Active and Passive Voice Exercise

We use passive voice፡

 When we do not know who the subject is

 It is not important who the subject is

 When it is obvious to the listener or reader who the subject is because it is

the person who usually does it.

 When we give more importance to the object of the sentences rather than the

subject, we use passive voice.

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Active and Passive Voice Exercise

Change the active sentences below into passive sentences.

Write “No change” if you think sentences cannot be changed.

1. She writes a letter.

2. They go to school every day.

3. He doesn`t paint the wall.

4. Why are you crying?

5. Did the mechanic fix your car?

6. You should do your homework.

7. Don`t talk so loudly.

8. They are painting their house.

9. We have drunk milk tea.

10.Will you watch TV tonight?

11.I am not going to work today.

12.He has been teaching English for ten years.

13.When are you going to buy a car?

14.Who taught you the active and passive sentences?

15.She had cleaned the kitchen.

16.We will have eaten dinner by the time you get there.

17.People speak English in the USA.

18.Would you rather learn English or French?

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19.You must not come late to class.

20.She has to pass the test.

21.He bought his son a book.

22. Dr. Telahun teaches us every day.

23.Who is your teacher?

24.Who fights the coalition forces?

25.Who have you invited to the party?

26.I`ll build a hospital if I have a million dollars.

27.If I had had a million dollars, I would have built a big mosque.

28.We will be playing cricket at this time tomorrow.

29.Aren’t they going to be building a house?

30.It has been raining since yesterday.

31.The explosion had killed many people.

32.I have never been to Egypt.

33.Have you been digging out the ground since morning?

34.I will have written a poem by the time you call me.
35.The heavy storm damaged a lot of crops in Mumbai.
36.I was playing football yesterday.
37.Could you help me, please?
38.Who can answer my question?
39.Will she have been watering the garden?
40.Selamawit is helping me solving the active and passive voice exercise.
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Active and Passive Voice
Table of Contents

 Active and Passive Voice

 Present Simple Tense

 Present Continuous
 Present Perfect
 Past Simple Tense
 Past Continuous
 Past Perfect
 Past Perfect Continuous
 Future Simple Tense
 Future Perfect
 Future Going To
 The Passive Voice of Other Structures
 The Active and Passive Voice of WH. Questions:
 Passive Voice of Imperative Sentences:
 Note the position of the adverb of manner. (well) in the passive
voice.

Conclusion:
Voice: Voice is the term used to describe whether a verb is active or passive in active and
passive voice.

Active Voice: A sentence which begins with the performer of the action (subject), then the verb,
then the object or person that the action is performed on. This is called an active sentence.

 Ali Washed the dishes.

Sub + Verb + Object.

Passive Voice: A sentence which begins with the object or person that the action is performed on
is called passive sentence.

 The dishes were washed (by Ali.)

Object + verb + (by subject)

When Should we use the Passive Voice?

1. When we do not know who the subject is, or it is not important who the subject is.

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  Somebody cleaned the room. (Active) The room was cleaned. (Passive)

2. When it is obvious to the listener or reader who the subject is because it is the person who
usually does it.

 The cleaner cleaned the room. (Active) The room was cleaned. (Passive)

3. When we give more importance to the object of the sentences rather than the subject, we use
passive voice.

 The glasses were broken. (We give importance to the object not to the subject)

How to Change active sentence into passive sentence? Follow the steps below.
1. Put the object of the verb at the beginning of your sentence.
2. Conjugate the verb “to be” (using different form of to be verb) in the same tense as the active
sentence.
3. Put the main verb in the Past Participle form.

 The postman delivers the mail. (Active) The mail is delivered. (Passive)
 The decorator is painting my room. (Active) My room is being painted. (Passive)
 Someone stole the money. (Active) The money was stolen. (Passive)

Active and Passive voice of Different Tenses

He sings a song. A song is sung by him.

Present Simple Tense He does not sing a song. A song is not sung by him.
Does he sing a song? Is a song sung by him?

I am writing a letter A letter is being written by me.

I am not writing a letter. A letter is not being written by me.
Present Continuous
Am I writing a letter? Is a letter being written by me?

She has finished her work Her work has been finished by her.
She has not finished her work. Her work has not been finished by her.
Present Perfect
Has she finished her work? Has her work been finished by her?

Present Perfect
I have been doing it. (Not common/ Not changeable)
Continuous

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 I killed a snake A snake was killed by me.
I did not kill a snake. A snake was not killed by me.
Past Simple Tense
Did I kill a snake? Was a snake killed by me?

He was driving a car. A car was being driven by him.

He was not driving a car. A car was not being driven by him.
Past Continuous
Was he driving a car? Was a car being driven by him?

The assignment had been completed

They had completed the assignment.
The assignment had not been complete by
They had not completed the assignment.
Past Perfect them.
Had they completed the assignment?
Had the assignment been completed?

She had been teaching since 2013. (Not common/ Not changeable)
Past Perfect Continuous

She will buy a car. A car will be bought by her.

She will not buy a car. A car will not be bought by her.
Future Simple Tense
Will she buy a car? Will a car be bought by her?

Future Continuous John will be washing the dishes. (Not common/ Not changeable)

You will have started the job. The job will have been started.
You will have not started the job. The job will not have been started by you.
Future Perfect
Will you have started the job? Will the job have been started?

Future Perfect Continuous They will have been teaching a lesson. (Not common/ Not changeable)

She is going to make a beautiful dinner

A beautiful dinner is going to be made.
Future Going To tonight.

Note 1: If you want to mention the subject in a passive sentence, use ‘by’, though its optional.

 My room is being painted by the decorator.

Note 2: If the active sentence begins with ‘no-one’ or ‘nobody’ the passive sentence will be
negative.

 No-one turned on the light. (Active) The light was not turned on. (Passive)

Note 3: If there is a preposition between the verb and the object, the preposition will remain after
the verb

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  They talked about the issue. (Active) The issue was talked about. (Passive)

Note 4: Intransitive verbs cannot be changed into passive voice.

 Ali slept well.

 Hussain lives far away.

The Passive Voice of Other Structures

Have to/ Used to / Gerund

 They have to play the match. (Active) The match has to be done. (Passive)
 I used to do it. (Active) It used to be done. (Passive)
 I don’t mind teaching them. (Active) They don’t mind being taught. (Passive)

Person in object position: Some sentences have both an object and a person in the object
position. You can choose either one to formulate the passive sentence.

 I gave him five rupees. (Active) Five rupees were given to him/ He was given five rupees.
(Passive)
 They have sent us a copy. (Active ) We have been sent a copy/ A copy has been sent to us.
(Passive)

Passive Voice of Modal Verbs (can, may, should, might etc)

 They can solve the paper. (Active) The paper can be solved. (passive)

The Active and Passive Voice of WH. Questions:

 What do you know about the lesson? (Active) What is known about the lesson? (Passive)
 Where did you put the book? (Active) Where was the book put? (Passive)
 Who broke the vase? (Active) By whom was the vase broken? (Passive)
 Why did the visitors park the car here? (Active) Why is this car parked here? (Passive)
 How did you finish the work? (Active) How was the work finished? (Passive)
 Whose hat did someone leave at your home? (Active) Whose hat was left at your
home? (Passive)

Passive Voice of Imperative Sentences:

 Drop the knife. (Active) Let the gun be dropped. (Passive)

 Open the door. (Active) Let the door be opened. (Passive)

Verbs which can’t be used in the passive

Most verbs can be changed from the active to the passive. If the verb can be followed by a direct
object it can be made passive.

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  We tested the materials. (the verb is followed by direct object)
 The materials were tested. (Passive)

Some verbs which can be used in the active are: occur, rise, happen arise, fall, exist, contain (of),
depend (on), result (from) and lack.

 Problems may occur. (Active) Problems may be occurred. (Passive incorrect)

Verbs which are always passive

Some verbs are used almost exclusively in the passive voice:

 He was born into a wealthy family.

 when your order is shipped, we will send you a confirmation e-mail.
 The victims were hospitalized immediately.
 The room was strewn with books and magazines.
 The area is mainly populated by families with small children.

Note the position of the adverb of manner. (well) in the passive voice.

 We’ll look after you well. (Active) You will be well looked after. (Passive)

In the Passive Voice, the following verbs to believe, to consider, to say, to think and to
suppose must be built with an infinitive clause.

 People believe he is a spy. (Active) He is believed to be a spy. (Passive)

 They said he is a good candidate. (Active) He was said to be a good candidate. (Passive)
 People consider he was a good President. (Active) He is considered to have been a good
President. (Passive)

A particular structure : to make somebody do something changes constructions in the

passive : to make somebody do something has to become to be made TO do something.

 The teacher made us work very hard before the exam. (Active)
 We were made TO work very hard before the exam. (Passive)

We have tried to include here all necessary rules about active and passive voice, hope this will
help and benefit you and in order to get mastery over active and passive voice, you need to
practice a lot to change active sentences into passive.