Active and Passive Voice Examples with Answers

In English grammar, the five characteristics of verbs are voices, moods, tenses, persons, and numbers; we're simply concerned with voice here.

The two grammatical voices are active and passive. The type of verb that clearly depicts when a subject performs or is the recipient of action is known as the voice. It is active voice whenever the subject executes the action/ activity and passive voice whenever the subject gets the activity/action.

Active and Passive Voice

The subject participates in the action in sentences composed in an active voice.

The subject is the beneficiary of the action in passive voice sentences.

Active voice occurs when an activity done by the subject is conveyed through the action word. An active voice is used when a stronger link and clarity between the subject and the action word are required.

Passive voice occurs when the subject obtains the activity conveyed by the action verb. When the performer of the action is unknown, and the focus of the phrase is on the activity rather than the topic, passive voice is used.

Active and Passive Voice Structure

An active voice sentence is one in which the subject does an activity.

It is composed of the following elements: Subject + Verb + Object.

The passive voice conveys an action performed on the sentence's topic.

Its structure is as follows: object + verb + subject

Active And Passive Examples With Answers

Let us have a look at some active and passive voice instances.

Active Voice- Meeta sings a duet.

Passive Voice- A duet is sung by Meeta.

Active Voice- Seema reads a novel.

Passive Voice- A novel is read by Seema.

Active Voice- He composes a song.

Passive Voice- A song is composed by him.

Active Voice-She plays tennis.

Passive Voice- Tennis is played by her.

Active Voice- He sells stylish apparel.

Passive Voice- Stylish apparel are sold by him.

Active Voice - I have baked some cookies.

Passive Voice- Some cookies have been baked by me.

Active Voice- The kitty chased the mice.

Passive Voice- The mice was chased by the kitty.

Active Voice- I teach knitting.

Passive Voice- Knitting is taught by me.

Active Voice- I am eating dinner.

Passive Voice- The dinner is being eaten by me.

Active Voice- I was doing my assignment.

Passive Voice- The assignment was being done by me.

Examples for Active and Passive Voice in All Tenses

The Active and Passive Voice Rules for all Tenses are listed below. You will learn how to utilize an auxiliary verb to transform a statement from active to passive voice.

Examples for Active and Passive Voice in the Simple Present Tense

Simple Present Tense Formula for Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice- Subject+ Infinitive + Object.

Passive Voice- Object+ to be+ past participle+ by subject.

Active and Passive Voice Examples with Answers of Simple Present Tense

Active: She reads the notification.

Passive: The notification is read by her.

Active: She does not bake chicken.

Passive: Chicken is not baked by her.

Active: Does she buy clothes ?

Passive: Are clothes bought by her ?

Active: They plant flowers.

Passive: Flowers are planted by them.

Active: He trains me.

Passive: I am trained by him.

Active and Passive Voice Examples with answers of Present Continuous Tense

Present Continuous Tense Formula for Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice - Subject+ to be(is, am, are)+ past participle + Object

Passive Voice- Object + to be (is, am, are) + being+ past participle+ by subject

Active: Leena is humming a tune.

Passive: A tune is being hummed by Leena.

Active: Kanika is not slicing the potatoes.

Passive: Potatoes are not being sliced by Kanika.

Active: Is Reena purchasing a car ?

Passive: Is a car being purchased by Reena ?

Active: They are helping needy kids.

Passive: Needy kids are being helped by them.

Active: He is annoying Dharmesh.

Passive: Dharmesh is being annoyed by him.

Active: Reena is drawing the painting.

Passive: Painting is being drawn by Reena.

Active: Teachers are giving the gift.

Passive: Gift is being given by teachers.

Active: Deepak is waiting for the train.

Passive: The train is being waited by Deepak.

Active: Biban is writing a novel.

Passive: A novel is being written by Biban.

Active: She is helping the poor women.

Passive: Poor women are being helped by her.

Active and Passive Voice Examples with answers of Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Tense Formula for Active and Passive Voice

Active and Passive Voice Examples with answers of Present Perfect Tense

Active Voice: Subject+ have/has+ past participle+ object

Passive Voice: Object + have/has been+ past participle+ by subject

Active: Nita has confronted him.

Passive: He has been confronted by Nita.

Active: Radha has not composed a song.

Passive: A song has not been composed by Radha.

Active: Have they abandoned the institution ?

Passive: Has the institution been abandoned by them ?

Active: Seema has crafted this showpiece.

Passive: This showpiece has been crafted by Seema.

Active: I have studied the magazine.

Passive: The magazine has been studied by me.

Active: Kiara has deposited the payment.

Passive: The payment has been deposited by Kiara.

Active: We have walked three Kms.

Passive: Three km have been walked by us.

Active: Has he called him ?

Passive: Has he been called by him ?

Active: They have not studied the course.

Passive: The course has not been studied by them.

Active: We have not accepted this proposal.

Passive: The proposal has not been accepted by us.

Active and Passive Voice Examples with Answers of Simple Past Tense

Simple Past Tense Formula for Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice: Subject+ past participle+ object

Passive Voice: Object + was/were+ past participle+ by subject

Active: She wiped the floor.

Passive: The floor was wiped by her.

Active: Jeffy purchased a new scooter.

Passive: A new scooter was bought by Jeffy.

Active: The tutor administered the kids.

Passive: The kids were administered by the tutor.

Active: Sheena snatched his purse.

Passive: His purse was snatched by Sheena.

Active: Rita deposited all her money.

Passive: All her money were deposited by Rita.

Active: Roma mopped the kitchen slab.

Passive: The kitchen slab was mopped by Roma.

Active: Alia purchased a treadmill.

Passive: A treadmill was purchased by Alia.

Active: Neeta called my office colleagues.

Passive: My office colleagues were called by Neeta.

Active: I rescued the puppy.

Passive: The puppy was rescued by me.

Active: Mohini cleared the dues.

Passive: The dues were cleared by Mohini.

Active and Passive Voice Examples with Answers of Past Continuous Tense

Past Continuous Tense Formula for Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice: Subject + was/were+ present participle+ object

Passive Voice: Object + was/were+ being+ pas participle+ by Subject.

Active: Neelu was ironing the shirt.

Passive: The shirt was being ironed by Neelu.

Active: Munna was inspecting the file.

Passive: The file was being inspected by Munna.

Active: Were you playing the piano ?

Passive: Was the piano being played ?

Active: She was toasting the bread.

Passive: The bread was being toasted by her.

Active: Lokesh was staring at me.

Passive: I was being stared at by Lokesh.

Active: I was looking for Meena.

Passive: Meena was being looked by me.

Active: She was crafting an antique.

Passive: An antique was being crafted by her.

Active: Anna was learning Japanese.

Passive: Japanese was being learned by Anna.

Active: They were adorning the mansion.

Passive: The mansion was being adorned by them.

Active: He was flying the plane.

Passive: The plane was being flown by him.

Active and Passive Voice Examples with Answers of Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense Formula for Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice: Subject+ Had+ past participle+ Object

Passive Voice: Object+ had been+ past participle= by subject.

Active: She had abandoned that flat.

Passive: That flat was abandoned by her.

Active: I had accomplished my goal.

Passive: My goal has been accomplished by me.

Active: Lina had skipped the last examination.

Passive: The last examination had been missed by Lina.

Active: He had drafted the petition.

Passive: The petition had been drafted by him.

Active: Rena had finished his lecture.

Passive: His lecture had been finished by Rena.

Active: Mina had littered the room.

Passive: The room had been littered by Mina.

Active: Vishi had not collected the packet.

Passive: The packet had not been collected by Vishi.

Active: Vimal had resolved the issue.

Passive: The issue had been resolved by Vimal.

Active: Had they arrested the culprit ?

Passive: Had the culprit been arrested by them ?

Active: I had submitted the task.

Passive: The task had been submitted by me.

Active and Passive Voice Examples with Answers of Simple Future Tense

Simple Future Tense Formula for Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice: Subject+ will+ infinitive+ object

Passive Voice: Object + will+ be+ past participle+ by subject

Active: I shall study the case.

Passive: The case will be studied by me.

Active: She will make a delicious meal.

Passive: A delicious meal will be made by her.

Active: Bunty will repair his computer.

Passive: His computer will be repaired by Bunty.

Active: They will clear the bills.

Passive: The bills will be cleared by them.

Active: We shall begin this seminar.

Passive: This seminar will be begun by us.

Active: Kriti will knit the sweater.

Passive: The sweater will be knitted by Kriti.

Active: Diya will not organize the books.

Passive: The books will not be organized by Diya.

Active: Will you scrub the pan ?

Passive: Will the pan be scrubbed by you ?

Active: They will publish the article.

Passive: The article will be published.

Active: Rita will save cash.

Passive: Cash will be saved by Rita.

Active and Passive Voice Examples with Answers of Future Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Tense Formula for Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice: Subject+ will/shall have+ infinitive + object

Passive Voice: Object+ will have been + past participle+ by subject

Active: They will have purchased the blanket.

Passive: The blanket will have been purchased by them.

Active: Nima will not have placed the bedsheet.

Passive: The bedsheet will not have been placed by Nima.

Active: Will she have noted the details ?

Passive: Will the details have been noted by her ?

Active: They will have lose the bet.

Passive: The bet will have been lost by them.

Active: Vinay will have soaked a towel.

Passive: A towel will have been soaked by Vijay.

Active voice- The owner will have given some concessions.

Passive voice - Some concession will have given by the owner.

Active voice- Thousands of individuals will have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

Passive voice - Jobs will have been lost by thousands of individuals due to the pandemic.

Active: Veena will have cleaned the room.

Passive: A room will have been cleaned by Veena.

Active: They will have confiscated the mobile.

Passive: The mobile will have been confiscated by them.

Active: She will have mopped the bathroom.

Passive: The bathroom will have been mopped by her.

For these tenses, there is no Passive Voice formation -

1. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
2. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
3. Perfect Continuous Future Tense
4. Present Continuous Tense

So, you should now have all of the information you need to make changes to a sentence using Active and Passive Voice formulas and examples in all tenses.

Intransitive Verb Also Cannot Be Transformed in Passive Voice.

A verb can be transitive or intransitive. The primary difference between the two is that a transitive verb requires an object for it to make complete sense. However, this is not the case in in- transitive they don't really need an object for a sentence to make complete sense. Let us have a look at a few examples;

She sent a gift - This is a transitive verb. Here sent is a transitive verb that requires an object, i.e., a gift, to convey the complete meaning.

Intransitive Verb: She smiles (smiles is an intransitive verb and doesn't need an object to convey the complete meaning). Other examples of intransitive verbs include - laugh, sleep, reach, sit, etc.

So these sentences do not require any object, so hence these cannot be changed into passive voice.

Some of the examples of the same are;

• She is laughing.
• She has gone.
• They died in 2020.

Imperative Sentence

Imperative sentences are those that communicate orders, requests, commands, proposals, and so on. With or without an object, the passive version of imperative phrases begins.

Let + object +be + past participle = passive form (With object).

If a sentence starts with 'You are instructed/ advised/ requested?' use the passive form (no object).

……. etc. As an example,

active - Take your medication on time.

Passive - You are advised to take medication on time.

Active voice - Let me serve there.

Passive voice- I may be permitted to serve there.

Interrogative Sentence

Interrogative sentences are those that pose questions. Interrogative phrases in voice can be of two types: with or without a wh group word. If "who" appears in the active voice, it should be changed to "by whom" in the passive form. When there is no Wh word in the active voice, the assisting verb comes before the object because the sentence is interrogative. As an example,

Active - Who appreciates him ?

Passive - By whom is he appreciated ?

Active -Are you attempting the quiz ?

Passive - Is the quiz being attempted by you ?

Active and Passive Voice Examples With Answers (Using Modals)

The formula for Active and Passive using Can

Active Voice: Subject+ can+ infinitive+ object

Passive Voice: Object+ can be+ past participle+ by subject

Examples

Active: He can buy all the fruits.

Passive: All the fruits can be bought by him.

Active: Can he play the piano ?

Passive: Can the violin be played by him ?

However, this rule also applies in the case of negative sentences, i.e., sentences with can not.

Let us have a look at the examples;

Active: Romy cannot purchase this mobile.

Passive: This mobile cannot be purchased by Romy.

Active: Raju cannot fix the problem.

Passive: The problem cannot be fixed by Raju.

Active and Passive Voice Examples With Answers (Using May)

The formula for Active and Passive using Can

Active Voice: Subject+ may+ infinitive+ object

Passive Voice: Object+ may be+ past participle+ by subject

Examples;

Active: She may buy a new laptop.

Passive: A new laptop may be bought by her.

Active: May I take a bite ?

Passive: May a bite be taken by me ?

However, this rule also applies in the case of negative sentences, i.e., sentences with may not.

Also, the formula remains the same.

Let us have a look at the examples;

Active: She may not purchase the laptop.

Passive: The laptop may not be purchased by her.

Active: He may not attend the seminar.

Passive: The seminar may not be attended by him.

Active and Passive Voice Examples With Answers (Using Must)

The formula for Active and Passive using Must

Active Voice: Subject+ must+ infinitive+ object

Passive Voice: Object+ must be+ past participle+ by subject

Active: She must complete her task by today.

Passive: Her task must be completed by her by today.

Active: Dav must purchase this T-shirt.

Passive: This T-shirt must be purchased by Dave.

However, this rule also applies in the case of negative sentences, i.e., sentences with must not.

Also, the formula remains the same.

Let us have a look at the examples ;

Active: Dav must not drive the car after the party.

Passive: The car must not be driven by Dav after the party.

Active and Passive Voice Examples With Answers (Using Must)

The formula for Active and Passive using Must

Active Voice: Subject+ might+ infinitive+ object

Passive Voice: Object+ might be+ past participle+ by subject

Active: I might meet my old friends today.

Passive: Old friends might be me today.

Active: Disha might visit the mall today.

Passive: The mall might be visited by Disha today.

However, this rule also applies in the case of negative sentences, i.e., sentences with might not. Also, the formula remains the same.

Let us have a look at the examples ;

Active: Visitors might not be allowed to wear shoes.

Passive: Shoes might not be allowed to be worn by visitors.

Active and Passive Voice Examples With Answers (Using May have, should have, must have, might have, etc.)

Active: She may have grabbed the opportunity.

Passive: The opportunity may have been grabbed by her.

Active: She may not have grabbed the opportunity.

Passive: The opportunity may not have been grabbed by her.

Active: She might have enjoyed the food.

Passive: The food might have been enjoyed by her.

Active: She might not have enjoyed the food.

Passive: The food might not have been enjoyed by her.

Active: She should have completed the assignment.

Passive: The assignment should have been completed by her.

Active: She should not have skipped the assignment.

Passive: The assignment should not have been skipped by her.

Active: She must have started the task.

Passive: The task must have been started by her.

Active: She must not have started the calculation.

Passive: The calculation must not have been started by her.

Active: She ought to have aided the little boy.

Passive: The little boy ought to have been aided by her.

Active and Passive with Verbs accompanied by Modals ( can, might, may, should, ought, must )

The kind of verb is the same as that in Simple Future tense, i.e., Modal auxiliary + be+ 3rd form.

Active: She can do this task.

Passive: This task can be done by her.

Active: Cops could not catch the robber.

Passive: The robber could not be caught by the cops.

Active: She may study this course.

Passive: This course may be studied by her.

Active: I might sing a brilliant song.

Passive: A brilliant song might be sung by me.

Active: We should respect our elders.

Passive: Our elders should be respected by us.

Active: He would train us on Friday.

Passive: We would be trained by him on Friday.

Active: She must support the needy.

Passive: The needy must be supported by her.

Active: Could you calculate the expenses ?

Passive: Could the expenses be calculated by you ?

Active: Who could aid her ?

Passive: By whom could she be aided ?