | An old man was run over by a car. |
| 23 | He will give you a box of chocolates. | You will be given a box of chocolates by him. |
| 24 | He had told me to do it. | I had been told to do it by him. |
| 25 | They had not done their homework. | Their homework had not been done. |
| 26 | We will have finished our work by next March. | Our work will have been finished by next March. |
| 27 | He took away my books. | My books were taken away by him. |
| 28 | The sudden noise frightened the child. | The child was frightened by the sudden noise. |
| 29 | We use milk for making cheese. | Milk is used for making cheese. |
| 30 | Why is he mending the chair? | Why is the chair being mended by him? |
| 31 | The doctor asked her to stay in bed. | She was asked to stay in bed by the doctor. |
| 32 | She gave me five films. | I was given five films by her. |
| 33 | They caught the thief. | The thief was caught. |
Interrogative Sentences and Commands
Questions
Keep the question word or helping verb at the beginning while applying the passive structure.
Active: Did the teacher check the work?
Passive: Was the work checked by the teacher?
Commands
A command may be changed using “Let + object + be + past participle” or an appropriate passive instruction.
Active: Open the door.
Passive: Let the door be opened.
When to Omit the By-Agent
The by-agent is omitted when the doer is unknown, obvious or unimportant.
- My wallet was stolen.
- English is spoken worldwide.
- The road was repaired last week.
Common Mistakes
- Using the second form instead of the past participle
- Choosing the wrong form of be
- Changing the original tense
- Trying to passivize a sentence with no object
- Adding an unnecessary “by us” or “by them”
- Forgetting “being” in continuous passive forms
- Forgetting “been” in perfect passive forms
Practice Exercise
Change these sentences into passive voice:
- The students completed the assignment.
- She is washing the clothes.
- They will announce the result tomorrow.
- The police have arrested the thief.
- Who wrote this poem?
- The mechanic was repairing the car.
- We had finished the work.
- Do not waste water.
- Someone stole my bicycle.
- The teacher teaches us English.
Show Practice Answers
- The assignment was completed by the students.
- The clothes are being washed by her.
- The result will be announced tomorrow.
- The thief has been arrested by the police.
- By whom was this poem written?
- The car was being repaired by the mechanic.
- The work had been finished by us.
- Let water not be wasted.
- My bicycle was stolen.
- We are taught English by the teacher.
Related English Resources
- Direct and Indirect Speech
- Correct Use of Verbs
- Pronouns and Their Types
- 9th Class English Important Questions
- English Grammar MCQs for Competitive Exams
Frequently Asked Questions
Can every active sentence be changed into passive?
No. A verb normally needs an object for a passive construction.
Which verb form is used in passive voice?
The main verb is used in its past participle or third form.
Is the by-agent always required?
No. Omit it when the doer is unknown, obvious or unimportant.
Educational note: Examples are prepared for grammar practice. Students should also follow the terminology and transformations preferred in their prescribed board textbook.
