REMEDIAL GRAMMAR – Voice Change – Unit 5
Unit V
Remedial Grammar
VOICE CHANGE
Rules for Changing Active to passive Voice
To change a sentence from active voice to passive voice, you need to follow these general rules:
Identify the subject, verb, and object in the active sentence.
Move the object of the active sentence to the beginning of the passive sentence.
Use the appropriate form of the verb “to be” (am, is, are, was, were, being, or been) with the past participle of the main verb to form the passive voice.
Add the preposition “by” to the passive sentence to indicate who or what performed the action in the active sentence.
Here are some examples to illustrate the process:
- Active: She wrote the book. Passive: The book was written by her.
- Active: The dog chased the cat. Passive: The cat was chased by the dog.
- Active: He broke the vase. Passive: The vase was broken by him.
- Active: The teacher graded the papers. Passive: The papers were graded by the teacher.
- Active: She cooked dinner. Passive: Dinner was cooked by her.
- Active: The company hired a new employee. Passive: A new employee was hired by the company.
- Active: The storm destroyed the house. Passive: The house was destroyed by the storm.
- Active: They built the bridge. Passive: The bridge was built by them.
- Active: The kids watched the movie. Passive: The movie was watched by the kids.
- Active: He fixed the car. Passive: The car was fixed by him.
- Active: The waiter served the food. Passive: The food was served by the waiter.
- Active: She sang the song. Passive: The song was sung by her.
- Active: They painted the room. Passive: The room was painted by them.
- Active: The doctor treated the patient. Passive: The patient was treated by the doctor.
- Active: He stole the money. Passive: The money was stolen by him.
- Active: The athlete broke the record. Passive: The record was broken by the athlete.
- Active: The police caught the thief. Passive: The thief was caught by the police.
- Active: She taught the class. Passive: The class was taught by her.
- Active: They repaired the roof. Passive: The roof was repaired by them.
- Active: The chef cooked the meal. Passive: The meal was cooked by the chef.
- Active: He solved the problem. Passive: The problem was solved by him.
- Active: The company developed the product. Passive: The product was developed by the company.
- Active: She cleaned the house. Passive: The house was cleaned by her.
- Active: They planted the trees. Passive: The trees were planted by them.
- Active: The doctor performed the surgery. Passive: The surgery was performed by the doctor.
- Active: He bought the car. Passive: The car was bought by him.
- Active: The artist painted the picture. Passive: The picture was painted by the artist.
- Active: She sent the email. Passive: The email was sent by her.
- Active: They constructed the building. Passive: The building was constructed by them.
- Active: The teacher explained the lesson. Passive: The lesson was explained by the teacher.
- Active: He sold the house. Passive: The house was sold by him.
- Active: The musician composed the song. Passive: The song was composed by the musician.
- Active: She answered the question. Passive: The question was answered by her.
Voice change in imperative sentences:
- Change this sentence into the passive voice: Open the door. Answer: Let the door be opened.
- Change this sentence into the passive voice: Clean the table. Answer: Let the table be cleaned.
- Change this sentence into the passive voice: Turn off the lights. Answer: Let the lights be turned off.
- Change this sentence into the passive voice: Shut the window. Answer: Let the window be shut.
- Change this sentence into the passive voice: Cook the dinner. Answer: Let the dinner be cooked.
- Change this sentence into the passive voice: Feed the dog. Answer: Let the dog be fed.
- Change this sentence into the passive voice: Water the plants. Answer: Let the plants be watered.
- Change this sentence into the passive voice: Iron the shirt. Answer: Let the shirt be ironed.
- Change this sentence into the passive voice: Sign the contract. Answer: Let the contract be signed.
- Change this sentence into the passive voice: Post the letter. Answer: Let the letter be posted.
- Change this sentence into the active voice: Let the book be read. Answer: Read the book.
- Change this sentence into the active voice: Let the movie be watched. Answer: Watch the movie.
- Change this sentence into the active voice: Let the cake be baked. Answer: Bake the cake.
- Change this sentence into the active voice: Let the room be cleaned. Answer: Clean the room.
- Change this sentence into the active voice: Let the car be washed. Answer: Wash the car.
- Change this sentence into the active voice: Let the clothes be folded. Answer: Fold the clothes.
- Change this sentence into the active voice: Let the coffee be brewed. Answer: Brew the coffee.
- Change this sentence into the active voice: Let the dishes be washed. Answer: Wash the dishes.
- Change this sentence into the active voice: Let the floor be swept. Answer: Sweep the floor.
- Change this sentence into the active voice: Let the lawn be mowed. Answer: Mow the lawn.
Voice change in Interrogative Sentence:
- Active: Does the teacher correct the papers? Passive: Are the papers corrected by the teacher?
- Active: Did the police arrest the thief? Passive: Was the thief arrested by the police?
- Active: Will they finish the project on time? Passive: Will the project be finished on time by them?
- Active: Has the company hired a new employee? Passive: Has a new employee been hired by the company?
- Active: Can you open the window? Passive: Can the window be opened by you?
- Active: Do they pay their bills on time? Passive: Are their bills paid on time by them?
- Active: Is she writing a novel? Passive: Is a novel being written by her?
- Active: Are they discussing the matter with the boss? Passive: Is the matter being discussed with the boss by them?
- Active: Has anyone cleaned the room yet? Passive: Has the room been cleaned yet by anyone?
- Active: Will he finish his homework tonight? Passive: Will his homework be finished tonight by him?
- Active: Did the doctor examine the patient? Passive: Was the patient examined by the doctor?
- Active: Do you like the new restaurant? Passive: Is the new restaurant liked by you?
- Active: Have they announced the winners? Passive: Have the winners been announced by them?
- Active: Can the team finish the game without him? Passive: Can the game be finished without him by the team?
- Active: Is she singing the national anthem? Passive: Is the national anthem being sung by her?
- Active: Do they send the products to customers? Passive: Are the products sent to customers by them?
- Active: Did the chef cook the meal? Passive: Was the meal cooked by the chef?
- Active: Will the company launch a new product next month? Passive: Will a new product be launched by the company next month?
- Active: Has the government announced a new policy? Passive: Has a new policy been announced by the government?
- Active: Can you pass me the salt? Passive: Can the salt be passed by you?
Note: Not all sentences can be changed from active to passive voice. Some sentences may not have a clear object, or the subject may be performing an action that cannot be converted to passive voice.
Read More:
Unit 1: Communication: Therory & Practice
Written by Chhanda Kaity
Chhanda Kaity, Asst. Professor (Lecturer), Bishnupur Public Institute of Engineering completed his Masters from Vidyasagar University with First Class after graduating with honours in English Literature from The University of Burdwan. He also completed B.Ed from The University of Burdwan.
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