SECTION 4 — VOICE (ACTIVE & PASSIVE) (Concepts 49–61)

49. Basic passive formation: object of active sentence → subject of passive; verb → be + past participle

• Active: The chef prepared the dessert.
• Passive: The dessert was prepared by the chef.
• Active: The examiner checked all the answer sheets.
• Passive: All the answer sheets were checked by the examiner.
• Active: The nurse recorded the patient's temperature.
• Passive: The patient's temperature was recorded by the nurse.

50. Passive of continuous tenses uses "being"

• Wrong: The road was repaired by the workers when we passed by.
• Fix: The road was being repaired by the workers when we passed by.
• Wrong: The new branch is constructed near the highway currently.
• Fix: The new branch is being constructed near the highway currently.
• Wrong: The hall is decorated for the annual function as we speak.
• Fix: The hall is being decorated for the annual function as we speak.

51. Passive of perfect tenses uses "been"

• Wrong: The report has wrote by the intern.
• Fix: The report has been written by the intern.
• Wrong: All the forms had submit before the deadline.
• Fix: All the forms had been submitted before the deadline.
• Wrong: The certificates has issue to all the eligible candidates.
• Fix: The certificates have been issued to all the eligible candidates.

52. Modal + passive: modal + be + past participle

• Wrong: The task must finished by Friday.
• Fix: The task must be finished by Friday.
• Wrong: These documents should attach with the application.
• Fix: These documents should be attached with the application.
• Wrong: The gate can locked from the inside during an emergency.
• Fix: The gate can be locked from the inside during an emergency. Why this happens: the modal already "uses up" the verb slot in the writer's head, so the following verb gets left in its base or past form instead of taking the required "be + past participle" pattern that every passive needs after a modal.

53. Only transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object) can be made passive

• Wrong: It was arrived by the guests.
• Fix: The guests arrived. (intransitive — cannot be passivised)
• Wrong: A good night's sleep was slept by him.
• Fix: He slept well.
• Wrong: It was happened by an unexpected power cut.
• Fix: An unexpected power cut happened.

54. Imperative sentences → passive with "Let"

• Active: Close the gate.
• Passive: Let the gate be closed.
• Active: Submit the application before noon.
• Passive: Let the application be submitted before noon.
• Active: Switch off the lights before leaving the hall.
• Passive: Let the lights be switched off before leaving the hall.

55. Sentences with two objects (indirect + direct) can form two different passives

• Active: The teacher gave the students an assignment.
• Passive 1: The students were given an assignment by the teacher.
• Passive 2: An assignment was given to the students by the teacher.
• Active: The bank offered the customer a personal loan.
• Passive 1: The customer was offered a personal loan by the bank.
• Passive 2: A personal loan was offered to the customer by the bank.
• Active: The manager promised the staff a bonus.
• Passive: The staff was promised a bonus by the manager.

56. Passive of interrogative (Wh-) sentences retains the question word at the front

• Active: Who wrote this letter?
• Passive: By whom was this letter written?
• Active: What did the committee decide?
• Passive: What was decided by the committee?
• Active: Where did they store the files?
• Passive: Where were the files stored by them?

57. Verbs of perception + object + bare infinitive → passive uses "to"

• Active: They saw him leave the office.
• Passive: He was seen to leave the office.
• Active: The coach made the players run ten laps.
• Passive: The players were made to run ten laps.
• Active: The teacher heard the students discuss the answer.
• Passive: The students were heard to discuss the answer. Why this happens: in the active voice, verbs like "see," "hear," "make," and "let" take a bare infinitive (no "to"), but the moment the sentence flips to passive, English restores the "to" that was silently dropped — a small but frequently tested exception.

58. Verbs like "resemble," "have," "lack," "suit," "cost," "hold (contain)," "become (suit)" are not normally used in the passive

• Wrong: Five litres is held by this container.
• Fix: This container holds five litres.
• Wrong: A large sum was cost by the renovation.
• Fix: The renovation cost a large sum.
• Wrong: A great deal is lacked by this proposal.
• Fix: This proposal lacks a great deal.

59. Passive with "by" is dropped when the doer is unknown, obvious, or unimportant

• Wrong: The thief was arrested by the police by someone at the scene. (redundant/awkward doer)
• Fix: The thief was arrested at the scene.
• Wrong: New tax rules have been announced by the authorities by the government.
• Fix: New tax rules have been announced by the government.
• Wrong: The building was constructed by workers by the contractor's team.
• Fix: The building was constructed by the contractor's team.

60. Causative "have/get something done" is a common exam-tested passive-like structure

• Wrong: He got his car repair yesterday.
• Fix: He got his car repaired yesterday.
• Wrong: She had her documents attest by a gazetted officer.
• Fix: She had her documents attested by a gazetted officer.
• Wrong: We are getting the office paint before the inspection.
• Fix: We are getting the office painted before the inspection.

61. Passive with reporting-verb + "that"-clause can be rewritten with "it is said/believed/reported that" or with the subject fronted

• Active: People believe that the new policy will boost employment.
• Passive: It is believed that the new policy will boost employment.
• Passive (alternative): The new policy is believed to boost employment.
• Active: Sources say that the minister will visit the flood-hit district tomorrow.
• Passive: It is said that the minister will visit the flood-hit district tomorrow.

Mini Practice — Section 4

1. The bridge was being build when the flood struck the region.
2. The winner must announced before the closing ceremony.
3. It was arrived by the delayed flight around midnight.
4. Who informed the staff about the holiday? — passive: By whom the staff was informed about the holiday?
5. This car resembled by his father's old model.
6. The letter has wrote by the branch manager himself.
7. The parcel should deliver before Friday evening.
8. He got his laptop repair at the local shop.
9. The documents were seen by lying on the table this morning.
10. It is believe that the new rules will reduce delays.

Answer Key

1. "being build" → "being built" (past participle needed, not base form)
2. "must announced" → "must be announced" (modal + be + past participle)
3. "arrived" is intransitive and cannot be passivised — Fix: "The flight arrived late around midnight."
4. Missing "was" in correct position — Fix: "By whom was the staff informed about the holiday?"
5. "resembled by" → active only — Fix: "This car resembles his father's old model."
6. "has wrote" → "has been written" (perfect passive needs "been" + past participle)
7. "should deliver" → "should be delivered" (modal + be + past participle)
8. "got his laptop repair" → "got his laptop repaired" (causative needs past participle)
9. Remove "by" before "lying" — Fix: "The documents were seen lying on the table this morning."
10. "is believe" → "is believed" (past participle needed after "is")

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