VOICE CHANGE RULES
VOICE CHANGE RULES
Here we see two sentences written in front of you. Let us read them to know voice change rules.
VOICE CHANGE RULES
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
Sentence no.1
The Prussian forces defeated the French in the Franco-Prussian War.
Sentence no.2
The French were defeated by the Prussian forces in the Franco-Prussian War.
Now if we see meaning wise, both the sentences are same. So what is the difference between the two?
VOICE CHANGE RULES
In sentence 1 we see :
- `The Prussian forces` is the subject or the doer
- `defeated` is the verb or action done
- `the French` is the object or the sufferer
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
So here we see by the verb defeated that the person or persons denoted by the subject i.e. The Prussian forces does something
The verb `defeated` is in Active voice.
VOICE CHANGE RULES
Now in sentence 2 we see :
The verb i.e. were defeated denotes that something is done to the person or persons (The French) denoted by the subject (The Prussian Forces).
VOICE CHANGE RULES
To define Active and Passive Voice, we can say,
- When the subject performs an action it is said to be an Active Voice.
- When the person or thing denoted by the subject is not active or the doer but is the sufferer or the receiver of some action, it is said to be a Passive Voice.
VOICE CHANGE RULES
For example :
- Raghu killed a tiger (Active Voice)
Raghu – Subject or the doer
Killed – Transitive verb
A tiger – Object or sufferer
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
- A tiger was killed by Raghu (Passive Voice)
A tiger – Subject or sufferer or the receiver
was killed – action
Raghu – doer
VOICE CHANGE RULES
USES OF ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
Now we have to see when we can use the Active and Passive Voice.
- We use Active Voice when we give more importance to the doer of the action.
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
Example :
Ritesh defeated Himesh in a game of chess.
(doer) (action)
VOICE CHANGE RULES
- We use Passive Voice when we give more importance to the receiver or the sufferer of the action.
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
Example :
Himesh was defeated by Ramesh in a game of chess.
(sufferer) (action)
VOICE CHANGE RULES
Now it is time to discuss with you the rules which will help us understand what type of sentences can be transformed into a Passive Voice.
VOICE CHANGE RULES
FIVE GOLDEN RULES :
A sentence can be written in Passive Voice when :
- The verb used is transitive i.e. followed by an object.
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
Eg. The cat killed a mouse. (ACTIVE)
Killed – transitive verb
mouse – object
A mouse was killed by the cat. (PASSIVE)
VOICE CHANGE RULES
- The subject of the Active Voice is unknown, unimportant or vague.
Eg. The thief was caught by the police.
Aid was sent to the flood victims.
- The occurrence is more important than the cause of the occurrence.
Eg. The man was struck by a lightning. (PASSIVE)
was struck – occurrence
lightning – cause
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
- Vague words not needed as subjects.
Eg. He was elected the President. (PASSIVE)
- In reports and notices.
Eg. It is believed cannibals are still there in some interior parts of Africa.
Smoking is prohibited in the hospital premises.
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
Here is a short table for you to understand the formation of Passive sentences.
| SIMPLE PRESENT | am/is/are + past participle |
| SIMPLE PAST | was/were + past participle |
| PRESENT PERFECT | has been/have been + past participle |
| PAST PERFECT | had been + past participle |
| PRESENT CONTINUOUS | am/ is/are being + past participle |
| PAST CONTINUOUS | was/were being + past participle |
Memorize the above given table and it will help you remember the formation of Passive Voice.
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
You will not forget it again.
By now you have understood how Active and Passive Voice is formed and its usage. Now we shall see how Active Voice is interchanged into Passive Voice in Past, Present, and Future Tense.
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
Below we have a set of sentences that are all in Active Voice. I shall show you how these sentences can be interchanged into Passive Voice.
EXERCISES ON ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE :
-
PRESENT TENSE
- Active : Ranjita loves yoga lessons.
Passive : Yoga lessons are loved by Ranjita.
- Active : The girls are performing a dance on the stage.
Passive : A dance is being performed by the girls on the stage.
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
- Active : Someone has stolen my necklace.
Passive : My necklace has been stolen by someone.
- Active : Who teaches you French?
Passive : By whom are you taught French?
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
- Active : How do you solve this problem?
Passive : How is this problem solved by you?
- Active : Will you order the food?
Passive : Will the food be ordered by you?
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
- Active : The tourists left Sri Lanka in a hurry because of the terrorist attack.
Passive : Sri Lanka was left in a hurry by the tourists because of the terrorist attack.
- Active : Keep these flowers in a vase.
Passive : These flowers should be kept in a vase.
-
PAST TENSE
- Active : My little brother locked my room.
Passive : My room has been locked by my little brother.
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
- Active : They had completed by them before the submission date.
Passive : The assignment had been completed by thembefore the submission date.
- Active : Did your sister practise piano?
Passive : Was piano practised by your sister?
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
- Active : Did the plumber check all the pipes and fittings before leaving ?
Passive : Were all the pipes and fittings checked by the plumber before leaving?
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
- Active : Meena did not win the trophy for the best essay.
Passive : The trophy for the best essay was not won by Meena.
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
- Active : Rajesh looked after his child while his wife cooked dinner.
Passive : His child was looked after by Rakesh while dinner was cooked by his wife.
- Active : We were arranging the room and decorating it the whole evening.
Passive : The room was being arranged by us and decorated the whole evening.
-
FUTURE TENSE
- Active : Who will take the decision in the absence of the Principal?
Passive : By whom will the decision be taken in the absence of the Principal?
- Active : He will help us to improve our English Grammar.
Passive : We shall be helped by him to improve our English Grammar.
RULES FOR VOICE CHANGER
- Active : Shall I convey your message to your family?
Passive : Will your message be conveyed by me to you family?
- Active : Who will teach us maths next year?
Passive : By whom shall we be taught maths next year?
- Active : The teacher will show your mother the notebooks tomorrow.
Passive : Your mother will be shown the notebooks tomorrow.
- Active : Who will look after the old woman when her son is away?
Passive : By whom will the old woman be looked after when her son is away?
- Active : People believe that Yetis can still be seen in the Himalayas.
Passive : It is believed by the people that Yetis can still be seen in the Himalayas.
