Active Voice & Passive Voice

Active Voice & Passive Voice

Tense		Subject	Verb	Object
Simple Present	Active:	Rita	writes	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	is written	by Rita.
Simple Past	Active:	Rita	wrote	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	was written	by Rita.
Present Perfect	Active:	Rita	has written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	has been written	by Rita.
Future I	Active:	Rita	will write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	will be written	by Rita.
Hilfsverben	Active:	Rita	can write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	can be written	by Rita.

Examples of Passive 

Tense		Subject	Verb	Object
Present Progressive	Active:	Rita	is writing	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	is being written	by Rita.
Past Progressive	Active:	Rita	was writing	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	was being written	by Rita.
Past Perfect	Active:	Rita	had written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	had been written	by Rita.
Future II	Active:	Rita	will have written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	will have been written	by Rita.
Conditional I	Active:	Rita	would write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	would be written	by Rita.
Conditional II	Active:	Rita	would have written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	would have been written	by Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects 

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

	Subject	Verb	Object 1	Object 2
Active:	Rita	wrote	a letter	to me.
Passive:	A letter	was written	to me	by Rita.
Passive:	I	was written	a letter	by Rita.

1. He sings a song.

………………………………… .

2. The boy killed the spider.

………………………………… .

3. Help him.

………………………………… .

4. Farmers sow maize in the rainy season.

………………………………… .

5. Are you writing a letter?

………………………………… ?

6. The workers were digging a canal.

………………………………… .

7. I will finish the job by the end of this week.

………………………………… .

8. Have you finished your job?

………………………………… ?

9. They have informed him of his mother’s death.

………………………………… .

10. They took all the necessary precautions.

………………………………… .

Answers

1. A song is sung by him. (Active verb – sings; passive verb – is sung)

2. The spider was killed by the boy. (Active verb – killed; passive verb – was killed)

3. Let him be helped. (Imperative sentences in the passive voice begin with let.)

4. Maize is sown in the rainy season. (Active verb – sow; passive verb – is/are sown)

5. Is a letter being written by you? (Active verb – is/are writing; passive verb – is/are being written)

6. A canal was being dug by the workers. (Active verb – was/were digging; passive verb – was/were being dug)

7. The job will be finished (by me) by the end of this week. (Active verb – will finish; passive verb –will be finished)

8. Has your job been finished by you? (Active verb – has/have finished; passive verb – has/have been finished)

9. He has been informed of his mother’s death. (Active verb – has/have informed; passive verb – has/have been informed)

10. All the necessary precautions were taken by them. (Active verb – took; passive verb – was/were taken)