Chapter 09 — Active and passive voice
Track: SI + objective | Study time: 75–100 minutes | Recall task: write the rule before checking the key.
Pareeksha English foundation notes
1. Active and passive voice
In the active voice the subject does the action: "Ravi writes a letter." In the passive voice the subject receives the action: "A letter is written by Ravi."
Steps to change active to passive:
- Move the object to the subject position.
- Use the correct form of "be" in the same tense as the active verb.
- Put the main verb in the past participle (V3).
- Add "by" and the doer, if the doer is needed.
Tense | Active | Passive
Simple present | She writes a letter. | A letter is written by her.
Present continuous | She is writing a letter. | A letter is being written by her.
Present perfect | She has written a letter. | A letter has been written by her.
Simple past | She wrote a letter. | A letter was written by her.
Past continuous | She was writing a letter. | A letter was being written by her.
Past perfect | She had written a letter. | A letter had been written by her.
Simple future | She will write a letter. | A letter will be written by her.
Future perfect | She will have written a letter. | A letter will have been written by her.
Modal | She can write a letter. | A letter can be written by her.
Special points:
- Intransitive verbs (no object) cannot take the passive. "He sleeps" has no passive.
- Pronoun change: I-me, we-us, he-him, she-her, they-them. Passive: "He helps me" becomes "I am helped by him."
- Two objects: either can become the subject. "She gave me a book." Passive: "I was given a book by her" or "A book was given to me by her."
- Imperative sentences: "Open the door." becomes "Let the door be opened." Requests: "Please open the door" becomes "You are requested to open the door."
- Questions: "Who wrote this book?" becomes "By whom was this book written?" "Did he break the glass?" becomes "Was the glass broken by him?"
- Verbs with fixed prepositions keep them: "The people laughed at him." becomes "He was laughed at by the people."
- Future continuous and perfect continuous tenses are not usually changed to the passive.
- Some verbs, such as "have", "resemble" and "suit", are generally not used in the passive.
- The doer is dropped when it is unknown or unimportant: "My bag was stolen."
Worked reasoning and learner clinic
Voice changes the point of view, not the basic event. Identify the active object first; if there is no object, a normal passive is unavailable. Keep the tense by changing the be-verb, then use the main verb’s past participle. Add “by + agent” only when the doer matters or is known.
Tense map. Simple present: is done. Present continuous: is being done. Present perfect: has been done. Simple past: was done. Past continuous: was being done. Past perfect: had been done. Future: will be done. Modal: can be done. Practise the auxiliary chain; the lexical verb stays in V3.
Meaning and information. “The team inspected the bridge” foregrounds the team. “The bridge was inspected” foregrounds the bridge or result. Passive is useful in reports when the actor is unknown or less important, but excessive passive hides responsibility. Choose voice for information, not as a rule that every sentence should be passive.
Special structures. A verb with two objects may allow two passive forms: “They gave her a receipt” → “She was given a receipt” or “A receipt was given to her.” Fixed particles stay attached: “They looked after the child” → “The child was looked after.”
Telugu-medium transfer check
A normal passive transformation needs a transitive verb and an object to promote. Preserve tense and aspect in the ‘be + past participle’ form; keep the agent only when it matters to the message.
Retrieval practice
Transform a present, past and continuous sentence. For each one, name the original object and identify the tense carried by ‘be’.
Error-log prompt
If a transformation fails, ask whether there is a direct object. If the sentence is already passive, identify the ‘be’ form and past participle before editing.
Study plate 09. Recall the sequence before you begin the question set.
Chapter 09 practice questions
001. Choose the correct passive form: “The clerk checks every application.”
A. Every application is checked by the clerk.
B. Every application was check by the clerk.
C. Every application has checked the clerk.
D. The clerk is checked every application.
Key: A | Explanation: Simple present passive = am/is/are + past participle; the object becomes the subject.
002. Choose the correct passive form: “They will announce the date tomorrow.”
A. The date will be announced tomorrow.
B. The date was being announced tomorrow.
C. Tomorrow will announce the date.
D. The date will announce tomorrow.
Key: A | Explanation: Future passive = will be + V3; the doer can be omitted if unimportant.
003. Which sentence cannot normally be changed into passive voice?
A. The clerk stamped the form.
B. They repaired the road.
C. The nurse opened the door.
D. The child slept peacefully.
Key: D | Explanation: “Slept” has no direct object; ordinary passive transformation needs an object.
004. Choose the correct passive: “Someone has stolen my bicycle.”
A. Someone has been stolen by my bicycle.
B. My bicycle has been stolen.
C. My bicycle has stolen someone.
D. My bicycle was steal.
Key: B | Explanation: Present perfect passive uses has/have been + V3; the unknown doer is unnecessary.
005. Choose the passive: “People speak Telugu in many homes.”
A. Telugu is spoken in many homes.
B. Telugu speaks people in many homes.
C. Telugu was speak in homes.
D. People are spoken Telugu.
Key: A | Explanation: Present simple passive = is + past participle; omit the general doer.
006. Choose the passive form: “The team is reviewing the application.”
A. The team is being reviewed by the application.
B. The application is being reviewed by the team.
C. The application was reviewed by the team.
D. The application has reviewed the team.
Key: B | Explanation: Present continuous passive uses is being + V3; “application” becomes the subject.
007. Choose the passive form: “The staff had locked the gate.”
A. The gate had been locked by the staff.
B. The gate was locked by the staff.
C. The staff had been locked by the gate.
D. The gate had locked the staff.
Key: A | Explanation: Past perfect passive uses had been + V3.
008. Choose the passive form: “They can solve this problem.”
A. This problem can solve.
B. This problem was solving.
C. They can be solved this problem.
D. This problem can be solved.
Key: D | Explanation: Modal passive = modal + be + V3.
009. Choose the passive form: “The officer gave her a receipt.”
A. A receipt gave her by the officer.
B. The officer was given by a receipt.
C. She was given a receipt by the officer.
D. She gave a receipt by the officer.
Key: C | Explanation: With two objects, the indirect object can become the passive subject.
010. Choose the correct passive: “The workers are repairing the road.”
A. The workers are being repaired by the road.
B. The road is being repaired by the workers.
C. The road is repaired by the workers now.
D. The road was being repair.
Key: B | Explanation: The present continuous form is preserved with “is being + V3”.
011. Which verb normally cannot form a passive in “The child slept peacefully”?
A. slept
B. child
C. peacefully
D. the
Key: A | Explanation: “Sleep” is intransitive here and has no direct object to promote.
012. Choose the passive: “Someone will inform the residents.”
A. The residents will inform someone.
B. Someone will be informed the residents.
C. The residents are informed yesterday.
D. The residents will be informed.
Key: D | Explanation: Future passive uses will be + V3; an unknown doer can be omitted.
013. Choose the passive: “The committee has approved the plan.”
A. The plan was approve by committee.
B. The committee has been approved the plan.
C. The plan has been approved by the committee.
D. The plan has approved the committee.
Key: C | Explanation: Present perfect passive uses has/have been + V3.
014. Choose the passive: “People laughed at the speaker.”
A. People were laughed at the speaker.
B. The speaker was laughed at.
C. The speaker laughed people at.
D. The speaker was laughed by people at.
Key: B | Explanation: The fixed particle “at” remains after the passive verb phrase.