Tense The Active Voice The Passive Voice

1. Simple Resent Tense a. Johnny plays Tarzan. a. Tarzan is played by Johnny.

2. Present Continuing
Action
3. Simple Past Tense
4. Simple Future Tense
Note the changes made when sentences are transformed from the active to the passive voice.
b. Johnny sees one of the
spaceships hovering over the
river.
Sara is salting the popcorn now.
The monster drew three
concentric circles around the
golden globe.
The talisman will save the world
from the aliens.
b. The spaceships are seen
hovering over the river.
The popcorn is being salted
now.
The concentric circles were
drawn around the golden globe.
The world will be saved from
the aliens.

1. The direct object of the sentence in the active voice becomes the subject of the sentence in
the passive voice.
Active voice : Johnny plays Tarzan. (direct object)
Passive voice : Tarzan is played by Johnny.
2. The passive voice of the verbs is formed by using the different forms of the verb be as
helping verb.
Examples:
a. The spheres were rolled into a circle of rings.
b. The small blue globe was crushed under his foot.
c. The marble is retrieved after the battle.

KEY POINTS
1. To express present habitual action in the passive voice, is/are and the past participle form
of the main verb is used. The helping verb is agrees with a singular subject, and are with a
plural subject.
Example: The motorcade is led by two police officers.
The discussions are headed by two student leaders.
2. To express present continuing actions in the passive voice, is being or are being + the
past participle form of the main verb is used.
Example: Computer lessons are being taught in all schools.
3. To express past actions in the passive voice, was or were + the past participle form of the
main verb is used.
Example: This research work was accomplished after a month.
4. To express future events in the passive voice, shall be or will be+ the past participle form
of the main verb is used.
Example: Computer technology will be offered in the elementary grades.

The following irregular verbs have been divided into groups according to the way they form their
past and past participle.

GROUP 1
These irregular verbs have the same form for the present, the past, and the past
participle.
Present Present Participle Past Past Participle
burst bursting burst has/have burst
cost costing cost has/have cost
hit hitting hit has/have hit
hurt hurting hurt has/have hurt
let letting let has/have let
put putting put has/have put
set setting set has/have set

GROUP 2
These irregular verbs have the same form for the past and the past participle.
Present Present Participle Past Past Participle
bring bringing brought has/have brought
buy buying bought has/have bought
 catch catching caught has/have caught
feel feeling felt has/have felt
find finding found has/have found
get getting got has/have got
hold holding held has/have held
keep keeping kept has/have kept
lay laying laid has/have laid
lead leading led has/have led
leave leaving left has/have left
lose losing lost has/have lost
make making made has/have made
say saying said has/have said
sell selling sold has/have sold
send sending sent has/have sent
sit sitting sat has/have sat
teach teaching taught has/have taught
tell telling told has/have told
win winning won has/have won

GROUP 3
These irregular verbs form the past participle by adding n to the past.
Present Present Participle Past Past Participle
break breaking broke has/have broken
choose choosing chose has/have chosen
freeze freezing froze has/have frozen
speak speaking spoke has/have spoken
steal stealing stole has/have stolen

GROUP 4
These irregular verbs form the past participle by adding n to the present.
Present Present Participle Past Past Participle
blow blowing blew has/have blown
draw drawing drew has/have drawn
drive driving drove has/have driven
give giving gave has/have given
grow growing grew has/have grown
know knowing knew has/have known
rise rising rose has/have risen
see seeing saw has/have seen
take taking took has/have taken
throw throwing threw has/have thrown

GROUP 5
These irregular verbs form the past and the past participle by changing a vowel.
Present Present Participle Past Past Participle
begin beginning began has/have begun
drink drinking drank has/have drunk
ring ringing rang has/have rung
shrink shrinking shrank has/have shrunk
sing singing sang has/have sung
sink sinking sank has/have sunk
swim swimming swam has/have swum

GROUP 6
These irregular verbs form the past and past participle in other ways.
Present Present Participle Past Past Participle
come coming came has/have come
do doing did has/have done
eat eating ate has/have eaten
fall falling fell has/have fallen
go going went has/have gone
lie lying lay has/have lain
ride riding rode has/have ridden
run running ran has/have run
tear tearing tore has/have torn
wear wearing wore has/have worn
write writing wrote has/have written