Active
– Passive Voice
1) Definition
of Active Voice
The subject put on before the verb
to emphasize who or what performs the action.
2) Definition
of Passive Voice
The subject (doer) is placed after the verb or is omitted
entirely to emphasize the action, what
happened, rather than who or what performs the action.
3) The
characteristic
The
characteristics of active voice are:
The
subject of an active sentence in front of sentence.2.
After
subject usually followed by ³to be´, verb, object and adverb
The characteristics of passive voice are:
The object of an active sentence becomes the subject of the
passive sentence2.
Intransitive (don’t use object) verbs like happen,
seem, etc. can’t be used in the passive voice.
4) The
theory of changing sentence
To chance active to passive voice :
-
Move the active sentence's direct
object into the sentence's subject slot
-
Place the active sentence's subject into
a phrase beginning with the preposition by
-
Add a form of the auxiliary
verb be to the main verb and change the main verb's
form
(Because
passive voice sentences necessarily add words and change the normal doer-action-receiver
of action direction, they may make the reader work harder to understand
the intended meaning).
To
change passive to active voice :
-
Move the passive sentence's
subject into the active sentence's direct object slot
-
Remove the auxiliary verb be
from the main verb and change main verb's form if needed
-
Place the passive sentence's object of
the preposition by into the subject slot.
Simple
present
S
+ v1 + O (active)
Be
(is/am/are) + past participle (passive)
Active : Many older citizens use the library.
Passive : The library is
used by many older citizens.
Active : Do
many older citizens use the library?
Passive : Is the library
used by many older citizens?
Simple past
S + v2 + O (active)
Was/were + past participle
(passive)
Active : Many children used the library last summer.
Passive : The library was
used by many children last summer.
Active : Did
many children use the library last
summer?
Passive : Was the
library used by many children last
summer?
Present
Continuous
S
+ Be (is/am/are) + -ing (active)
Be
(is/am/are) + being + past participle (passive)
Active : Workmen are
painting the third floor.
Passive : The third floor is
being painted
Active : Are
workmen painting the third floor?
Passive : Is the third
floor being painted?
Past
Continuous
Were
+ verb + ing (active)
Was
+ being + verb + ing (passive)
Active : Last week, they were painting the children’s room.
Passive : Last week, the children’s room was being painted.
Active : Were
they painting the children’s room
last week?
Passive : Was the
children’s room being painted last week?
Present
Perfect
Has
+ past participle (active)
Has
been + past participle (passive)
Active : the director has ordered a lot of new
equipment.
Passive : A lot of new equipment has been ordered.
Active : Has the
director ordered a lot of new
equipment?
Passive : Has a lot of
new equipment been ordered?
Past
Perfect
Had
+ past participle (singular & plural) (active)
Had
been + past participle ( singular & plural) (passive)
Active : Workmen had
already installed the new computer
when I was there last week.
Passive : The new computer had
already been installed when I was
there last week.
Active : Had
workmen already installed the new
computer when you were there last week?
Passive : Had the new
computer already been installed when
you were there last week?
Modals
S
+ should + v1 (active)
S
+ Should + auxiliary be + past participle (passive)
S
+ should + have + past participle (active)
S
+ should + have been + past participle (passive)
Modals for present (should, can,
may, might, must, ought to).
Active : You should
return the book before June 1st.
Passive : The book should be
returned before June 1st .
Active : Should
I return the book before June 1st?
Passive : Should the
book be returned before June 1st?
Active : She can
play a drum
Passive : a drum can be
played by her
Active : Can
she play a drum?
Passive : Can a drum be played by her?
Active : I may buy a computer
Passive : the computer may
be bought by me.
Active : May
I buy the computer?
Passive : May the
computer be bought by me?
Active : Guests might play
chess.
Passive : Chess might be
played by guests.
Active : Guests might not play chess.
Passive : Chess might not
be played guests.
Active : You
must learn the test-taking strategies.
Passive : Test-taking strategies must be learnt by you.
Active : You must not learn the test-taking
strategies.
Passive : Test-taking strategies must not be learned by you.
Active : They ought
to take the examination
Passive : The examination ought to be taken by them.
Modals
for past (may have, might have, should have, must have, ought to have)
Active : You should have returned
the book last week.
Passive : the book should
have been returned last week.
Active : Should
I have returned the book last week?
Passive : Should the
book have been returned last week?
Active : You may
have availed the opportunity.
Passive : The opportunity may
have been availed by you.
Active : You may not have availed the opportunity.
Passive : The opportunity may
not have been availed by you.
Active : He might have eaten meal.
Passive : Meal might have
been eaten by him.
Active : He might not have eaten meal.
Passive : Meal might not
have been eaten by him.
Active : He must have started job.
Passive : Job must have
been started by you.
Active : He must
not have started job.
Passive : Job must not have
been started by you.
Active : You ought
to have helped him.
Passive : He ought to have
been helped by you
Conclusion
: active voice is the verb form shows
that the subject “do something” in other words the subject/doer in action.
,meanwhile passive voice is the verb form shows that “the something is done” to
the subject in other word the subject is passive.
