Active and Passive Voice


When we speak or write a sentence in English, it shows who performs the action and who receives the action.
Based on this, a sentence can be in Active Voice or Passive Voice.

🔹 What is Active Voice?

A sentence is in Active Voice when the subject performs the action.

Example:

  • Active: Ram eats an apple.
    👉 Ram (the subject) is doing the action — eating the apple.

🔹 What is Passive Voice?

A sentence is in Passive Voice when the subject receives the action or when the focus is on the action rather than the doer.

Example:

  • Passive: An apple is eaten by Ram.
    👉 Now, “apple” is the subject and the action is done to it by Ram.

🔸 Structure of Active and Passive Voice

Each tense has its own structure, but in Passive Voice, the past participle (V3) form of the verb is always used, along with a suitable “to be” form (is, am, are, was, were, be, been, being).

✅ Present Simple

  • Active: She writes a letter.

  • Passive: A letter is written by her.

✅ Past Simple

  • Active: He cleaned the room.

  • Passive: The room was cleaned by him.

✅ Future Simple

  • Active: They will complete the work.

  • Passive: The work will be completed by them.

✅ Present Continuous

  • Active: He is watching a movie.

  • Passive: A movie is being watched by him.

✅ Past Continuous

  • Active: She was cooking food.

  • Passive: Food was being cooked by her.

✅ Present Perfect

  • Active: They have played the match.

  • Passive: The match has been played by them.

✅ Past Perfect

  • Active: She had locked the door.

  • Passive: The door had been locked by her.

✅ Future Perfect

  • Active: He will have submitted the form.

  • Passive: The form will have been submitted by him.

🧠 Tips to Remember

  • The object of the Active Voice becomes the subject in the Passive Voice.
    (Active: Ram eats an apple → Passive: An apple is eaten by Ram.)

  • Always use the V3 form of the verb in Passive Voice.

  • Only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be changed into the passive form.
    Verbs like go, come, sleep, die do not have a passive form.

✅ Common Daily Use Examples

Active VoicePassive Voice
The teacher teaches us.We are taught by the teacher.
Someone is knocking at the door.The door is being knocked at.
I have completed my homework.My homework has been completed by me.
He will send the email.The email will be sent by him.
She writes a letter.A letter is written by her.
They are watching a movie.A movie is being watched by them.
He has made a cake.A cake has been made by him.
I will clean the room.The room will be cleaned by me.
We help the poor.The poor are helped by us.
She is cooking dinner.Dinner is being cooked by her.
They had finished the work.The work had been finished by them.
I am reading a book.A book is being read by me.
The manager will sign the papers.The papers will be signed by the manager.
Someone stole my phone.My phone was stolen.
He paints beautiful pictures.Beautiful pictures are painted by him.
I was writing a letter.A letter was being written by me.
They will finish the project by tomorrow.The project will be finished by tomorrow.
The police caught the thief.The thief was caught by the police.
She had completed the assignment.The assignment had been completed by her.

❌ Sentences That Do Not Have a Passive Form

Some verbs cannot be made passive because they do not have an object.
For example:

  • He sleeps peacefully. (No passive form)

  • They went home. (No object → no passive form)

✍️ Conclusion

Active Voice is simple, direct, and commonly used in everyday English.
Passive Voice is more formal and is often used in reports, news, scientific writing, and official documents.

👉 For learners: First, master Active Voice, and then move on to Passive Voice for a complete understanding of English sentence formation.

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