Learn the rules of voice change in English with easy examples! Understand how to convert Active Voice to Passive Voice with step-by-step explanations and common sentence structures.
Here’s a table summarizing the rules for changing sentences from active voice to passive voice:
| Active Voice Structure | Passive Voice Structure | Explanation |
| Subject + Verb + Object | Object + Auxiliary verb (am/is/are/was/were) + Past Participle of the main verb + (by Subject) | The object of the active voice sentence becomes the subject of the passive voice sentence. |
| Present Simple (affirmative) | Object + is/are + past participle | “She writes a letter” → “A letter is written by her.” |
| Present Simple (negative) | Object + is/are + not + past participle | “She does not write a letter” → “A letter is not written by her.” |
| Present Continuous | Object + is/are + being + past participle | “He is writing a letter” → “A letter is being written by him.” |
| Past Simple (affirmative) | Object + was/were + past participle | “She wrote a letter” → “A letter was written by her.” |
| Past Simple (negative) | Object + was/were + not + past participle | “She did not write a letter” → “A letter was not written by her.” |
| Past Continuous | Object + was/were + being + past participle | “He was writing a letter” → “A letter was being written by him.” |
| Present Perfect | Object + has/have + been + past participle | “She has written a letter” → “A letter has been written by her.” |
| Past Perfect | Object + had + been + past participle | “She had written a letter” → “A letter had been written by her.” |
| Future Simple | Object + will be + past participle | “She will write a letter” → “A letter will be written by her.” |
| Modals (can, could, may, might, etc.) | Object + modal verb (can/could/may/etc.) + be + past participle | “She can write a letter” → “A letter can be written by her.” |
| Imperative Sentences | Object + must be + past participle | “Write a letter!” → “A letter must be written!” |
| Infinitive with to | Object + to be + past participle | “He wants to write a letter” → “A letter is wanted to be written by him.” |
| Causative (have/let/get) | Object + be + past participle (depending on the causative verb used) | “She has him write a letter” → “He is had to write a letter by her.” |
Key Points:
- The subject in the active voice becomes the object in the passive voice.
- The object in the active voice becomes the subject in the passive voice.
- Auxiliary verbs like “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” “were,” etc., are added in the passive voice.
- The main verb is changed to its past participle form.
- In some cases, the subject in the passive voice can be omitted if it is unknown or unnecessary (e.g., “A letter was written” instead of “A letter was written by her”).
When changing from active to passive voice, pronouns also undergo changes based on the structure of the sentence. Here’s how pronouns change in various tenses and scenarios:
Rules for Pronoun Change in Voice Changes:
| Active Voice (Pronoun Subject) | Passive Voice (Pronoun Object) | Example |
| I | Me | Active: “I write a letter.” → Passive: “A letter is written by me.” |
| You (singular or plural) | You | Active: “You write a letter.” → Passive: “A letter is written by you.” |
| He / She / It | Him / Her / It | Active: “He writes a letter.” → Passive: “A letter is written by him.” |
| We | Us | Active: “We write a letter.” → Passive: “A letter is written by us.” |
| They | Them | Active: “They write a letter.” → Passive: “A letter is written by them.” |
Key Points:
- Subject Pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) in the active voice become object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) in the passive voice.
- The object pronoun in the active voice (e.g., “a letter” in “I write a letter”) becomes the subject in the passive voice, and the subject pronoun (e.g., “I”) changes to the object form (e.g., “me”).
- You (singular/plural) remains the same in both active and passive constructions.
Examples:
- Active Voice: “She helps me.”
- Passive Voice: “I am helped by her.”
- Active Voice: “They have invited us.”
- Passive Voice: “We have been invited by them.”
In the passive voice, the focus shifts to the action or the object of the action, and the subject can either be omitted (if it is unknown or unnecessary) or included (using “by” + the original subject).
FAQs on Active and Passive Voice
1. What is the difference between Active and Passive Voice?
Active Voice: The subject performs the action.
✅ Example: She writes a letter.
Passive Voice: The action is performed on the subject.
✅ Example: A letter is written by her.
2. How do you change a sentence from Active to Passive Voice?
Follow these steps:
- Identify the subject, verb, and object.
- Move the object of the active sentence to the subject position.
- Change the verb into the appropriate passive form (be + past participle).
- Add “by + subject” (if needed).
✅ Example: He completed the project. → The project was completed by him.
3. When should we use Passive Voice?
Use passive voice when:
✔ The doer (subject) is unknown or unimportant.
✔ The focus is on the action rather than the doer.
✔ Formal or scientific writing is required.
✅ Example: The rules were changed last year. (Doer is not important.)
4. Can all sentences be changed into Passive Voice?
No. Only transitive verbs (verbs with an object) can be changed into passive voice.
❌ Example: She sleeps early. (No object, so no passive form.)
5. What are some common Passive Voice structures?
| Tense | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
| Present Simple | She writes a book. | A book is written by her. |
| Past Simple | He made a cake. | A cake was made by him. |
| Future Simple | They will finish the work. | The work will be finished. |
| Present Perfect | I have completed the task. | The task has been completed. |
6. Should we always use “by” in Passive Voice?
No. “By” is used only when the doer is important. If it’s obvious or unnecessary, it is omitted.
✅ Example: The thief was arrested. (No need to mention “by the police.”)
7. What are common mistakes in voice change?
❌ Keeping the verb in the active form instead of using past participle.
✅ Wrong: The letter is write by him.
✅ Correct: The letter is written by him.
❌ Changing sentences that don’t allow passive voice (like intransitive verbs).
✅ Wrong: She goes to school. (No object, so no passive form.)
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