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Changing Passive to Active Voice

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This handout will explain the difference between active and passive voice in writing. It gives examples of both, and shows how to turn a passive sentence into an active one. Also, it explains how to decide when to choose passive voice instead of active.
If you want to change a passive-voice sentence to active voice, find the agent in a "by the..." phrase, or consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb. Make that agent the subject of the sentence, and change the verb accordingly. Sometimes you will need to infer the agent from the surrounding sentences which provide context.
If you want to change an active-voice sentence to passive voice, consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb, and then make that agent the object of a by the... phrase. Make what is acted upon the subject of the sentence, and change the verb to a form of be + past participle. Including an explicit by the... phrase is optional.

This passive voice contains a by the... phrase. Removing the by the... phrase and reworking the sentence will give it the active voice.

Image Caption: Making "most of the class" the subject of the sentence moves the action of the sentence onto the class, and shifts the sentence from passive into active voice.

The agent is not explicitly stated, but it is most likely researchers. Making the agent the subject of the sentence will allow you to use the active voice.

This sentence now uses the active voice because the agent (the researchers) are now performing the action as the sentence subject.

The CIA director and his close advisors are the agent of change in this sentence, but they are not the subject. Making the agent the subject will transform the sentence into a more concise, active voice phrase.

This sentence now uses the active voice because the agent (the CIA director and his close advisors) is performing the action as the sentence subject.

The agent is not specified in this sentence.

This sentence now uses the active voice because the agent (we) is the subject of the sentence.

This active voice sentence's agent is the presiding officer, which is the subject.

Changing the sentence subject from the agent (the presiding officer) to the object of the verb (the committee's recommendation) and adding a by the...phrase transforms the sentence into the passive voice.

This sentence includes the agent (the leaders) as the subject performing the action of the verb.

This sentence now uses the passive voice because the subject has been changed from the agent (the leaders) to the object of the verb (a fair resolution).

The scientists are the agent performing the verb's action in this active voice sentence.

This passive voice sentence no longer specifies the agent (scientists) and now uses the passive voice because the verb's object (traces of ice) is now the subject.
- English Grammar
Active and passive voice
Level: beginner
Transitive verbs have both active and passive forms:
Passive forms are made up of the verb be with a past participle :
If we want to show the person or thing doing the action, we use by :
She was attacked by a dangerous dog. The money was stolen by her husband.
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Level: intermediate
The passive infinitive is made up of to be with a past participle :
The doors are going to be locked at ten o'clock. You shouldn't have done that. You ought to be punished .
We sometimes use the verb get with a past participle to form the passive:
Be careful with that glass. It might get broken . Peter got hurt in a crash.
We can use the indirect object as the subject of a passive verb:
We can use phrasal verbs in the passive:
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Level: advanced
Some verbs which are very frequently used in the passive are followed by the to -infinitive :
John has been asked to make a speech at the meeting. You are supposed to wear a uniform. The meeting is scheduled to start at seven.
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hi I have a question. should we consider a V3 as a main verb and to be as an auxiliary in passive voice since subject doesn't perform any action, it's just existing in some tense. I built a house - the house was built by me. I was performing an action, was building the house in the past. on the other hand, the house was just existing in some shape or form. in the past it was built and it was green, today the house is blue, tomorrow it will be colored in another shade, and in 5 years it will be constructed and like new. I understand the V3 colored gives the idea of an action to color while blue gives only the description of the house. but the same way V3 stuffed box gives the idea that action happened and someone stuffed that toy and it used as an adjective. can we say that passive voice is just verb to be in some tense and V3 just an object that describes the subject?
- Log in or register to post comments
Hello aigerimwonderer,
I agree with the idea that the V3 form is the 'main verb' since it carries the meaning in a sense. It of course depends on what exactly you mean by 'main verb', but in general that makes more sense to me than calling the verb 'be' or 'get' the 'main verb'.
I don't agree with calling V3 an object that describes the subject, but I can see how you might want to say that. In the end, this is quite an abstract idea, whereas what we focus on here is helping people learn to use English.
I hope this helps.
All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team
Hi, Can you tell me what is the difference between "have already been" and "have been already"? I'm confused. Thank you in advance
Hello chivi168,
There's no difference in meaning, but 'already' normally goes in 'mid-position'. When the verb has more than one word (such as 'have been'), this means that goes after the auxiliary verb (in this case 'have').
It's not exactly wrong to say 'have been already', but it sounds a bit awkward. If you had a particular sentence in mind, please let us know what the full sentence is.
People think it has been a complex problem.
How to make it in active voice and what is the rule of it
Hello Sonu,
'think' is already a verb in the active voice (with the subject 'people'). The verb 'be' (in 'it has been') is a link verb and so is in a way already active too; it's certainly has no passive form.
So I'm afraid I don't know how to help you. I'd suggest asking your teacher.
Hi! I´m struggling to make this sentences into ACTIVE VOICE. 1) The problem isn’t detected by the doctor. 2) The verification of the test isn’t done by the specialist. if someone can help me, i would be very pleased!
Hello user--25,
This site focuses on explanations of the language and advice. I'm afraid we don't provide answers to questions from elsewhere like this. If we did then we would end up doing our users' tests and homework for them!
The LearnEnglish Team
1) The doctor doesn't detect the problem. 2) The specialist doesn't verify the test.
1) The doctor detects not the problem. 2) The specialist does not the verification of the test.
What will be the passive voice for statements like: "Time and tide wait for none."
Hello Nash_Mish,
You could make a sentence like this: None are waited for by time and tide .
However, it's a horrible sentence. Some sentences simply don't work well in terms of style in passive voice.
The LearnEnglish
Hello teacher,
What’s the active of the following sentence? Example: They are getting married later this year.
Thanks, Khoshal
Hello Khoshal,
I'd say this sentence is already in the active voice. We often use 'get' + an adjective to refer to a change of state, e.g. 'I'm getting sick' means I'm going from healthy to sick. In the same 'I'm getting married' means I'm going from being single to being married. In this case, 'married' is an adjective, not a past participle.
It is grammatically possible to say 'They will be married later this year' (which is a passive), but in most situations that would sound strange.
It's true that we often use 'get' instead of 'be' to make passives in informal speaking, but that's not the case with 'get married'.
Thank you for the explanation!
I have a question about the correct placement of the other sentence parts in passive sentences. Starting from 'Henry had received payments from a weapons manufacturer.' Two possibilities suggest themselves for the passive:
Payments from a weapons manufacturer had been received by Henry.
Payments had been received from a weapons manufacturer by Henry.
Both seem correct, although the first sentence breaks the usual rule of retaining adverbials in the end part of the sentence. To me, the first sounds more natural, as the expression 'from a weapons manufacturer' defines 'payments' like a relative clause (e.g. payments which had originated from a weapons manufacturer'). The second, however, does seem to conform with the structure of passive sentences generally and thus should be the preferred conversion, even though it sounds quite awkward to my ears.
Hello Seb1989,
I agree that the first sentence is much easier to understand. I'm not completely sure, but I'd probably call 'from a weapons manufacturer' a prepositional phrase that modifies 'Payments' (the head of the noun phrase) and therefore sits under it. In other words, I don't think it's an adverbial here. Even if it were, in almost any situation, clearer sentences beat sentences that are ostensibly more grammatical, at least in my book.
If I were writing a text that needed to include one or the other of these sentences, I'd choose the first one unless there were some good reason not to. For example, if what's important is that he received payments (and not that they came from a weapons manufacturer), then the second one might be better. Though really in that case, I'd probably just leave out 'from a weapons manufacturer'.
When exercises that involve transforming actives into passives are created, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that passives are used for very specific reasons. One of the main reasons is for leaving out information. If that's the case, then key elements of the active sentence wouldn't make it into the passive version in real usage.
Hope this helps.
What is the passive voice for "permission is granted" or " mission accomplished".
Hi Nish_Mish,
The first one is already in the passive voice (subject + be + past participle). The second one does not have "be" in it, so it's just a noun phrase (noun + past participle). It can be changed into the passive voice: The mission is accomplished .
The active voice would be something like: I grant you permission and I accomplished the mission .
I hope that helps.
LearnEnglish team
Change the active sentence into passive. “ They play footbal everyday * how about this?
Hi whoferra,
In your sentence, "They" is the subject and "football" is the object. To make the passive, first reverse them. Change "they" into the object form "them", and add "by". Then, change the verb into the passive form: "be" + past participle. --> Football is played by them every day .
This passive sentence is grammatically correct, but it sounds quite unnatural! I think the active sentence would be much more commonly used.
Hello, I am a bit confused about the passive voice in these two sentences: 1. Lunch was being served. 2. Lunch was served. Since they refer to the past, please could you explain the difference between them? When is it better to use the first than the second? Thanks
The first one is the past continuous. It indicates that the action was already in progress at a particular moment. For example, let's say I arrive at a restaurant at 12:30 pm, but the restaurant had already started serving lunch at 12 pm. I can say "Lunch was being served when I arrived" (i.e. it was already in progress at the moment I arrived).
The second one is the past simple. It indicates the whole action of serving lunch. For example, "Lunch was served, and then the restaurant staff took a break".
Hi Jonathan Thank you so much for the explanation.
Hello everybody! I need help with these two sentences. I found them in a newspaper article: "...the young boy who is said to have loved riding his bike and nature" "She went out to have her nails manicured." Are any of them a Passive Voice? Thank you so much for your answer!
Hello Mhynor,
The first sentence contains a passive construction: ' ...is said to... '
There are a lot of similar phrases to this which are grammatically passive and are used to talk about reputation or expectation: is said to..., is thought to..., is believed to..., is hoped to... etc.
The second sentence does not contain a passive construction but it does have a causative have construction ('...have her nails manicured'), which has some similarities to passive forms, and is even sometimes describes as a pseudo-passive construction.
You can find more information on causatives here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/course/upper-intermediate/unit-15/session-1
The LearnEnglish Team
I'd like to clarify this sentence: "I do not remember Jack giving me the ticket." As far as I understand, its passive form should be " I do not remember being given the ticket by Jack." My question is - why do we leave 'I do not remember' as it is?
Hello anastasiia945,
It is possible to create a passive construction such as 'It is not remembered by method...' but it sounds horrible stylistically and is not something we would ever say.
How do I change the voice of sentence given below Why do I refuse to be interviewed?
Hello Butteryliscious,
The sentence already has a passive form - the passive infinitive (to be interviewed). You could manipulate the sentence into 'Why is being interviewed refused by me?' but it seems a pointless thing to do as it is a clumsy construction that I can't imagine ever using.
Hi there, I am struggling with a sentence I think you can help me with. is the sentence - With its glass mosaic edifice, it has been nicknamed” the diamond of the desert.” passive or active, and why so?
Hi milisisak,
"It has been nicknamed" is a passive structure, in the present perfect. The structure is: subject + "has/have" + "been" + past participle. The sense is that the subject "it" (presumably a building?) is not doing the "nicknaming" action, but instead is receiving the action (i.e., other people nicknamed this building "the diamond of the desert").
I hope that helps to make sense of it.
Thank you so much!!
Please let me know the passive form of: Ask him to write a letter. (Let him be asked to write a letter./ Let he be asked to write a letter./ Let a letter be asked to write by him.) Give him another chance. (Let another chance be given to him./ Let him be given another chance.) Call him. (Let him be called./ Let he be called.)
Hello jakirislam,
I'm afraid we don't provide answers to questions from elsewhere like this. If we did then we'd end up just doing people's homework or tests for them, which is not our job!
We're happy to explain rules and provide examples, of course, but not just to provide answers.
can i have help in the a passive forme to an active forme the example -societies are being affected in a bad way by diffrent forms of corruption . an i answer in my exam like this: -diffrent forms of corruption are affected societies in a bad way -so my question is: if my answer is true and thnks
Hello Kenzaa,
You had the right idea, but there is a small mistake. I think the best answer there is 'Different forms of corruption are affecting societies in a bad way'. Notice that the verb is in the present continuous, like in the passive sentence.
Voice Change: It has been had by me.
hello. i understand that the passive form of "has the doctor given you your letter of discharge ?" become "have your letter of discharge been given to you ? but i have red these following sentence in a book and i'm lost now: "Have you been given your letter of discharge ?" is it possible to use passive voice like that ? thx
Hello Andres,
Yes, using the passive voice with double object verbs (like 'give') can be a little tricky.
The first thing I'd suggest is clearly distinguishing the direct object and the indirect object. In 'Has the doctor given you your letter of discharge?':
- the subject is 'the doctor'
- the indirect object is 'you'
- the direct object is 'your letter of discharge'.
When a verb has only a direct object, the direct object becomes the subject of the passive verb. For example, 'The doctor treated the patient' becomes 'The patient was treated [by the doctor]'. (The brackets around 'by the doctor' show that this part of the sentence is optional; it can be omitted.)
You can do the same thing when the verb has a direct and indirect object: 'Has your letter of discharge been given to you [by the doctor]?' (Notice it's 'has' and not 'have' because 'your letter of discharge' is singular.)
What you saw in the book, however, is also correct when the indirect object is a person; the indirect object can become the subject of the passive verb: 'Have you been given your letter of discharge [by the doctor]?'
It can seem a bit strange, but it's perfectly natural in English. In fact, I'd say it's more common than the previous passive (where the direct object becomes the subject of the passive verb) with double object verbs.
Does that help make sense of this? Please let us know if you have other questions.
All the best, Kirk The LearnEnglish Team
Hello, I am having trouble understanding how to rewrite active questions into passive. Can you please rewrite this questions and explain me how to do it? 1.Did your teacher make you do your science homework again? 2.Who built the rocket? 3.Have you repaired your telescope? 4.Who showed you round the space exhibition? 5.When are they testing the new space shuttle? 6.Who will give the talk at the Astronomy club? Thank you in advance!
Hi MirelaVasileva,
To rephrase these questions in the passive, we need to choose a new grammatical subject - the original object of the verb (in bold below).
- Were you made (by your teacher) to do your science homework again?
- Who was the rocket built by?
- Has your telescope been repaired?
I hope that helps to understand it. I haven't answered the other questions in case you would like to have a try yourself.
4. By whom were you showed around the space exhibition? 5. When will the new space shuttle by tested? By whom will the talk at Astronomy Club be given?
Hello Miash.10,
These are correct except for the past participle of the verb 'show', which is irregular: 'shown'. Otherwise, well done!
Hi! can you help me with this? Are these sentences in passive voice? Do we always need the verb to be in passive? " The languages used to develop websites..." " ...quickly became known as..." " A programmer named X..." Thank you in advance.
Hi Viviana Lamare,
Examples 1 and 3 are called "reduced passives". They are like shortened versions of the full passive in a relative clause ("The languages that are used" and "A programmer who is named X"). The noun is followed by the past participle, without "that" or the auxiliary verb.
Example 2 is also a passive, with the verb "become".
Hello team, Could you help me change this sentence "U Mya goes hiking every year." to passive voice? sir
Hello Bo Bo Kyaw,
I'm afraid it's not possible. Only transitive verbs can have a passive form (look under Verb patterns ).
'go' is an intransitive verb and so it doesn't have a passive form. You could perhaps slightly change it and say something like 'Hikes are done by U Mya every year', but here the verb has been changed and this is so convoluted I don't think anyone would ever say it. I certainly wouldn't recommend it.
Hi, Can you please help me change the following sentence into passive voice We had accepted the proposal and granted the money. Thanking you already
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- Passive to Active Voice — Exercise 2
- 1. The race was won by William. William won the race.
- 2. New schools are being built by the government. The government is building new schools.
- 3. Two hamburgers have been eaten by Steven. Steven has eaten two hamburgers.
- 4. The soup is cooked every week by my mother. My mother cooks soup every week.
- 5. A new product will be launched by my company. My company will launch a new product.
- 6. The kitchen walls are being painted by the workers. The workers are painting the kitchen walls.
- 7. A flat tire was changed by Liam. Liam changed a flat tire.
- 8. The instructions will be given by Claire. Claire will give the instructions.
- 9. My questions are always answered by the teacher. The teacher always answers my questions.
- 10. Fifteen sketches have been created by Andrew. Andrew has created fifteen sketches.
- Finish the sentence in Passive — Mixed Exercise
- Rewrite the sentences using Passive voice — Mixed tenses — Exercise 1
- Rewrite the sentences using Passive voice — Mixed tenses — Exercise 2
- Rewrite the sentences using Passive voice — Mixed tenses — Exercise 3
- Rewrite the sentences using Passive voice — Mixed tenses — Exercise 4
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center for writing | student writing support | style | active vs. passive voice
Active vs. passive voice
Beginning or inattentive writers tend to overuse passive voice, which can weaken their prose, lead to the omission of important information, and make them appear unsure of their ideas. When instructors draw attention to the problem, some students overcompensate, eliminating all passive voice from their writing.
Although many academic writers often favor active voice because it is direct and concise, both voices are useful and necessary. That is why the grammar check on word processing programs highlights all passive constructions—it gives writers a chance to consider whether each choice is appropriate according to the purpose of the sentence.
Understand how both active and passive sentences are structured.
Active Voice: The subject of the sentence is the one doing the action .
The researchers compared the behavior of two groups of children. The clerk was helping the customer. Students need good study skills to succeed in college. You should tell him.
Passive Voice: The subject of the sentence is now being acted upon . The actor moves to the end of the sentence with by or drops off altogether if it is unimportant or unknown. The verb must include a form of be , followed by a past participle (normally an -ed ending).
The behavior of two groups of children was compared (by the researchers). The customer was being helped (by the clerk). Good study skills are needed to succeed in college. He should be told .
Only verbs that are followed by an object can be used in the passive. It is not possible to use verbs such as come , exist , happen , seem , and sleep (intransitive verbs) in the passive.
incorrect Something was happened. correct Something happened.
Know when active voice is appropriate or preferred.
All of the examples below are choices based on style and rhetorical context, not strict grammar rules.
To focus readers’ attention on the actor, not what is being acted upon. Active: Captain Ahab pursues the whale relentlessly. Passive: The whale is pursued relentlessly. ( Or , The whale is pursued relentlessly by Captain Ahab.) In the above example, the active voice would be preferred if the writer wanted to focus readers’ attention on Captain Ahab. The passive voice would be preferred if the writer wanted to focus readers’ attention on the whale, or on the fact that it is pursued relentlessly. When it is important that readers know exactly who did (or said) what to whom. Active: When U.S. troops invaded Iraq, they inadvertently killed many civilians. Passive: When Iraq was invaded, many civilians were killed inadvertently. In the above example, the active voice would be appropriate if the writer wanted to name or emphasize the actors ( U.S troops ), not only their actions. The passive voice would be appropriate if the writer did not think it was important for readers to know who did the actions in the sentence.
Know when passive voice is appropriate or preferred.
To focus attention on the process or materials, rather than on the actor, as in scientific or technical writing. Next, salicylic acid was added to the test tube.
To focus attention on the object, rather than the actor. Paper, the main writing material today, was invented by the Chinese. This is appropriate when the focus is on the history of paper, not on Chinese innovations. Choosing passive voice allows the writer to use “paper” as the subject of the sentence. The new highway will be completed sometime next month. This is appropriate when the focus is on the highway project, not on the workers completing it.
To connect ideas in different clauses or sentences more clearly. When interviewing for a job, avoid making grammatical errors. They are often used by employers to weed out job applicants. In the beginning of the second sentence, using passive voice (“ used by employers ”) allows the writer to refer to grammatical errors (“ They ”) right away in order to clearly connect to the end of the previous sentence.
For more grammar information: Azar, B.S. (1989). Understanding and using English grammar . (2nd ed .). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
For more usage information: Anson, C.M., Schwegler, R.A., & Muth, M.F. (2000). The Longman writer’s companion . New York: Longman.
Miles, R., Bertonasco, M., & Karns, W. (1991). Prose style: A contemporary guide . (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Williams, Joseph M. (2000). Style: Ten lessons in clarity and grace . (6th ed.). New York: Longman.
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How to Change a Sentence from Active Voice to Passive Voice
Last Updated: March 31, 2023 Fact Checked
This article was co-authored by Richard Perkins . Richard Perkins is a Writing Coach, Academic English Coordinator, and the Founder of PLC Learning Center. With over 24 years of education experience, he gives teachers tools to teach writing to students and works with elementary to university level students to become proficient, confident writers. Richard is a fellow at the National Writing Project. As a teacher leader and consultant at California State University Long Beach's Global Education Project, Mr. Perkins creates and presents teacher workshops that integrate the U.N.'s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the K-12 curriculum. He holds a BA in Communications and TV from The University of Southern California and an MEd from California State University Dominguez Hills. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 480,427 times.
Switching voice is an important skill to possess when writing in any context, including academically, professionally, or personally. Changing a sentence from active to passive voice does not change the meaning of the statement, but it does switch the emphasis from the subject (the person doing the action) to the direct object (the thing that receives the action). To change a sentence to passive voice, you’ll first need to identify the tense that the sentence is written in, as it’s necessary to keep the correct tense when switching from active to passive voice. Second, identify the sentence’s subject, verb, and direct object. Finally, change the format so that the sentence begins with the direct object and ends with the subject.
Identifying the Tense of the Sentence

- Simple present tense combines a subject + verb. For example: “He writes.”
- Present continues tense combines a subject + being verb (am, is , are) + verb1 + ing. For Example: “He is writing.”
- Present perfect tense combines a subject + have/has + verb. For example: “He has written.”
- Present perfect continuous tense combines subject + has/have + been + verb + ing. Example: “He has been writing.”

- Simple past tense combines a subject + verb in the sentence. For example: “He wrote.”
- Past perfect tense combines the subject + had + verb. For example: “He had written.”
- Past continuous tense combines a subject + being verb (was, were) + verb + ing. For example: “He was writing.”
- Past perfect continuous tense combines subject + had + been + verb + ing. For example: “He had been writing.”

- Simple future tense combines a subject + “will” + verb. For example, “He will write.”
- Future perfect tense combines the subject + “will have” + verb. For example, “He will have written.”
- Future continuous tense combines a subject + “will” + being verb + verb. For example, “He will be writing.”
- Future perfect continuous tense combines the subject + “have been” + verb + “ing.” For example, “He will have been writing.”
Converting the Sentence

- For example, the sentence “He will write a letter” is in the future tense and active voice.
- To change this to passive voice, move the direct object to the beginning of the sentence, while keeping the future tense: “A letter will be written by him.”

- Depending on the tense of the sentence, being verbs include: “is,” “was,” “will be,” “has been,” etc.

- In cases where the subject (one who does the action) is unknown, you may not be able to add the word “by.”
- For example, if you have received a letter but do not know who sent it, you would write, “The letter was sent to me on November 1st,” but you would not say by whom it was sent.

- Active voice, present tense: The cat kills the mice.
- Passive voice, present tense: The mice are killed by the cat.
- Active voice, past continuous tense: Some boys were helping the wounded men.
- Passive voice, past continuous tense: Wounded men were being helped by some boys.
- Active voice, future perfect tense: Someone will have stolen my purse.
- Active voice, future perfect tense: My purse will have been stolen by someone.
Knowing When to Use the Passive Voice

- Be careful when removing emphasis from the subject of a sentence, as in some cases it can be seen as confusing to the reader. Passive voice can also remove the subject of a sentence altogether.
- For example, a politician who says, “I have lied to the American people” may be seen as repentant and forthcoming. If the individual were to say “The American people have been lied to,” they politician would be removing any blame from themselves by phrasing the sentence in the passive voice and removing the subject.

- For example, the sentence “American nuclear devices were first tested in July 1945” places the emphasis on the nuclear testing and leaves the specific researchers anonymous.

- For example, instead of writing “My team placed seven stream gages in the river,” you would write, “Seven stream gages were placed in the river.”
- Here the passive voice lends anonymity to the action: anyone can replicate the experiment by repeating the same procedures. By using the passive voice, you’re arguing that the results can be replicated regardless of which scientists perform the actions.
Practice Sentenes and Answers


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- Passive voice is also commonly used in sayings or maxims that are supposedly applicable to everyone. A saying like “rules are made to be broken” must be in the passive voice, since there is no specific subject breaking a rule in the sentence. Thanks Helpful 25 Not Helpful 6

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- ↑ https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/present-tense
- ↑ https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/past-tense
- ↑ https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/future-tense-verbs/
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/active_and_passive_voice/active_versus_passive_voice.html
- ↑ Richard Perkins. Writing Coach & Academic English Coordinator. Expert Interview. 1 September 2021.
- ↑ https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/activepass.htm
- ↑ http://www.lingolex.com/tensexp.htm
- ↑ http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-active-and-passive-voice.html
- ↑ https://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc/repository/files/grammar-and-mechanics/verb-system/Active-and-Passive-Voice.pdf
- ↑ http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/style-and-editing/passive-voice
About This Article

To change a sentence from active to passive voice, start by moving the object to the beginning of the sentence. Then, add the auxiliary verb “be” prior to the main verb, which will emphasize how the object is acted on. For example, if the original sentence is “He will write the letter,” you should make it “A letter will be written by him.” Take care to keep the same tense when you switch a sentence from active to passive voice. If the original sentence is “The cat kills the mice,” the correct passive voice would be “The mice are killed by the cat,” not “The mice were being killed by the cat.” For tips on when it’s OK to use the passive voice and when to avoid it, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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Exercise 1: Passive voice (1)
Change the sentences into the passive. Keep the same tense. Type the sentences into the box.
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Change the following sentence into passive voice: The students were solving the sums.
An action in a sentence can be represented in two ways, namely active and passive voice. the passive voice always uses the past participle form of the main verb irrespective of any tense. only the auxiliary verbs depend upon the sentence given in active voice. the given sentence is in the active voice. the correct answer is c) the sums were being solved by the students. option c) is correct as the subject of the given sentence comes in the place of the object and vice versa. also, the main verb is used in the third form. options a, b, and d are not correct 'solving' should be transferred to 'being solved', the given sentence is not in the simple past tense, and 'been' cannot be used in the transformed sentence. .
Solve the following.
Out of 700 students in a school, 6% were absent on a particular day. How many were absent?
Students of a school were made to stand in rows were required. If 3 students less were standing in each row, 10 more rows were required and if 5 students more were standing in each row then the number of rows was reduced by 10 . Find the number of students participating in the drill.
There is 80% chance that a problem will be solved by a statistic student and 60% chance that same problem will be solved by a mathematics student. The probability that the problem will be solved is ______.
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English Notes
English notes latest questions, can you solve this problem “change into passive voice”.

Passive Voice: Can this problem be solved by you?
Explanation: Covert into Passive Voice.
Invert the word order to make it a question again.
Am I helping him?
I am helping him.
He is being helped by me.
Invert the word order to make it a question again –
Is he being helped by me?
Note: With Present and Future Modals – can, must, should, may, might, ought, auxiliary verb ‘be’ is used in Passive Voice.
Course on Active-Passive Voice
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Academic Writing Active and Passive Voice Changing Passive to Active Voice Changing Passive to Active Voice If you want to change a passive-voice sentence to active voice, find the agent in a "by the..." phrase, or consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb.
Peter got hurt in a crash. We can use the indirect object as the subject of a passive verb: We can use phrasal verbs in the passive: Active and passive voice 4 Active and passive voice 5 Level: advanced Some verbs which are very frequently used in the passive are followed by the to -infinitive: John has been asked to make a speech at the meeting.
The workers are painting the kitchen walls. 7. A flat tire was changed by Liam. Liam changed a flat tire. 8. The instructions will be given by Claire. Claire will give the instructions. 9. My questions are always answered by the teacher.
I am drinking tea. He played cricket. They will help you. See the structure of Active voice and Passive voice in more detail here. Passive Voice - Here, the subject receives the action that is expressed by the verb. Therefore, we can say that the verb is in passive when the subject of the verb is acted upon.
Active Voice: The subject of the sentence is the one doing the action. The researchers compared the behavior of two groups of children. The clerk was helping the customer. Students need good study skills to succeed in college. You should tell him. Passive Voice: The subject of the sentence is now being acted upon.
Step 1: Identify the subject of the sentence: cat Step 2: Identify the action or the verb of the sentence: chased Step 3: Identify the object in the sentence: rabbit Step 4: Rewrite the sentence...
Transformation of Sentences Active and Passive voice Active and Passive voice: Words come together to form a sentence and these sentences can be formed in more than one way. The way these sentences are made make a lot of difference in writing and we are going to learn all about that in this chapter.
For example, the sentence "He will write a letter" is in the future tense and active voice. To change this to passive voice, move the direct object to the beginning of the sentence, while keeping the future tense: "A letter will be written by him.". 2. Add an auxiliary verb "be" before the main verb.
Move the object to the beginning of the sentence and add "by" after the verb: The teacher was welcomed by the student. Step 3/4 3. Change the verb to its past participle form: The teacher was welcomed by the student. (no change needed) Show all steps Answer 4. Add the auxiliary verb "was" before the past participle: The teacher was welcomed by ...
Exercise 1: Passive voice (1) Change the sentences into the passive. Keep the same tense.
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Solution. When an active voice sentence has to be changed to a passive voice sentence, care should be taken to identify the tense of the active sentence first. The sentence given here is a past perfect tense one because the word 'had' is used. From the given options, option C) and D) are both in past continuous form and can be clearly eliminated.
The correct answer is 'We are taught grammar by the teacher'.. Key Points. The Basic rules for changing Active voice into Passive voice:. When the verb is changed from the Active voice to the Passive voice, the object of the verb in the Active voice becomes the subject of the verb in the Passive voice. Thus in the given sentence, 'us' which is the object of 'teaches' in the active voice ...
Find an answer to your question The problem was solved by the teacher (change into active voice) villurinikshiptha villurinikshiptha 6 hours ago English Secondary School answered The problem was solved by the teacher (change into active voice) See answer Advertisement
Question Change the following sentence into passive voice: The students were solving the sums. A The sums were being solve by the students. B The sums were solved by the students. C The sums were being solved by the students. D The sums were been solved by the students Solution Verified by Toppr
Find an answer to your question These mistakes will be corrected by the teachers. change into active voice. anchalkumari4100 anchalkumari4100 21.12.2019 English Secondary School ... the teacher will correct that mistake. Explanation: this answer correct or worng. Advertisement Advertisement New questions in English.
Citation 2010), and that creating cognitive dissonance is an essential mediator in transformative teacher learning (Thompson and Zueli Citation 1999) and teacher conceptual change (Gregoire Citation 2003), little emphasis exists in the teacher change or professional development literature on harnessing and utilising students' experiences of ...
Answer. 14 people found it helpful. parthak49. report flag outlined. This sentence can be made passive in 2 ways: 1. We were told a story by the teacher. 2. A story was told us by the teacher.
Project-based learning ( PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. [1] Students learn about a subject by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a ...
1 Answer. Passive Voice: Can this problem be solved by you? Explanation: Covert into Passive Voice. Invert the word order to make it a question again. Am I helping him? I am helping him. He is being helped by me. Is he being helped by me? Note: With Present and Future Modals - can, must, should, may, might, ought, auxiliary verb 'be' is ...