4. Voice with Special Sentence Types

Standard declarative sentences follow the four-move checklist directly. But several sentence types — commands, questions, double-object sentences, perception verbs, reporting structures, "get"-passives, verbs that resist passivization altogether, indirect/reported speech, and causative constructions — need their own specific handling. This section works through each of nine structures with original examples, expanded from three examples per subsection to five wherever the structure allows meaningful variation, plus two entirely new subsections on reported speech and causatives.

4.1 Imperative Sentences (Commands, Requests, Advice)

Imperatives have no explicit subject in the active voice (the subject "you" is understood), so the passive cannot use a "by + agent" phrase in the usual way. Instead, English uses a special passive imperative built with "Let + object + be + V3." The exact opening word depends on whether the sentence is a command, a request, or a piece of advice.

• Command: "Let + O + be + V3" (sometimes "You are ordered/directed to be + V3" in very formal registers)
• Request: "You are requested to + V1" → passive shifts to "Let + O + be + V3, please" or restructures with "You are requested that..."
• Advice: "Let + O + be + V3" often paired with a reason clause

Active (command): Close the storeroom before you leave. Passive: Let the storeroom be closed before you leave.

Active (request): Please submit your feedback forms at the counter. Passive: You are requested to have your feedback forms submitted at the counter.

Active (advice/prohibition): Do not litter on the temple premises. Passive: Let the temple premises not be littered on. (or, more naturally: You are advised not to litter on the temple premises.)

Active (command, office setting): File the compliance report before the end of the month. Passive: Let the compliance report be filed before the end of the month.

Active (advice, hospital setting): Keep the wound dry for at least three days. Passive: Let the wound be kept dry for at least three days.

Note: Exams most commonly test the plain "Let + O + be + V3" pattern for direct commands; the request/advice variants appear less often but are worth recognising so you aren't thrown by an unfamiliar opening phrase in an option.

4.2 Interrogative / Wh-Question Sentences

Question sentences need special handling because word order inverts around the auxiliary. The rule of thumb: identify the auxiliary and the object first, convert the underlying statement as usual, then re-invert the question word order.

• Yes/No questions: Auxiliary + S + V + O...? → Auxiliary + O + be + V3 + by + agent...?
• Wh-questions (what/who/which as object): Wh-word + auxiliary + S + V...? → Wh-word + auxiliary + be + V3 + by + agent...?
• Wh-questions (who as subject): "Who" questions where "who" is the doer convert differently — "who" becomes "by whom."

Active (yes/no question): Did the plumber fix the leaking tap? Passive: Was the leaking tap fixed by the plumber?

Active (Wh-question, object questioned): Which book did the professor recommend to the class? Passive: Which book was recommended to the class by the professor?

Active (Wh-question, subject questioned — "who" as doer): Who painted this mural on the college wall? Passive: By whom was this mural painted on the college wall?

Active (yes/no question, banking): Has the branch cleared the outstation cheque yet? Passive: Has the outstation cheque been cleared by the branch yet?

Active (Wh-question, railways): Where did the authorities relocate the ticket counter? Passive: Where was the ticket counter relocated by the authorities?

Note: The "who → by whom" conversion is one of the most commonly mis-answered patterns because students try to keep "who" unchanged; remember that "who" here is functioning as the agent, not the object, so it must become "by whom," and the auxiliary shifts to the front exactly as in a yes/no question.

4.3 Sentences with Two Objects (Indirect Object + Direct Object)

Verbs like give, tell, offer, send, teach, show, award, hand take two objects — an indirect object (usually a person) and a direct object (usually a thing). Such sentences allow two different, both-correct passive forms, depending on which object is promoted to subject.

Active: The principal awarded the topper a gold medal. Passive (indirect object as subject): The topper was awarded a gold medal by the principal. Passive (direct object as subject): A gold medal was awarded to the topper by the principal.

Active: The company offered the new recruit a generous joining bonus. Passive (indirect object as subject): The new recruit was offered a generous joining bonus by the company. Passive (direct object as subject): A generous joining bonus was offered to the new recruit by the company.

Active: The trainer taught the interns a new coding framework. Passive (indirect object as subject): The interns were taught a new coding framework by the trainer. Passive (direct object as subject): A new coding framework was taught to the interns by the trainer.

Active: The registrar sent the shortlisted candidates a call-letter by post. Passive (indirect object as subject): The shortlisted candidates were sent a call-letter by the registrar by post. Passive (direct object as subject): A call-letter was sent to the shortlisted candidates by the registrar by post.

Active: The umpire showed the bowler a stern warning after the second bouncer. Passive (indirect object as subject): The bowler was shown a stern warning by the umpire after the second bouncer. Passive (direct object as subject): A stern warning was shown to the bowler by the umpire after the second bouncer.

Note: In practice, native English strongly prefers promoting the person (indirect object) to subject — "The topper was awarded a gold medal" sounds far more natural than "A gold medal was awarded to the topper." Exams generally treat the person-as-subject form as the "more standard" correct option when only one choice is offered, but both are grammatically valid, and a well-set MCQ will only offer one of the two as correct, with the other altered just enough to contain an error (missing "to," wrong preposition, etc.).

4.4 Sentences with Infinitives / Verbs of Perception (see, hear, watch, notice, feel + object + base verb)

Verbs of perception — see, hear, watch, notice, feel, observe — followed by an object and a bare infinitive (base verb without "to") behave unusually in the passive: the bare infinitive gains "to" when the sentence becomes passive.

Active: The security guard saw the two boys climb over the compound wall. Passive: The two boys were seen to climb over the compound wall by the security guard.

Active: Nobody heard the toddler cry during the entire flight. Passive: The toddler was not heard to cry during the entire flight by anybody. (commonly simplified to: The toddler was not heard to cry during the entire flight.)

Active: The coach watched the young swimmer break the state record. Passive: The young swimmer was watched to break the state record by the coach.

Active: The auditor noticed the cashier alter two entries in the register. Passive: The cashier was noticed to alter two entries in the register by the auditor.

Active: The ward boy felt the patient's pulse weaken suddenly. Passive: The patient's pulse was felt to weaken suddenly by the ward boy.

Note: This "bare infinitive becomes to-infinitive" rule is one of the more advanced points tested at CDS and Bank PO level and is frequently the exact detail an exam changes to build a wrong option (an option that keeps the bare infinitive unchanged, e.g. "was seen climb," is a classic distractor).

4.5 Reporting Structures — "It is said that…" / "People believe that…"

Sentences that report a general belief, rumour, or claim using a pattern like "People say/believe/think/consider that + clause" convert into passive in two accepted structural patterns: the impersonal "It is said that..." form, and the "Subject + is said to + infinitive" form.

Active: People believe that regular meditation reduces stress levels significantly. Passive (Pattern 1 — impersonal "it"): It is believed that regular meditation reduces stress levels significantly. Passive (Pattern 2 — subject-raising): Regular meditation is believed to reduce stress levels significantly.

Active: Historians say that the fort was built over three centuries ago. Passive (Pattern 1): It is said that the fort was built over three centuries ago. Passive (Pattern 2): The fort is said to have been built over three centuries ago.

Active: Experts consider that the new vaccine works better against the mutated strain. Passive (Pattern 1): It is considered that the new vaccine works better against the mutated strain. Passive (Pattern 2): The new vaccine is considered to work better against the mutated strain.

Active: Analysts expect that the central bank will raise interest rates next quarter. Passive (Pattern 1): It is expected that the central bank will raise interest rates next quarter. Passive (Pattern 2): The central bank is expected to raise interest rates next quarter.

Active: Villagers claim that the old well never runs dry, even in peak summer. Passive (Pattern 1): It is claimed that the old well never runs dry, even in peak summer. Passive (Pattern 2): The old well is claimed never to run dry, even in peak summer.

Note: Pattern 2 requires special care with tense-shifting inside the infinitive: if the reported action happened before the reporting verb's time frame, the infinitive must switch to the perfect infinitive ("to have + V3") — as shown in the fort example, where "was built" (past, prior to the belief) becomes "to have been built," not simply "to be built."

4.6 "Get" as a Passive Auxiliary (get done, get married, get caught)

Standard English passive uses "be," but informal/spoken English very commonly substitutes "get" as the passive auxiliary, especially for actions that are sudden, unplanned, negative, or reflexive-sounding (get hurt, get caught, get fired) and for a fixed set of idiomatic "get" passives (get married, get divorced, get dressed).

Active: Someone stole her phone on the crowded metro. "Get" passive: Her phone got stolen on the crowded metro.

Active: The authorities caught the smuggler at the border checkpoint. "Get" passive: The smuggler got caught at the border checkpoint.

Active: Priya's parents are marrying her to a software engineer in December. "Get" passive: Priya is getting married to a software engineer in December.

Active: The company fired the sales head over the missed targets. "Get" passive: The sales head got fired over the missed targets.

Active: A speeding car hit the delivery boy near the flyover. "Get" passive: The delivery boy got hit by a speeding car near the flyover.

Note: "Get"-passives are a stylistic register choice, not a tense-conversion requirement — exams rarely ask you to construct one, but they do occasionally ask you to recognise that a "get" sentence is passive in meaning even though it doesn't use "be," or to identify that "get" passives are inappropriate in formal/administrative writing (see Section 6).

4.7 Quasi-Passive Verbs — Verbs That Resist Passivization

Not every transitive-looking verb can be passivized. A specific group of stative verbs — verbs describing a state, possession, resemblance, or measurement rather than a deliberate action — sound distinctly wrong in the passive, because passivization implies an agent doing something to an object, and these verbs don't describe that kind of event.

Expanded list of 25+ verbs that resist passivization, with the reason each fails:

Verb	Why it resists the passive	Example (active only)
resemble	Describes a static resemblance, not an action performed on someone	She resembles her grandmother. (never "Her grandmother is resembled by her.")
have (possession sense)	Describes ownership/state, not an act	He has two elder sisters.
lack	Describes an absence/state	The proposal lacks concrete data.
suit	Describes a fit/state, not an act done to someone	This colour suits you.
fit (in the "size matches" sense)	Describes a state of matching dimensions	These shoes fit him perfectly.
cost	Describes a price relationship, not an action	The repair cost him two thousand rupees.
weigh (intransitive-sense use)	Describes a physical property	The parcel weighs three kilograms.
hold (in the "contain" sense)	Describes capacity, a state	The tank holds five hundred litres.
contain	Describes composition/state	The bottle contains a mild antiseptic.
possess	Describes ownership/state	The temple possesses several ancient manuscripts.
become	Links subject to a resulting state, not an object receiving action	She became the district collector.
seem	Purely a linking/state verb	The plan seems reasonable.
appear (in the "seem" sense)	Linking/state verb	He appears confident before the interview.
exist	Intransitive — no object at all	Such loopholes exist in the old law.
belong (to)	Describes a state of association	This land belongs to the temple trust.
consist (of)	Describes composition/state	The committee consists of five members.
matter	Intransitive, no object	Punctuality matters in this profession.
measure (in the dimension sense)	Describes an inherent property, not an act	The hall measures forty feet by twenty.
resemble each other / look like	State of similarity, not an action	The twins look like each other.
cost (figurative sense)	Describes a consequence/state, not an act	The scandal cost the minister his career.
fit (in the "belong in a category" sense)	State of appropriateness	This clause fits the context of the contract.
comprise	Describes composition/state, similar to "consist of"	The delegation comprises six officials.
deserve	Describes an entitlement/state, not an action performed on the object by an agent	The rescue team deserves this recognition.
resemble in appearance / take after	State of hereditary resemblance	The boy takes after his father.
survive (in the "outlive" sense, intransitive)	Describes a state of continuing, not an act on an object	Very few manuscripts survive from that era.
want (in the "lack/need" sense)	Describes an absence/requirement, a state	The report wants further clarification.
escape (in the "elude notice" sense)	Describes an outcome, not a deliberate act by the subject on an object	No detail escapes the chief editor.
hold (in the "believe/consider" sense, stative use)	Belief-state, not an action	He holds strong views on the subject.

Note: The unifying test is simple: ask whether the verb describes an action being deliberately done to the object, or merely a state/relationship the subject is in. If it's a state (resembling, possessing, costing, containing, suiting), passivization is blocked, no matter how "transitive" the sentence looks on the surface. Exams frequently include one of these verbs in a passive-looking wrong option specifically to test whether you notice the verb itself is the problem, not the tense. A useful secondary test: try inserting "deliberately" or "on purpose" before the verb in the active sentence — "He deliberately has two sisters" or "The bottle deliberately contains antiseptic" sound absurd, confirming the verb is stative and therefore resistant to passivization.

4.8 Passive Voice Inside Reported (Indirect) Speech — NEW

Reported speech adds a second layer of complexity on top of ordinary voice conversion: the reporting verb (said, told, asked, replied) triggers a tense back-shift in the reported clause, and, if the original clause was already passive — or needs to become passive to hide/foreground the agent — that passive form must itself be correctly back-shifted along with everything else.

The governing rule is simple to state and easy to forget under pressure: first decide whether the reported clause is active or passive on its own terms; then apply the ordinary reported-speech tense back-shift to whichever voice it already has. Do not force a sentence into passive voice merely because it is being reported — voice and reported-speech mechanics are two independent operations that happen to combine in the same sentence.

Direct (active): The manager said, "I will verify the figures myself." Reported (active, back-shifted): The manager said that he would verify the figures himself. Reported (recast into passive): The manager said that the figures would be verified by himself. (unnatural — reflexive agents resist this recast; better left active)

Direct (passive already): The clerk said, "The file has been sent to the head office." Reported (passive, back-shifted): The clerk said that the file had been sent to the head office.

Direct (active): The teacher said, "I am correcting your answer sheets." Reported, recast to passive to foreground the sheets: The teacher said that the answer sheets were being corrected by her.

Direct (passive already): The officer announced, "The new counter will be opened from Monday." Reported (passive, back-shifted): The officer announced that the new counter would be opened from Monday.

Direct (active question): She asked, "Did you submit the form?" Reported (recast to passive): She asked whether the form had been submitted.

Direct (passive already, question): He asked, "Is the shipment being tracked?" Reported (passive, back-shifted): He asked whether the shipment was being tracked.

Direct (active, command): The doctor said, "Take this tablet twice a day." Reported (passive-flavoured advice form): The doctor advised that the tablet be taken twice a day. (the subjunctive "be taken," not "was taken," is the exam-tested form here)

Direct (passive already, past perfect): The auditor reported, "The discrepancy had already been resolved before my visit." Reported (passive, back-shifted — no further shift possible since past perfect is already the most-back tense): The auditor reported that the discrepancy had already been resolved before his visit.

Note: Three separate mechanics are stacked in this structure, and exam distractors almost always break exactly one of them: (1) the reporting-verb tense-agreement rule (say/said, ask/asked), (2) the ordinary tense back-shift inside the clause (will→would, is→was, has been→had been), and (3) whichever voice — active or passive — the original direct-speech clause already had, preserved through the back-shift. A wrong option typically keeps the passive "be" auxiliary in its original tense instead of back-shifting it (e.g., leaving "is being corrected" instead of shifting to "was being corrected"), which is the reported-speech equivalent of Error 1 in Section 5.

4.9 Passive Causatives — "Have Something Done" / "Get Something Done" — NEW

A causative describes a situation where the subject does not personally perform an action but arranges, commissions, or causes someone else to perform it. English marks this meaning with the pattern subject + have/get + object + past participle (V3). This looks, on the surface, exactly like a passive sentence (object followed by a V3 form) — and that surface similarity is precisely why it is one of the most reliably tested "trap" structures at Bank PO and CDS level. But a causative is not a passive at all: it is an active sentence built around "have" or "get" as the main verb, describing an arrangement, not an event the subject passively received.

The critical distinction:

Simple passive (something was done to the subject, with no implication of arranging it): The car was repaired. (says nothing about who arranged the repair, or whether the subject wanted it) Causative (the subject deliberately arranged for someone else to do it): He had the car repaired. / He got the car repaired. (the subject is the one who commissioned the action)

Because a causative sentence is grammatically active already (subject + have/get + object + V3), it is not converted into ordinary passive voice the way a normal transitive sentence is. Instead, exam questions about causatives usually test one of two skills: recognising that a "have/get...done" sentence should not be force-converted into "modal/aux + be + V3," or converting the causative correctly between its two forms ("have" for a neutral/formal arrangement, "get" for a slightly more informal or effort-implying arrangement).

Causative (formal, "have"): The landlord has the leaking roof repaired every monsoon. Same idea with "get" (informal): The landlord gets the leaking roof repaired every monsoon. Wrong "forced passive" (avoid): The leaking roof is had repaired by the landlord every monsoon. (ungrammatical — "have" cannot itself be passivized this way)

Causative, past tense: The company had its entire fleet serviced before the audit. Correctly rendered, not force-passivized: (stays as is — this is already the correct causative form) Common wrong "simple passive" substitute that loses meaning: The entire fleet was serviced before the audit. (loses the fact that the company deliberately arranged it, rather than merely receiving a service someone else initiated)

Causative, present continuous: The bride's family is getting the wedding hall decorated for Saturday. Correct form retained: (already correct — do not attempt "the wedding hall is got decorated," which is wrong)

Causative with negative: The hostel warden does not get the water tanks cleaned often enough. Correct form retained: (negation attaches to "does...get," not to the participle)

Causative, past perfect: The bank had its entire server infrastructure upgraded before the merger. Correct form retained: (already correct)

Causative involving a person as the "done-to" party (slightly different pattern — "have someone do something"): The principal had the peon deliver the notice to every classroom. Passive of the embedded action (a genuine, separate passive is possible here): The notice was delivered to every classroom by the peon, on the principal's instruction. (a legitimate but heavily paraphrased passive — rarely the "clean" tested form)

Causative, future: The hospital will have the entire ward sanitised before the new admissions arrive. Correct form retained: (already correct — "will have...sanitised" is the causative future, not a passive future)

Contrast pair for exam recognition: The manuscript was digitised. (simple passive — someone did it, agent unknown/unimportant) vs. The library got the manuscript digitised. (causative — the library arranged for it to be done, and the library itself did not do the digitising).

Note: The exam-ready shortcut is this: if "have" or "get" sits directly before the object, immediately followed by a past participle, the sentence is very likely a causative already in its correct form — resist the urge to passivize it further. The most common wrong answer choice in this structure either (a) drops "have/get" and produces a plain passive that changes the meaning (loses the "arranged by someone else" sense), or (b) tries to passivize "have" itself into an ungrammatical "is had" construction. Neither is a valid transformation; the correct answer, in the overwhelming majority of exam items on this structure, is simply the causative sentence recognised and left alone, or correctly identified as the best paraphrase of a passive-looking original.

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