Learn Change Voice in English Grammar

In English grammar, the concept of “voice” refers to the relationship between the subject of a sentence and the action it performs or receives. There are two primary types of voices: Active Voice and Passive Voice.

Active Voice and Passive Voice.

Active Voice occurs when the subject of the sentence performs the action described by the verb. For example, in the sentence “The cat chased the mouse,” the cat (subject) is performing the action of chasing (verb) the mouse (object).

Passive Voice occurs when the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action. For example, in the sentence “The mouse was chased by the cat,” the mouse (subject) is receiving the action of being chased by the cat (agent).

Active Voice

Active Voice occurs when the subject of a sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. In other words, the focus is on the “doer” of the action.

Structure of Active Voice Sentences: The basic structure of an active voice sentence is:

• Subject + Verb + Object

Examples:

• “The cat chased the mouse.”
  • Here, “the cat” (subject) performs the action of “chased” (verb) on “the mouse” (object).
• “She is writing a letter.”
  • In this example, “she” (subject) performs the action of “is writing” (verb) on “a letter” (object).

Advantages of Using Active Voice:

• Clarity and Directness: Active voice sentences are typically clearer and more straightforward because they clearly state who is doing what. This directness makes the sentence easier to understand and more engaging for the reader.
  • Example: “The team won the championship” is more direct and impactful than “The championship was won by the team.”
• Dynamic and Engaging: Active voice makes writing more lively and dynamic. It often results in more concise sentences, which can make the writing more compelling.
  • Example: “The chef prepares the meal” is more engaging than “The meal is prepared by the chef.”

Passive Voice

Passive Voice occurs when the subject of a sentence is the recipient of the action performed by the verb. The focus is on the action itself or the receiver of the action rather than the doer.

Structure of Passive Voice Sentences: The basic structure of a passive voice sentence is:

• Object + Auxiliary Verb + Past Participle + (by + Subject)

Examples:

• “The mouse was chased by the cat.”
  • Here, “the mouse” (object) is the recipient of the action “was chased” (auxiliary verb + past participle) performed by “the cat” (subject).
• “A letter is being written by her.”
  • In this example, “a letter” (object) is the recipient of the action “is being written” (auxiliary verb + past participle) performed by “her” (subject).

When to Use Passive Voice:

• Focus on the Action or the Receiver of the Action: Use passive voice when you want to emphasize the action itself or the receiver of the action rather than the doer.
  • Example: “The novel was published in 2020.” The emphasis is on the novel and its publication rather than who published it.
• When the Doer is Unknown or Unimportant: Use passive voice when the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or implied.
  • Example: “The cookies were eaten.” The focus is on the fact that the cookies are gone, and who ate them might be irrelevant.

Changing Voice: Active to Passive

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Convert Active Voice Sentences to Passive Voice

1. Identify the Subject, Verb, and Object:
   • Determine the subject (doer of the action), the verb (action), and the object (receiver of the action) in the active sentence.
2. Move the Object to the Subject Position:
   • Place the object of the active sentence at the beginning of the passive sentence.
3. Use the Appropriate Form of the Verb “to be”:
   • Select the correct form of the verb “to be” based on the tense of the main verb in the active sentence.
4. Use the Past Participle Form of the Main Verb:
   • Change the main verb to its past participle form.
5. Add the Original Subject Preceded by “by” (Optional):
   • Include the original subject of the active sentence preceded by the word “by” if it is necessary to mention who performed the action.

Examples

Example 1:

• Active: “The chef cooks the meal.”
  • Step 1: Identify the subject (the chef), verb (cooks), and object (the meal).
  • Step 2: Move the object to the subject position: “The meal”.
  • Step 3: Use the appropriate form of the verb “to be”: “is”.
  • Step 4: Use the past participle form of the main verb: “cooked”.
  • Step 5: Add the original subject preceded by “by”: “by the chef”.
  • Passive: “The meal is cooked by the chef.”

Example 2:

• Active: “They will complete the project.”
  • Step 1: Identify the subject (they), verb (will complete), and object (the project).
  • Step 2: Move the object to the subject position: “The project”.
  • Step 3: Use the appropriate form of the verb “to be”: “will be”.
  • Step 4: Use the past participle form of the main verb: “completed”.
  • Step 5: Add the original subject preceded by “by”: “by them”.
  • Passive: “The project will be completed by them.”

Changing Voice: Passive to Active

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Convert Passive Voice Sentences to Active Voice

• Identify the Subject, Verb, and Object:
  • Identify the subject (receiver of the action), verb (action), and object (doer of the action) in the passive sentence.
• Move the Subject to the Object Position:
  • Place the subject of the passive sentence into the object position in the active sentence.
• Adjust the Verb Form as Necessary:
  • Adjust the verb to its appropriate form based on the tense and subject in the passive sentence.
• Rearrange the Sentence to Subject + Verb + Object Format:
  • Rearrange the sentence so that it follows the subject + verb + object structure typical of active voice sentences.

Examples

Example 1:

• Passive: “The song was sung by the singer.”
  • Step 1: Identify the subject (the song), verb (was sung), and object (the singer).
  • Step 2: Move the subject to the object position: “the singer”.
  • Step 3: Adjust the verb form as necessary: “sang” (past tense of sing).
  • Step 4: Rearrange the sentence: “The singer sang the song.”
  • Active: “The singer sang the song.”

Example 2:

• Passive: “The homework is being done by the students.”
  • Step 1: Identify the subject (the homework), verb (is being done), and object (the students).
  • Step 2: Move the subject to the object position: “the students”.
  • Step 3: Adjust the verb form as necessary: “are doing” (present continuous tense of do).
  • Step 4: Rearrange the sentence: “The students are doing the homework.”
  • Active: “The students are doing the homework.”

Here are some practice exercises for changing voice from active to passive and vice versa:

Tense	Voice	Verb Forms
		Simple Tense	Continuous Tense	Perfect Tense	Perfect Continuous Tense
Present	Active	She writes an article.	She is writing an article.	She has written an article.	She has been writing an article.
	Passive	An article is written by her.	An article is being written by her.	An article has been written by her.	No Passive
Past	Active	She wrote an article.	She was writing an article.	She had written an article.	She had been writing an article.
	Passive	An article was written by her.	An article was being written by her.	An article had been written by her.	No Passive
Future	Active	She will write an article.	She will be writing an article.	She will have written an article.	She will have been writing an article.
	Passive	An article will be written by her.	No Passive	An article will have been written by her.	No Passive

Change of Pronouns
Active Voice	Passive Voice
I	Me
We	Us
He	Him
She	Her
They	Them
It	It

Exercises For Active and Passive Voice

Exercises: Active to Passive Voice

1. Active: “The dog barks at strangers.”
   • Passive: “Strangers are barked at by the dog.”
2. Active: “She sings a song.”
   • Passive: “A song is sung by her.”
3. Active: “They built a new house.”
   • Passive: “A new house was built by them.”
4. Active: “He teaches English grammar.”
   • Passive: “English grammar is taught by him.”
5. Active: “The company produces cars.”
   • Passive: “Cars are produced by the company.”

Exercises: Passive to Active Voice

1. Passive: “The book was read by Mary.”
   • Active: “Mary read the book.”
2. Passive: “The cake was baked by Sarah.”
   • Active: “Sarah baked the cake.”
3. Passive: “The letter will be written by John.”
   • Active: “John will write the letter.”
4. Passive: “The report has been submitted by the team.”
   • Active: “The team has submitted the report.”
5. Passive: “The proposal was rejected by the committee.”
   • Active: “The committee rejected the proposal.”

Common Mistakes and Tips for Changing Voice

Common Mistakes:

1. Incorrect Verb Forms:
   • Using the wrong form of the verb “to be” (is, am, are, was, were, being, been) when converting between active and passive voice.
     • Example: Using “is” instead of “was” in past tense passive voice.
2. Omitting the Auxiliary Verb:
   • Forgetting to include the auxiliary verb “to be” (is, am, are, was, were, being, been) in passive voice constructions.
     • Example: Omitting “is” in “The report was submitted.”
3. Misplacing the Subject and Object:
   • Incorrectly placing the subject and object when converting between active and passive voice.
     • Example: Confusing “The book was read by Mary” with “Mary read by the book.”

Tips for Mastering Voice Changes:

1. Practice Regularly:
   • The more you practice changing voice, the more familiar you will become with the structure and correct usage.
2. Pay Attention to Verb Tenses:
   • Ensure that the verb tense matches the intended meaning and context of the sentence.
     • Example: Using present tense “is” for present passive voice and “was” for past passive voice.
3. Use Clear and Concise Language:
   • Maintain clarity in your writing by using straightforward language and avoiding unnecessary complexity.
     • Example: “The project will be completed by them” instead of “The completion of the project will be carried out by them.”