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Passive and active voice

Voice: - Voice is a grammatical category which makes it possible to view the action of a sentence in
either of two ways, without change in the facts reported.
E.g. she washed the dishes.
The dishes were washed.
In the verb phrase, the difference between the two voice categories is that the passive adds a form of
auxiliary Be followed by the past participle of the main verb.
When e sa! hat "eo"#e and thin$s do% e &se active voice'
He s"ea(s En$#ish'
When e sa! hat ha""ened to "eo"#e and thin$s% e &se "assive voice'
What is done to the)*
Passive +o,)ation
A - The obect of an active sentence becomes the subect of the passive.
!ashmat studies English. "Active#
English is studied by !ashmat. "Passive#
. - $e normally use one form of the auxiliary %/e0 1 /e %a) %is %a,e% as %e,e% have- has /een%
had /een /ein$% i## /e &followed by past participle. 2.e 3 P' Pa,tici"#e4
English is st&died by !ashmat.
.e 3 "'"
C - The subect of an active sentence becomes part of %by phrase' in the passive sentence.
Hash)at studies English. "(ctive#
English is studied /! Hash)at' ")assive#
D - The obect pronoun of the active sentence gets change to subect pronoun in the passive
sentence.
!ashmat saw )e' "(ctive#
I was seen by !ashmat. ")assive#
Chan$in$ "assive to active
A - The obect of passive sentence becomes the subect of an active sentence.
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( letter is written by Naa/' 2Passive4
Naa/ writes a letter. 2Active4
. - The subect pronoun of the passive sentence becomes the obect pronoun of the active
sentence.
I was seen by he,' 2Passive4
7he saw me. 2Active4
.! "h,ase 2/!4
In a passive clause the agent the person or thing that does or that causes what happened, is usually
Introduced by a phrase with /!'
The man was killed /! rubbers.
*ometimes the preposition ith is used in a passive clause to introduce a too# or instrument used by
the agent.
!e was killed %/! "o#ice0 ith knife.
Re+#e8ive ",ono&ns in "assive
Verbs followed by reflexive pronouns cannot be used to passive voice.
I saw myself in the mirror.
+yself was seen in the mirror. "Inco,,ect4
7o)e ve,/s a,e not &sed in "assive
,ot all verbs can have passive forms. )assive structure is impassible with intransitive verbs like die or
arrive which cannot have obect because there is nothing to become the subect of a
)assive sentence, some transitive verbs are seldom used in the passive most of these are stative
Verbs which refer to state not action.
7&ch as +it% have% #&c(% ,ese)/#e% s&it
They had a nice house. "Not# a nice house is had by them.
+y shoes don-t fit me. "Not# I am fitted by my shoes.
Uses o+ "assive
When e do not (no% ho dose-did the action*
,awro.-s pocket was stolen.
When the doe, o+ the action is &n(non o, inde+inite ",ono&n% "assive is &sed.
*omeone stole my pocket last night.
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+y pocket was stolen last night.
5.!0 cannot be used because the doer is unknown.
When the o/9ect is )o,e i)"o,tant than the s&/9ect% &sin$ "assive voice is ",e+e,,ed'
I will meet the president.
The president will be met by me.
When the doe, o+ the action ,e",esents a #a,$e $,o&" o+ di++e,ent individ&a#% "assive voice is
&sed'
( lot of coffee is grown in Bra.il.
.! phrase is unnecessary
:inds o+ "assive
I)"e,ative "assive
Inte,,o$ative "assive
;ode# "assive
7tative "assive
Ca&sative "assive
I)"e,ative "assive:
If we faced with an imperative sentence so we use from verb #et'
E8a)"#e: Close the door.
Let the door be closed.
Bring the pen.
Let the pen be brought.
*peak English all the time.
Let the English be spoken all the time.
E8ce"tion: #et<s in s&$$estion
In order to change #et<s in passive voice sho&#d or )&st are used with /e 3 "ast "a,tici"#e'
Let<s eat dinner.
/inner sho&#d be eaten.
/inner )&st be eaten.
Inte,,o$ative "assive:
This kind of passive is used for asking 0uestion about person or thing. In interrogative passive
$e use from 0uestion words such as1 ho% ho)% hat% hen% he,e% hose% ho and h!.
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If the active sentence is began with ho2 the ho is changed by ho) then place the to be
Verb according the active tense.
Who took the pen3
.! ho) the book was taken3
If the active 0uestion starts with ho)% ho) is changed to ho in passive voice.
Who) did you see3
Who was seen3
If the active 0uestion starts with hat, hat doesn-t change its form.
What have you bought3
What has been bought3
If the active 0uestion starts with words such as1 hen% he,e% h!% hose% and ho there forms
(re not changed in passive form.
Note: If we have interrogative with do, does in present tense we change them into passive by using
a)% is% and a,e to interrogative passive form.
If we have did in interrogative sentence we should change it to as and e,e'
;ode# "assive
Active "assive
!e i## help her. *he i## /e helped by him.
!e can help her. *he can /e helped by him.
!e sho&#d help her. *he sho&#d /e helped by him.
!e )&st help her. *he )&st /e helped by him.
!e )a! help her. *he )a! /e helped by him.
!e )i$ht help her. *he )i$ht /e helped by him.
7tative "assive:
$hen the past participle form of the verb is used as an adective which shows state not an action.
It is called *tative passive. *tative passive express existing state rather than an action.
*tative passive verbs are used to describe the following situation.
Location and "osition
(fghanistan is located in the heart of (sia.
Pa,t ho#e ,e#ation
4orea is divided in two parts.
Connection
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(fghanistan and 5.bekistan are oined by !airatan Bridge.
P&,"ose
)hone is used to talk with each other
;anne, o+ )ethod
Temperature is measured in degree
Note: the 7tative "assive do not have active +o,)s.
Ve,/ 3 O/9 3 Ve,v
Ca&sative Ve,/s
( causative verb is used to express the idea that the subect causes the obect to do something. There
are lots of causative verbs in English 6anguage, but we focus on five common ones which are usually
used in daily conversation and writing.
=- ;a(e: - +ake as a causative means "to force, to compel# and it should be followed by obect 7
bare infinitive "infinitive without to#.
E8: (li was really la.y, so his teacher made him study.
>- Have: - !ave as a causative verb means "cause somebody to do something# and it should be
followed by obect 7 bare infinitive.
E8: I have my father buy me a car.
?- Let: - 6et as a causative verb means "to permit, to allow# and it should be followed by obect 7
bare infinitive.
E8: (hmad-s father let him oin the party.
@- He#": - !elp as a causative verb means "to aid, to assist# and it can be followed either by full
infinitive or bare infinitive.
E8: I helped that blind old woman "to# cross the street.
A- Get: - 8et as a causative verb means "to persuade, to convince# it should always be followed by
obect 7 to 7 verb.
E8' I get the mechanic to fix my car.
Ca&sative "assive
In changing causative passive the obect of an active sentence becomes the subect of causative passive
I make him go out.
!e is made to go out.
Passive +o,) o+ the tenses
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Tense active "assive
7i)"#e ",esent They study English. English is studied by them.
P,esent ",o$,essive They are studying English. English is being studied by them.
P,esent ",e+ect They have studied English. English has been studied by them.
P,esent "e,+ect They have been studying E. English has been being studied.
P,o$,essive
7i)"#e "ast They studied English. English was studied by them.
Past ",o$,essive They were studying English. English was being studied by them.
Past ",e+ect They had studied English. English had been studied by them.
Past "e,+ect They had been studying E. English had been being studied'
P,o$,essive
7i)"#e +&t&,e They will study English. English will be studied by them.
F&t&,e "e,+ect They will have studied English. English will have been studied.
;a(in$ B&estion in Passive
Tense Active Passive
7i)"#e P,esent do you write a letter3 Is a litter written by you3
P,esent ",o$,essive are you making the chair3 Is the chair being made by you3
P,esent ",e+ect has the teacher helped us3 !ave we been helped by the teacher3
7i)"#e "ast did many people use the book3 $as the book used by many people3
Past ",o$,essive were they painting our room3 $as our room being painted3
Past ",e+ect had the teacher taught the class3 !ad the class been taught by the teacher3
F&t&,e $ill the teacher explain the lesson3 $ill the lesson be explained by the teacher3
F&t&,e "e,+ect will they have bought a car3 $ill a car have been bought3
Ve,/ 3 ",o"osition
$hen a ve,/ 3 ",o"osition is put into the passive voice, the proposition remains immediately after
the verb
$e were locked in the closet.
$e must put out the fire.
T,ansitive and int,ansitive ve,/s:
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T,ansitive ve,/: The verb which is followed by obect is called t,ansitive ve,/s'
9ou surprised )e'
Int,ansitive ve,/: The verb which is not followed by obect is called intransitive verb.
I usually s#ee" well.
*ome verbs can be both t,ansitive and int,ansitive'
England #ost'
England #ost the )atch'
The match was lost by England.
*ome transitive verbs can be followed by two obects "di,ect and indi,ect#, which are called
dit,ansitive ve,/s. In such a case, each obect can be used as the subect of the sentence in passive
voice.
*he sent me a letter "(ctive#
I was sent a letter. ")assive#
( letter was sent to me. ")assive#

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