ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE: RULES, EXAMPLES AND EXAM TRAPS 100%

Active Voice: The subject does the action.

Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.

Example:

Active Voice	Passive Voice
Ram writes a letter.	A letter is written by Ram.
She teaches English.	English is taught by her.
They completed the work.	The work was completed by them.

Table of Contents

Voice	Formula	Example
Active	Subject + Verb + Object	Ram eats an apple.
Passive	Object + Helping Verb + V3 + by + Subject	An apple is eaten by Ram.

Important: In passive voice, we always use the third form (V3) of the main verb.

Examples:

This is the most important table for examinations.

EXAMPLES

Tense	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Simple Present	He writes a letter.	A letter is written by him.
Present Continuous	He is writing a letter.	A letter is being written by him.
Present Perfect	He has written a letter.	A letter has been written by him.
Simple Past	He wrote a letter.	A letter was written by him.
Past Continuous	He was writing a letter.	A letter was being written by him.
Past Perfect	He had written a letter.	A letter had been written by him.
Simple Future	He will write a letter.	A letter will be written by him.
Future Perfect	He will have written a letter.	A letter will have been written by him.

Examples:

Remember: The subject changes into an object form after ‘by’.

Rule	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Modal verbs	He can solve this question.	This question can be solved by him.
Modal + perfect	He should have completed it.	It should have been completed by him.
Imperative sentence	Open the door.	Let the door be opened.
Negative sentence	He does not write letters.	Letters are not written by him.
Interrogative sentence	Does he teach English?	Is English taught by him?
Two objects	She gave me a gift.	I was given a gift by her.
Prepositional verb	He laughed at me.	I was laughed at by him.

Sentence Type	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Question	Who wrote this book?	By whom was this book written?
Question	What did he buy?	What was bought by him?
Request	Please help me.	You are requested to help me.
Advice	Follow the rules.	You are advised to follow the rules.
Order	Close the window.	Let the window be closed.
Negative command	Do not touch it.	Let it not be touched.

Trap	Incorrect Approach	Correct Rule
1. Using V2	The work was did.	The work was done.
2. Missing ‘being’	The house is built by him. (for present continuous)	The house is being built by him.
3. Missing ‘been’	The work has completed.	The work has been completed.
4. Wrong helping verb	Letters is written.	Letters are written.
5. Wrong pronoun	By he	By him
6. No object	He sleeps. → He is slept.	No passive voice is possible.
7. Wrong modal structure	It can solved.	It can be solved.
8. Future continuous	It will be being done.	Usually avoid this uncommon construction in standard examinations; follow the question’s prescribed pattern.
9. Perfect continuous	It has been being written.	Generally not used in ordinary English.
10. Intransitive verb	The accident was happened.	No passive voice: ‘happen’ has no object.

These verbs do not normally take an object. Therefore, they cannot normally be changed into passive voice.

Exam trick: If there is no object in an active sentence, you generally cannot make its passive voice.

Active Voice	Passive Voice
The teacher made him work.	He was made to work by the teacher.
I saw him cross the road.	He was seen to cross the road by me.
They heard her sing.	She was heard to sing by them.
Let him do the work.	Let the work be done by him.

Important rule: After make, see and hear, we often use the base verb without ‘to’ in active voice. In passive voice, ‘to’ is generally added.