PASSIVE VOICE: DEFINITION

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence DOES the action:

 John painted the house last week.

Subject / verb / object

In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence RECEIVES the action.

 The house was painted last week.

Subject / verb

PASSIVE VOICE: USE

The passive voice is used when:

1. We do not know who did the action

Example: The documents were stolen.
(we don’t know who stole the documents)
2. The receiver of the action is more important
Example: The pyramids were built nearly 5,000 years ago by the ancient Egyptians.
(we want to emphasize “pyramids” more than “ancient Egyptians”)
 PASSIVE VOICE: FORM

To change an active voice sentence to a passive voice sentence:

1. Make the object of the active sentence into the subject of the passive sentence.
2. Use the verb “to be” in the same tense as the main verb of the active sentence.
3. Use the past participle of the main verb of the active sentence.

Here are some active and passive voice examples to help!

 Active: People drink champagne on New Year’s Eve.

Passive: Champagne is drunk on New Year’s Eve.
 Active: Chefs use these machines to mix the ingredients.
Passive: These machines are used to mix the ingredients.
 Active: They renovated the restaurant in 2004.
Passive: The restaurant was renovated in 2004.
 Active: The teachers informed the students that the class had been cancelled.
Passive: The students were informed that the class had been cancelled.
 PASSIVE VOICE: PRESENT

In the present, the passive voice uses the verbs is and are + past participle of the main verb.
The passive voice present is often used to describe:

 Processes
First the apples are picked, then they are cleaned, and finally they’re
packed and shipped to the market.
 General thoughts, opinions, and beliefs
New York is considered the most diverse city in the U.S.
It is believed that Amelia Earhart’s plane crashed in Pacific Ocean.
Hungarian is seen as one of the world’s most difficult languages to learn.
Skin cancers are thought to be caused by excessive exposure to the sun.

MORE EXAMPLES:

1. A lot of tea is grown in China. (En esta frase nos importa el té, no la gente que lo

cultiva.)

2. Those cars are made in a factory outside of town. (Sobre los coches, y no los

trabajadores.)

3. This blog is written by Daniel Welsch. (Sobre el blog y no el autor.)

4. Thousands of babies are born every day around the world.

5. Millions of pizzas are sold each week in the United States.

6. Tequila is made from a cactus called agave.

7. Portuguese is spoken in Portugal, Brazil and other countries.

8. This castle is visited by thousands of tourists every year.

9. Las negaciones se hacen con isn’t / aren’t:

10. Lemons aren’t grown in Moscow, they’re grown in Alicante.

 PASSIVE VOICE: PAST

In the past, the passive voice uses the verbs was and were + past participle of the main
verb.
The passive voice past is often used to describe:

 Events in history
George Washington was elected president in 1788.
 Crimes / Accidents
Two people were killed in a drive-by shooting on Friday night.
Ten children were injured when part of the school roof collapsed.
 AFIRMATIVO WITH WAS O WERE + PARTICIPIO PASADO:

1. This song was originally written by Paul Simon.

2. It was recorded in 1971 in a studio in Manhattan.

3. These chickens were raised by my uncle Henry.

4. These shoes were made in Mallorca.

5. Pedro was born in Toledo.

NEGACIONES CON WASN’T O WEREN’T + EL PARTICIPIO PASADO:

1. This wine wasn’t made in Navarra, it was made in La Mancha.

2. This salmon wasn’t caught in a river, it was raised on a fish farm.

3. These shoes weren’t made in Spain, they were made in India.

PREGUNTAS CON WAS O WERE ANTES DEL OBJETO:

Fíjate en el orden de las palabras aquí. No se cambia la forma de was y were, pero se pone
antes del complemento – y así lo separamos del participio pasado.

1. When was this song written?

2. Who was it recorded by?

3. Where were these shoes made?

4. Where were these grapes grown?

 FUTURE PASSIVE

In the previous six High English quizzes on active and passive voice, we have seen how we
write passive voice sentences in different tense forms. In this final quiz on the subject we
look at the passive voice in the simple future and future perfect tenses.

In English, we use passive voice in several ways. We use passive voice when we want to
change focus in the sentence. We may use it when we are not interested in what causes an
action. We often use passive voice in scientific or factual writing. Sentences in passive
voice undergo change depending on the tense. The form a passive voice sentence takes is
common as far as the main verb is concerned. The main verb always takes its past participle
form. Auxiliary verbs decide the tense in passive voice.

1. A new computer will be bought by Jane.

2. It will be installed by her boyfriend.

3. The museum will be visited by millions of people.

4. The contract will be signed by our boss.

5. The car will be painted (by a mechanic).

6. A car is going to be bought (by Alice).

7. The shopping will have been done (by Alice).

8. The car won't be painted by a mechanic.

9. Will the car be painted by a mechanic?

 Active Voice

In grammar, an active voice is a type of a clause or sentence in which a subject performs an

action and expresses it through its representative verb. To simply put it, when a subject
performs an action directly, it is in active voice. It then uses transitive verb to show the action.

Style guides usually encourage the use of active voice, because it is clear and direct. For
example, “Some customers prefer mulled ale. They keep their mugs on the hob until the
ale gets as hot as coffee. A sluggish cat named Minnie sleeps in a scuttle beside the stove”
(The Old House at Home, by Joseph Mitchell). All of these sentences are in active voice, as
the verbs “refer,” “keep,” “get” and “sleep” are in active mode

Writing in active voice: Active sentences are formed when the subject completes the action
of the sentence.
Whether or not the subject is the first word of the sentence, active voice is used if the subject
“does” the verb.

How to Write in Active Voice:

 I walked.
 I walked
 Today, I walked.
 I walked
 To the store I walked.
 I walked
In each of these sentences, the subject is “I.” “I” is doing the action “walked.” “I”
chronologically comes before the verb, walked.

How To Form an Active Voice Sentence:

1. Start with a subject.
2. Add a verb (after the subject).
3. Add any modifiers.
 ACTIVE VOICE AND PRESENT TENSE :

Voice is that property of verbs which indicates whether the subject acts or is acted upon.

There are two voices - active voice and passive voice .

A verb is in the active voice when it represents the subject as the doer of an act.

1. Richard shot the bear.

2. Mr. Hardy builds carriages.
3. Dr. Wilson has cured my father.

A verb is in the passive voice when it represents the subject as the receiver or the product of
an action.

1. The bear was shot by Richard.

2. Carriages are built by Mr. Hardy.
3. My father has been cured by Dr. Wilson.

The passive voice of a verb is expressed by a verb-phrase made by prefixing some form of
the copula (is, was, etc.) to the past participle.

In the passive voice of the complete tenses, the past participle BEEN follows the proper
form of the auxiliary have (as in the third example).
 EXAMPLES:

Present Tense

SINGULAR

1. I strike. …….1. I am struck.

2. Thou strikest. …….2. Thou art struck.
3. He strikes. …….3. He is struck.

PLURAL
1. We strike. …….1. We are struck.
2. You strike. …….2. You are struck.
3. They strike…….3. They are struck.

Future Tense

SINGULAR

1. I shall strike. .……. 1. I shall be struck.

2. Thou wilt strike. .…….2. Thou wilt be struck.
3. He will strike. .…….3. He will be struck.

PLURAL

1. We shall strike………1. We shall be struck.

2. You will strike. ………2. You will be struck.
3. They will strike. ………3. They will be struck.
 ACTIVE VOICE: PAST TENSE

Voice is that property of verbs which indicates whether the subject acts or is acted
upon.

There are two voices - active voice and passive voice .

A verb is in the active voice when it represents the subject as the doer of an act.

Locating Active Voice

Let’s rewrite our original sentences, putting them in active voice.

Students made mistakes with the passive voice.

The Union Army defeated the Confederacy in 1865.

In 1885, the Knights of Labor won a major strike against Jay Gould’s Southwestern Railroad
System.
The Supreme Court declared the National Industrial Recovery Act unconstitutional in 1935.
Why are these sentences in active voice?
In the first sentence, the subject, “students,” performs the action of the verb, “made,”
producing “mistakes.” Similarly, the Union Army acted upon the South, the Knights acted
upon the Southwestern Railroad, and the Supreme Court acted upon the NIRA.

Why do Historians Write in Active Voice?

Historians stress active voice because it tells them about actors. One of the most challenging
parts of writing history is determining who or what was responsible for a particular action,
event, or idea. It is impossible to make a persuasive argument about the past unless we also
know who participated in the making of that past.
 ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE COMPARISON
As you read through the following example sentences, you'll start to become an active
voice expert.

Active Voice Passive Voice

Harry ate six shrimp at dinner. At dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry.
Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah. The savannah is roamed by beautiful giraffes.
Sue changed the flat tire. The flat tire was changed by Sue.
We are going to watch a movie tonight. A movie is going to be watched by us tonight.
The obstacle course was run by me in record
I ran the obstacle course in record time.
time.
The crew paved the entire stretch of The entire stretch of highway was paved by
highway. the crew.
Mom read the novel in one day. The novel was read by Mom in one day.
The house will be cleaned by me every
I will clean the house every Saturday.
Saturday.
The staff is required to watch a safety A safety video will be watched by the staff
video every year. every year.
Tom painted the entire house. The entire house was painted by Tom.
The teacher always answers the students' The students' questions are always answered
questions. by the teacher.
The choir really enjoys that piece. That piece is really enjoyed by the choir.
The forest fire destroyed the whole The whole suburb was destroyed by the forest
suburb. fire.
The two kings are signing the treaty. The treaty is being signed by the two kings.
The cleaning crew vacuums and dusts Every night, the office is vacuumed and
the office every night. dusted by the cleaning crew.
Larry generously donated money to the Money was generously donated to the
homeless shelter. homeless shelter by Larry.
The wedding planner is making all the All the reservations are being made by the
reservations. wedding planner.
Susan will bake two dozen cupcakes for For the bake sale, two dozen cookies will be
the bake sale. baked by Susan.
The science class viewed the comet. The comet was viewed by the science class.
 Instructions will be given to you by the
The director will give you instructions.
director.
Thousands of tourists visit the Grand The Grand Canyon is visited by thousands of
Canyon every year. tourists every year.
The homeowners remodeled the house to The house was remodeled by the homeowners
help it sell. to help it sell.
The metal beams were corroded by the
The saltwater corroded the metal beams.
saltwater.
The kangaroo carried her baby in her The baby was carried by the kangaroo in her
pouch. pouch.