THEORY

4.1 What is Voice?

Voice is the form of a verb that shows whether the subject of the sentence performs the action or receives it.

• Active voice: the subject does the action. The doer is in focus.
  Active: Rama writes a letter.
• Passive voice: the subject receives the action. The receiver (the thing acted upon) is in focus.
  Passive: A letter is written by Rama.

Only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be changed into the passive, because the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

4.2 The General Rule of Conversion

To change an active sentence into a passive one, follow three steps:

1. The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb.
2. The subject of the active verb becomes the agent, introduced by the preposition by (and put in the objective case: I→me, he→him, she→her, we→us, they→them, who→whom).
3. The verb is changed to the appropriate form of be + past participle (V3), keeping the same tense as the active verb.

Golden formula: Object + correct form of be (in the same tense) + V3 + by + agent.

Five solved examples:

1. Active: The dog chases the cat. → Passive: The cat is chased by the dog.
2. Active: She painted the wall. → Passive: The wall was painted by her.
3. Active: They will build a house. → Passive: A house will be built by them.
4. Active: I have finished the work. → Passive: The work has been finished by me.
5. Active: The teacher is teaching us grammar. → Passive: We are being taught grammar by the teacher.

4.3 Tense-wise Passive Conversion Table

The table below shows the passive structure for each tense. Here V3 means the past participle (third form of the verb).

No normal passive: The Future Continuous (will be writing), the Present Perfect Continuous (has been writing) and the Past Perfect Continuous (had been writing) have no ordinary passive form. They are normally left in the active or reworded.

Modal examples (each modal + be + V3):

1. Active: You must obey the rules. → Passive: The rules must be obeyed (by you).
2. Active: She may sing a song. → Passive: A song may be sung by her.
3. Active: They should respect elders. → Passive: Elders should be respected (by them).
4. Active: We can solve this problem. → Passive: This problem can be solved by us.
5. Active: He might break the glass. → Passive: The glass might be broken by him.

4.4 Passive of Imperatives

Imperative sentences express an order, request, advice or suggestion and have no visible subject (the subject "you" is understood). Their passive is formed in special ways.

• Order/command: Let + object + be + V3.
• Request: You are requested to + V1…
• Advice: You are advised to + V1…
• Prohibition (negative): Let + object + not be + V3 / You are forbidden to…

Five solved examples:

1. Active: Open the door. → Passive: Let the door be opened.
2. Active: Shut the windows. → Passive: Let the windows be shut.
3. Active: Help the poor. → Passive: Let the poor be helped.
4. Active: Please post this letter. → Passive: You are requested to post this letter.
5. Active: Do not waste your time. → Passive: Let your time not be wasted. / You are advised not to waste your time.

4.5 Passive of Questions

The passive of a question must remain a question (the auxiliary stays at the front). The pattern depends on the question type.

• Yes/No questions begin with an auxiliary (Is/Are/Was/Were/Has/Have/Will/Do/Does/Did…). In the passive the appropriate auxiliary is placed first.
• Wh- questions keep the wh-word first (What/Who/Why/When/Where/How). Who in the active becomes by whom in the passive.

Five solved examples:

1. Active: Does he write a letter? → Passive: Is a letter written by him?
2. Active: Did she break the cup? → Passive: Was the cup broken by her?
3. Active: Have they finished the work? → Passive: Has the work been finished by them?
4. Active: Who wrote this book? → Passive: By whom was this book written?
5. Active: Why did you beat the dog? → Passive: Why was the dog beaten by you?

4.6 Verbs with Two Objects (Direct and Indirect)

Some verbs (give, offer, send, teach, tell, pay, lend, bring, show, promise, ask) take two objects — an indirect object (usually a person) and a direct object (usually a thing). Either object may become the subject of the passive, so two passive forms are possible. When the indirect object is retained, it is normally preceded by to or for.

Five solved examples:

1. Active: He gave me a book. → Passive 1: I was given a book (by him). / Passive 2: A book was given to me (by him).
2. Active: She teaches us English. → Passive 1: We are taught English by her. / Passive 2: English is taught to us by her.
3. Active: They offered him a job. → Passive 1: He was offered a job. / Passive 2: A job was offered to him.
4. Active: The manager has sent her a parcel. → Passive 1: She has been sent a parcel. / Passive 2: A parcel has been sent to her.
5. Active: The principal will award him a prize. → Passive 1: He will be awarded a prize. / Passive 2: A prize will be awarded to him.

4.7 Passive with Prepositional Verbs

When a verb is followed by a preposition (laugh at, look after, listen to, deal with, send for, run over, take care of, look into), the preposition must be kept immediately after the past participle in the passive.

Five solved examples:

1. Active: They laughed at the beggar. → Passive: The beggar was laughed at (by them).
2. Active: She looks after the baby. → Passive: The baby is looked after by her.
3. Active: We listened to the lecture. → Passive: The lecture was listened to (by us).
4. Active: A car ran over the dog. → Passive: The dog was run over by a car.
5. Active: They sent for the doctor. → Passive: The doctor was sent for (by them).

4.8 Omission of "by + agent"

The by-agent is dropped when the doer is unknown, unimportant, obvious or general (people, somebody, they, one). This is very common in notices, instructions and news.

Five solved examples:

1. Active: Someone has stolen my purse. → Passive: My purse has been stolen. (agent unknown)
2. Active: They speak English all over the world. → Passive: English is spoken all over the world. (agent general)
3. Active: People built this temple in 1850. → Passive: This temple was built in 1850. (agent obvious/unimportant)
4. Active: One should keep one's promises. → Passive: Promises should be kept.
5. Active: The police have arrested the thief. → Passive: The thief has been arrested. (agent understood)

4.9 Retaining the "to"-Infinitive and the Verb "be"

When the active verb is followed by an infinitive object (to do something), the infinitive is usually retained in the passive.

1. Active: I want you to finish the work. → Passive: I want the work to be finished.
2. Active: He ordered the men to leave the room. → Passive: The men were ordered to leave the room.
3. Active: You are to submit the form. → Passive: The form is to be submitted (by you).
4. Active: We are to do our duty. → Passive: Our duty is to be done (by us).
5. Active: They expect him to win the prize. → Passive: He is expected to win the prize.

4.10 Impersonal Passive — "It is said that… / He is said to…"

Verbs of reporting and believing (say, believe, think, know, report, consider, suppose, expect, allege, rumour) form two impersonal passive patterns:

• Pattern 1: It + is/was + V3 + that-clause.
• Pattern 2: Subject + is/was + V3 + to-infinitive.

Five solved examples:

1. Active: People say that he is honest. → Passive 1: It is said that he is honest. / Passive 2: He is said to be honest.
2. Active: They believe that she is innocent. → Passive 1: It is believed that she is innocent. / Passive 2: She is believed to be innocent.
3. Active: People thought that he was a spy. → Passive 1: It was thought that he was a spy. / Passive 2: He was thought to be a spy.
4. Active: They report that the minister has resigned. → Passive 1: It is reported that the minister has resigned. / Passive 2: The minister is reported to have resigned.
5. Active: Everyone knows that the earth is round. → Passive 1: It is known that the earth is round. / Passive 2: The earth is known to be round.

4.11 Change of Pronouns

When the subject of the active becomes the agent of the passive, it changes from the subjective (nominative) to the objective (accusative) case:

4.12 Intransitive Verbs Have No Passive

An intransitive verb takes no object (go, come, sleep, die, run, sit, laugh, rise, arrive, happen). Since there is no object to become the subject, such verbs cannot be made passive.

• The baby is sleeping. — no passive.
• He arrived late. — no passive.
• The sun rises in the east. — no passive.

4.13 When to Use Active vs Passive

COMMON EXAM ERRORS

EXAM TRICKS

• First locate the object of the active sentence — it becomes the subject of the passive. No object means no passive (intransitive verb).
• Keep the tense unchanged: only the auxiliary be shifts; the main verb is always V3.
• Memorise the "be-ladder" for each tense: is / is being / has been / was / was being / had been / will be / will have been / modal + be.
• Match the auxiliary to the new subject in number and person (A letter is… ; Letters are…).
• For questions, the answer must remain a question — keep the auxiliary at the front and "by whom" for "who".
• Distractor alert: options often place V2 instead of V3 (was wrote vs was written) — reject the V2 option instantly.
• Distractor alert: options that drop the preposition of prepositional verbs (laughed / looked) are wrong.
• Distractor alert: "will be + V-ing" and "must obeyed" (missing be) are classic traps.
• Distractor alert: "by I / by he / by who" instead of "by me / by him / by whom".

FREQUENTLY CONFUSED PAIRS

EXCEPTIONS — Important, Rare & Advanced

• Intransitive verbs have no passive: go, come, die, sleep, sit, run, arrive, happen, rise, fall — these never take a by-agent passive.
• Stative verbs of possession/relation rarely or never form a passive: have (possess), resemble, lack, suit, fit, cost, contain, become, equal, weigh (measure), hold (capacity). Thus "He has a car" → A car is had by him is wrong; "She resembles her mother" → Her mother is resembled by her is wrong.
• Double / raised passive ("is said to be"): With reporting verbs, the subject of the subordinate clause is "raised" to become the subject of the passive: People say he is wise → He is said to be wise. For past events use the perfect infinitive: It is reported that he died → He is reported to have died.
• Reciprocal/reflexive objects block the passive: "She hurt herself" cannot become passive.
• Cognate objects (He slept a sound sleep / He laughed a hearty laugh) normally have no passive.
• "born" is fixed in the passive: "I was born in 1990" has no active equivalent in normal use.
• Verbs of measurement / linking (The bag weighs 5 kg; This sounds good) take no passive because the noun is a complement, not a true object.

50 MCQs

Easy (1–15)

1. Choose the correct passive: "Rama writes a letter."

(a) A letter is wrote by Rama. (b) A letter is written by Rama. (c) A letter was written by Rama. (d) A letter writes by Rama.
Answer: (b) A letter is written by Rama.
Explanation: Simple present passive = is + V3 (written).

2. Choose the correct passive: "She is cooking food."

(a) Food is cooked by her. (b) Food was being cooked by her. (c) Food is being cooked by her. (d) Food is cooking by her.
Answer: (c) Food is being cooked by her.
Explanation: Present continuous passive = is being + V3.

3. Choose the correct passive: "They have completed the project."

(a) The project has completed by them. (b) The project has been completed by them. (c) The project is completed by them. (d) The project had been completed by them.
Answer: (b) The project has been completed by them.
Explanation: Present perfect passive = has/have been + V3.

4. Choose the correct passive: "He broke the window."

(a) The window is broken by him. (b) The window was break by him. (c) The window was broken by him. (d) The window broke by him.
Answer: (c) The window was broken by him.
Explanation: Simple past passive = was + V3 (broken).

5. Choose the correct passive: "The mason was building a wall."

(a) A wall was built by the mason. (b) A wall was being built by the mason. (c) A wall is being built by the mason. (d) A wall had been built by the mason.
Answer: (b) A wall was being built by the mason.
Explanation: Past continuous passive = was being + V3.

6. Choose the correct passive: "The boys will plant trees."

(a) Trees will planted by the boys. (b) Trees are planted by the boys. (c) Trees will be planted by the boys. (d) Trees will being planted by the boys.
Answer: (c) Trees will be planted by the boys.
Explanation: Simple future passive = will be + V3.

7. Choose the correct passive: "You must obey the law."

(a) The law must obeyed. (b) The law must be obeyed. (c) The law is must obeyed. (d) The law must being obeyed.
Answer: (b) The law must be obeyed.
Explanation: Modal passive = modal + be + V3.

8. Choose the correct passive: "Open the door."

(a) The door is opened. (b) Open the door by you. (c) Let the door be opened. (d) Let the door opened.
Answer: (c) Let the door be opened.
Explanation: Imperative passive = Let + object + be + V3.

9. Choose the correct passive: "She sang a song."

(a) A song was sang by her. (b) A song is sung by her. (c) A song was sung by her. (d) A song was singing by her.
Answer: (c) A song was sung by her.
Explanation: Past passive = was + V3 (sung), not sang.

10. Choose the correct passive: "Someone has stolen my bag."

(a) My bag has stolen. (b) My bag has been stolen. (c) My bag was stolen by someone. (d) My bag is stolen.
Answer: (b) My bag has been stolen.
Explanation: Present perfect passive; the unknown agent "someone" is dropped.

11. Choose the correct passive: "The teacher teaches us grammar."

(a) We are taught grammar by the teacher. (b) We were taught grammar by the teacher. (c) Grammar are taught by the teacher. (d) We are teach grammar.
Answer: (a) We are taught grammar by the teacher.
Explanation: Simple present passive of a two-object verb; V3 of teach is taught.

12. Choose the correct passive: "He can solve the sum."

(a) The sum can solved by him. (b) The sum can be solved by him. (c) The sum is solved by him. (d) The sum could be solved by him.
Answer: (b) The sum can be solved by him.
Explanation: Modal "can" passive = can be + V3.

13. Choose the correct passive: "The dog chased the cat."

(a) The cat is chased by the dog. (b) The cat was chased by the dog. (c) The cat was chase by the dog. (d) The cat chased the dog.
Answer: (b) The cat was chased by the dog.
Explanation: Past passive = was + V3 (chased).

14. Choose the correct passive: "They are repairing the road."

(a) The road is repaired by them. (b) The road was being repaired by them. (c) The road is being repaired by them. (d) The road are being repaired.
Answer: (c) The road is being repaired by them.
Explanation: Present continuous passive = is being + V3.

15. Choose the correct passive: "I will finish the work."

(a) The work will finished by me. (b) The work will be finished by me. (c) The work will be finished by I. (d) The work is finished by me.
Answer: (b) The work will be finished by me.
Explanation: Future passive = will be + V3; agent is "by me".

Moderate (16–35)

16. Choose the correct passive: "He had written two novels."

(a) Two novels were written by him. (b) Two novels have been written by him. (c) Two novels had been written by him. (d) Two novels had written by him.
Answer: (c) Two novels had been written by him.
Explanation: Past perfect passive = had been + V3.

17. Choose the correct passive: "By the time you arrive, they will have finished the meal."

(a) the meal will be finished. (b) the meal will have finished. (c) the meal will have been finished. (d) the meal has been finished.
Answer: (c) the meal will have been finished.
Explanation: Future perfect passive = will have been + V3.

18. Choose the correct passive: "They laughed at the new boy."

(a) The new boy was laughed by them. (b) The new boy was laughed at by them. (c) The new boy is laughed at. (d) At the new boy was laughed.
Answer: (b) The new boy was laughed at by them.
Explanation: Prepositional verb keeps "at" in the passive.

19. Choose the correct passive: "Who broke this chair?"

(a) Who was this chair broken? (b) By whom was this chair broken? (c) By whom this chair was broken? (d) Whom broke this chair?
Answer: (b) By whom was this chair broken?
Explanation: Active "who" becomes "by whom"; the question order is auxiliary + subject + V3.

20. Choose the correct passive: "Does she write poems?"

(a) Is poems written by her? (b) Are poems written by her? (c) Does poems written by her? (d) Were poems written by her?
Answer: (b) Are poems written by her?
Explanation: The plural subject "poems" takes "are"; passive = are + V3.

21. Choose the correct passive: "She gave me a pen." (focus on the thing)

(a) I was given a pen by her. (b) A pen was given to me by her. (c) A pen was gave to me. (d) Me was given a pen.
Answer: (b) A pen was given to me by her.
Explanation: With the thing as subject, retain "to" before the indirect object.

22. Choose the correct passive: "People believe that he is a genius."

(a) He is believed to be a genius. (b) He is believe to be a genius. (c) It believed that he is a genius. (d) He believes to be a genius.
Answer: (a) He is believed to be a genius.
Explanation: Impersonal passive pattern 2: subject + is + V3 + to be.

23. Choose the correct passive: "Please help me."

(a) Let me be helped. (b) I am requested to be helped. (c) You are requested to help me. (d) Me should be helped.
Answer: (c) You are requested to help me.
Explanation: A polite request becomes "You are requested to + V1".

24. Choose the correct passive: "The nurse looks after the patient."

(a) The patient is looked by the nurse. (b) The patient is looked after by the nurse. (c) The patient was looked after. (d) After the patient is looked.
Answer: (b) The patient is looked after by the nurse.
Explanation: Retain the preposition "after".

25. Choose the correct passive: "They have sent for the doctor."

(a) The doctor has been sent for. (b) The doctor was sent for. (c) The doctor has sent for. (d) For the doctor has been sent.
Answer: (a) The doctor has been sent for.
Explanation: Present perfect passive + retained preposition "for".

26. Choose the correct active: "The match was won by our team."

(a) Our team won the match. (b) Our team wins the match. (c) Our team has won the match. (d) The match won our team.
Answer: (a) Our team won the match.
Explanation: "was won" is simple past; the active is "won the match".

27. Choose the correct active: "English is spoken all over the world."

(a) People speak English all over the world. (b) People spoke English all over the world. (c) People are speaking English. (d) People will speak English.
Answer: (a) People speak English all over the world.
Explanation: Restore the general agent "people" and use simple present active.

28. Choose the correct passive: "Switch off the lights."

(a) The lights are switched off. (b) Let the lights be switched off. (c) Let the lights switched off. (d) You switch off the lights.
Answer: (b) Let the lights be switched off.
Explanation: Imperative passive = Let + object + be + V3, keeping the particle "off".

29. Choose the correct passive: "It is time to start the meeting."

(a) It is time the meeting started. (b) It is time for the meeting to be started. (c) It is time to started the meeting. (d) The meeting is time to start.
Answer: (b) It is time for the meeting to be started.
Explanation: The infinitive is retained in passive form "to be started".

30. Choose the correct passive: "Has he posted the letter?"

(a) Has the letter posted by him? (b) Has the letter been posted by him? (c) Is the letter posted by him? (d) Had the letter been posted?
Answer: (b) Has the letter been posted by him?
Explanation: Present perfect passive question = Has + subject + been + V3.

31. Choose the correct passive: "We should not waste water."

(a) Water should not waste. (b) Water should not be wasted. (c) Water must not waste. (d) Water should be not wasted.
Answer: (b) Water should not be wasted.
Explanation: Negative modal passive = should not be + V3.

32. Choose the correct passive: "The committee will consider your application."

(a) Your application will considered. (b) Your application is considered. (c) Your application will be considered by the committee. (d) Your application would be considered.
Answer: (c) Your application will be considered by the committee.
Explanation: Future passive = will be + V3.

33. Choose the correct passive: "They are building a new bridge across the river."

(a) A new bridge is built across the river. (b) A new bridge is being built across the river. (c) A new bridge was being built. (d) A new bridge has been built.
Answer: (b) A new bridge is being built across the river.
Explanation: Present continuous passive = is being + V3.

34. Choose the correct passive: "Carry out the order."

(a) Let the order be carried out. (b) Let the order carried out. (c) The order is carried out. (d) You carry out the order.
Answer: (a) Let the order be carried out.
Explanation: Imperative passive with the phrasal verb "carry out" → "be carried out".

35. Choose the correct passive: "One should keep one's word."

(a) One's word is kept. (b) One's word should kept. (c) One's word should be kept. (d) One's word must keep.
Answer: (c) One's word should be kept.
Explanation: Modal passive = should be + V3; the general agent is dropped.

Difficult (36–50)

36. Choose the correct passive: "People say that he was a brave soldier."

(a) He is said to be a brave soldier. (b) He is said to have been a brave soldier. (c) It is said he is a brave soldier. (d) He was said to be a brave soldier.
Answer: (b) He is said to have been a brave soldier.
Explanation: A past event in the that-clause requires the perfect infinitive "to have been".

37. Choose the correct passive: "They reported that the chairman had resigned."

(a) The chairman is reported to resign. (b) The chairman was reported to have resigned. (c) The chairman reported to resign. (d) It reported that the chairman resigned.
Answer: (b) The chairman was reported to have resigned.
Explanation: Past reporting verb + earlier event → "was reported to have resigned".

38. Which sentence has NO passive form?

(a) She wrote a letter. (b) The train arrived late. (c) He repaired the car. (d) They built a house.
Answer: (b) The train arrived late.
Explanation: "Arrive" is intransitive (no object), so it cannot be made passive.

39. Choose the correct passive: "He gave me a watch on my birthday." (person as subject)

(a) A watch was given by me. (b) I was given a watch on my birthday. (c) Me was given a watch. (d) A watch gave me.
Answer: (b) I was given a watch on my birthday.
Explanation: The indirect object "me" becomes the subject "I"; passive = was given.

40. Choose the correct passive: "Why did they punish the boy?"

(a) Why was the boy punished by them? (b) Why the boy was punished? (c) Why did the boy be punished? (d) Why is the boy punished?
Answer: (a) Why was the boy punished by them?
Explanation: Wh-word stays first; past passive question = was + V3.

41. Identify the incorrect passive: "The work is being done", "The work has been done", "The work will be doing", "The work was done".

(a) The work is being done. (b) The work has been done. (c) The work will be doing. (d) The work was done.
Answer: (c) The work will be doing.
Explanation: Future passive must be "will be done" (will be + V3), not "will be doing".

42. Choose the correct passive: "Bring me a glass of water."

(a) Let a glass of water be brought to me. (b) Let me be brought a glass of water by you. (c) A glass of water is brought. (d) Let a glass of water brought.
Answer: (a) Let a glass of water be brought to me.
Explanation: Imperative passive = Let + object + be + V3 (brought), with "to me".

43. Choose the correct passive: "The fire destroyed many houses."

(a) Many houses were destroyed by the fire. (b) Many houses are destroyed by the fire. (c) Many houses were destroy by fire. (d) Many houses had been destroyed.
Answer: (a) Many houses were destroyed by the fire.
Explanation: Plural subject "houses" + past = were + V3 (destroyed).

44. Choose the correct passive: "Knowledge is power" cannot be made passive because…

(a) it is a question. (b) "is" here is a linking verb with no object. (c) "power" is plural. (d) it is in the past tense.
Answer: (b) "is" here is a linking verb with no object.
Explanation: A linking verb takes a complement, not an object, so there is no passive.

45. Choose the correct passive: "We are to submit the report today."

(a) The report is submitted today. (b) The report is to be submitted today. (c) The report will submit today. (d) The report is to submit today.
Answer: (b) The report is to be submitted today.
Explanation: "is/are to" passive = is/are to be + V3.

46. Choose the correct passive: "Has she been writing letters?"

(a) Have letters been written by her? (b) Have letters being written by her? (c) (No normal passive exists.) (d) Were letters written by her?
Answer: (c) (No normal passive exists.)
Explanation: The present perfect continuous has no ordinary passive form.

47. Which sentence is correctly in the passive?

(a) He resembles his father → His father is resembled by him. (b) She has a car → A car is had by her. (c) The cat caught a mouse → A mouse was caught by the cat. (d) The bag weighs 5 kg → 5 kg is weighed by the bag.
Answer: (c) The cat caught a mouse → A mouse was caught by the cat.
Explanation: Resemble, have (possess) and weigh (measure) take no passive; only "catch" does.

48. Choose the correct passive: "Cut the paper with a knife."

(a) Let the paper be cut by a knife. (b) Let the paper be cut with a knife. (c) The paper is cut with a knife. (d) Let the paper cut with a knife.
Answer: (b) Let the paper be cut with a knife.
Explanation: Use "with" for the instrument; imperative passive = Let + object + be + V3 (cut).

49. Choose the correct passive: "They expect that she will win the contest."

(a) She is expected to win the contest. (b) She is expected to have won the contest. (c) It is expected she wins. (d) She was expected to win.
Answer: (a) She is expected to win the contest.
Explanation: A future event in the clause takes the simple infinitive "to win".

50. Choose the correct passive: "The chairman is going to announce the results."

(a) The results are going to announced. (b) The results are going to be announced by the chairman. (c) The results is going to be announced. (d) The results were announced.
Answer: (b) The results are going to be announced by the chairman.
Explanation: "going to" passive = going to be + V3; plural subject "results" takes "are".