A verb is an action word. The action can be performed either by the subject or the action may be experienced by it (the subject). The property of the verb which shows whether the action is performed by the subject or the subject experiences the action is called voice.
Voice is of two types:
1. Active Voice: A verb is said to be active voice when it expresses an action performed by its subject.
Example: I eat a mango. Here the action (eat a mango) is performed by the subject (I).
Some other examples:
1. He is driving a car.
2. I have written a letter.
3. She lost her purse yesterday.
4. They were cleaning the room.
5. I had taken food.
6. We will play the match.
7. He will have written a letter.
8. We were raising the funds.
9. I play cricket.
10. She has trolled the haters.
2. Passive Voice: A verb is said to be passive voice when the action it expresses is performed upon its subject (in the objective form).
Example: A mango is eaten by me. Here, the action expressed by the verb (A mango is eaten) is performed upon its subject in its objective form (The objective form of ‘I’ is ‘me’).
Some other examples:
1. A car is being driven by him.
2. A letter has been written by me.
3. Her purse was lost yesterday by her.
4. The room was being cleaned by them.
5. Food had been taken by me.
6. The match will be played by us.
7. A letter will have been written by him.
8. The phone was left in the car.
9. These cookies were baked at the grocery store bakery.
10. The pot was broken.
Examples
Directions (Qs. 1 - 17): Change the following sentences of Active voice to Passive voice:
1. Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah.
Ans: The savannah is roamed by beautiful giraffes.
2. Sue changed the flat tire.
Ans: The flat tire was changed by Sue.
3. We are going to watch a movie tonight.
Ans: A movie is going to be watched by us tonight.
4. I ran the obstacle course in record time.
Ans: The obstacle course was run by me in record time.
5. The crew paved the entire stretch of highway.
Ans: The entire stretch of highway was paved by the crew.
6. The choir really enjoys that piece.
Ans: That piece is really enjoyed by the choir.
7. A forest fire destroyed the whole suburb.
Ans: The whole suburb was destroyed by a forest fire.
8. The two kings are signing the treaty.
Ans: The treaty is being signed by the two kings.
9. The cleaning crew vacuums and dusts the office every night.
Ans: Every night, the office is vacuumed and dusted by the cleaning crew.
10. Larry generously donated money to the homeless shelter.
Ans: Money was generously donated to the homeless shelter by Larry.
11. The homeowners remodelled the house to help it sell.
Ans: The house was remodelled by the homeowners to help it sell.
12. The saltwater corroded the metal beams.
Ans: The metal beams were corroded by the saltwater.
13. The kangaroo carried her baby in her pouch.
Ans: The baby was carried by the kangaroo in her pouch.
14. They looted the shop and took away the money.
Ans: The shop was looted and the money was taken away.
15. They asked Johan why he accepted the money.
Ans: Johan was asked why the money was accepted by him.
16. We saw her sing a song.
Ans: She was seen to sing a song.
17. I saw him go out.
Ans: He was seen to go out.
Directions (Qs. 1 - 18): Change the following sentences of Passive voice to Active voice:
1. The novel was read by Mom in one day.
Ans: Mom read the novel in one day.
2. The house will be cleaned by me every Saturday.
Ans: I will clean the house every Saturday.
3. The staff are required by the company to watch a safety video every year.
Ans: The company requires staff to watch a safety video every year.
4. The entire house was painted by Tom.
Ans: Tom painted the entire house.
5. The students' questions are always answered by the teacher.
Ans: The teacher always answers the students' questions.
6. All the reservations are being made by the wedding planner.
Ans: The wedding planner is making all the reservations.
7. Two dozen cupcakes will be baked by Susan for the bake sale.
Ans: Susan will bake two dozen cupcakes for the bake sale.
8. The comet was viewed by the science class.
Ans: The science class viewed the comet.
9. Instructions will be given to you by the director.
Ans: The director will give you instructions.
10. The Grand Canyon is visited by thousands of tourists every year.
Ans: Thousands of tourists visit the Grand Canyon every year.
11. It’s time for work to be done.
Ans: It’s time to do the work.
12. Ram was asked if he was ill.
Ans: I asked Ram, if he was ill.
13. Let the doors be shut.
Ans: Shut the doors.
14. I was surprised at the news.
Ans: The news surprised me.
15. The Joker was laughed at by the boys.
Ans: The boys laughed at the joker.
16. You may be slapped by me.
Ans: I may slap you.
17. Who was invited by you?
Ans: Whom did you invite?
18. By whom was this book written?
Ans: Who wrote this book?
