CBSE Class 10 > Class 10 Notes > English Grammar Advanced > Detailed Notes: Active & Passive Voice
Detailed Notes: Active & Passive Voice | English Grammar Advanced - Class 10 PDF Download
Voice
Voice is the form of a transitive verb that shows whether the subject of the sentence performs the action (active voice) or receives the action (passive voice). In the passive voice the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence, and the doer (agent) may be introduced by the preposition by.
Example: Mohan played football. (Active) → Football was played by Mohan. (Passive)
Rules for Changing Voice
- In the passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- Add the preposition by before the doer (agent) if the agent is to be mentioned.
- Change the main verb to its past participle form in the passive voice.
- Place an appropriate form of the verb to be (am, is, are, was, were, being, been) before the past participle; choose the form according to the tense and the new subject (the old object).
- Modify auxiliary verbs, if any, according to the number and person of the new subject.
Changes in Pronouns
| Active Voice (Subjective case) | → | Passive Voice (Agent with "by") |
| I | → | by me |
| We | → | by us |
| You | → | by you |
| He | → | by him |
| She | → | by her |
| It | → | by it |
| They | → | by them |
Change in Tenses from Active Voice to Passive Voice
| Tense / Aspect | Active voice | Passive voice |
| Simple Present | He kills a snake. | A snake is killed by him. |
| Simple Past | He killed a snake. | A snake was killed by him. |
| Simple Future | She will write a letter. | A letter will be written by her. |
| Present Progressive | She is singing a song. | A song is being sung by her. |
| Past Progressive | She was singing a song. | A song was being sung by her. |
| Present Perfect | They have watered the plants. | The plants have been watered by them. |
| Past Perfect | We had helped him. | He had been helped by us. |
| Future Perfect | I will have beaten him. | He will have been beaten by me. |
Change of Voice in the Simple Present
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| He reads a novel. | A novel is read by him. |
| He does not obey his teachers. | His teachers are not obeyed by him. |
| Why do you waste time? | Why is time wasted by you? |
| Who teaches you Physics? | By whom are you taught Physics? |
| Which book do you read these days? | Which book is read by you these days? |
Past Simple Tense
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| He did not help me. | I was not helped by him. |
| I told her a story. | A story was told to her by me. |
| What did she buy? | What was bought by her? |
| Whom did you meet? | Who was met by you? |
| Did you read this novel? | Was this novel read by you? |
Simple Future
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| I shall help him. | He will be helped by me. |
| Will you sell this house? | Will this house be sold by you? |
| Who will pay the bill? | By whom will the bill be paid? |
| You will not disturb me. | I shall not be disturbed by you. |
| When will you visit us? | When shall we be visited by you? |
Present Progressive
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| She is waiting for us. | We are being waited for by her. |
| Is he doing his work? | Is his work being done by him? |
| Who is knocking at the door? | By whom is the door being knocked at? |
| Are the children flying kites? | Are the kites being flown by the children? |
| Why is he not watering the plants? | Why are the plants not being watered by him? |
Past Progressive
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| He was writing a letter. | A letter was being written by him. |
| What was she doing? | What was being done by her? |
| I was not doing my work. | My work was not being done by me. |
| Wasn't she singing a song? | Wasn't a song being sung by her? |
| Were the children playing hockey? | Was hockey being played by the children? |
Present Perfect Tense
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| Has he done his work? | Has his work been done by him? |
| She has read this book. | This book has been read by her. |
| Who has stolen my watch? | By whom has my watch been stolen? |
| Have you not solved this sum? | Has this sum not been solved by you? |
| He has not helped me. | I have not been helped by him. |
Past Perfect Tense
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| She had already cooked the food. | The food had already been cooked by her. |
| Had he not read this letter? | Had this letter not been read by him? |
| Whose team had won the match? | By whose team had the match been won? |
| Hadn't he done his homework? | Hadn't his homework been done by him? |
| She had received the parcel. | The parcel had been received by her. |
Future Perfect Tense
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| He will have received the letter before you reach there. | The letter will have been received by him before you reach there. |
| She will not have washed the clothes by this time. | The clothes will not have been washed by her by this time. |
| Will the gardener have watered the plants before 5 p.m.? | Will the plants have been watered by the gardener before 5 p.m.? |
| The peon will have locked the gate by 10 p.m. | The main gate will have been locked by the peon by 10 p.m. |
Imperative Sentences
Imperative sentences express commands, requests, advice or suggestions. When changing them to passive, common patterns are: use of let (Let + object + be + past participle), or use verbs such as request, order, advise in a passive reporting construction (You are requested/ordered/advised to + verb).
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| Please post this letter. | You are requested to post this letter. / Let this letter be posted. |
| Shut the door. | Let the door be shut. / You are ordered to shut the door. |
| Work hard. | You are advised to work hard. / Let hard work be done (less common). |
| Light the lamp. | Let the lamp be lighted. |
| Never give up hope. | Let hope never be given up. / Hope should never be given up. |
Interrogative Sentences
In questions, convert to passive by placing the appropriate form of be before the subject (the old object), using the past participle, and placing the agent after with by when needed.
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| Do you love him? | Is he loved by you? |
| Did he break the window? | Was the window broken by him? |
| Have you taught the boy? | Has the boy been taught by you? |
| What do you want? | What is wanted by you? |
| When did you write the letter? | When was the letter written by you? |
| Where will you spend your holidays? | Where will your holidays be spent by you? |
| How will you cross the river? | How will the river be crossed by you? |
Modal Auxiliaries
The passive with modals uses the pattern: modal + be + past participle.
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| You can do this work. | This work can be done by you. |
| He may help you. | You may be helped by him. |
| She might win the match. | The match might be won by her. |
| Could you lend me fifty rupees? | Could fifty rupees be lent to me by you? |
| He should respect his elders. | His elders should be respected by him. |
Prepositional Verbs
When an active sentence contains a verb + preposition (object + preposition), convert keeping the preposition with the verb in passive: object + be + past participle + preposition + by + agent.
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| She objected to my proposal. | My proposal was objected to by her. |
| Has he given up smoking? | Has smoking been given up by him? |
| The children laughed at the beggar. | The beggar was laughed at by the children. |
| She accused him of theft. | He was accused of theft by her. |
| We acceded to his request. | His request was acceded to by us. |
Quasi‑Passive
Some verbs and adjectives behave like passive constructions when used with certain complements: e.g., taste, smell, look, feel, need, want. These are often described as quasi‑passive or pseudo‑passive. In such cases, the active and the quasi‑passive differ in structure:
| Active / Stative | Quasi‑passive (common form) |
| This mango tastes sweet. | This mango is sweet when tasted. / This mango tastes sweet (stative). |
| The shop is building. | The shop is being built. |
| The rose smells sweet. | The rose is sweet when smelt. |
| Your shirt needs washing. | Your shirt needs to be washed. |
| This medicine tastes bitter. | This medicine is bitter when tasted. |
Miscellaneous Examples
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| Grass grows over the fields. | The fields are overgrown with grass. |
| Someone has stolen my pen. | My pen has been stolen. |
| People say that he is a rich man. | It is said that he is a rich man. |
| It is time to ring the bell. | It is time for the bell to be rung. |
| Your behaviour surprises me. | I am surprised at your behaviour. |
| I know him. | He is known to me. |
| Music interests me. | I am interested in music. |
| This bottle contains milk. | Milk is contained in this bottle. |
| Twelve months make a year. | A year is made of twelve months. |
| One must do one’s duty. | Duty must be done. |
Active and Passive Voice Examples with Answers
Change the following sentences into Passive Voice.
(i) He has missed the train.
Answer: The train has been missed by him.
(ii) Do they speak French?
Answer: Is French spoken by them?
(iii) Was he reading a book?
Answer: Was a book being read by him?
(iv) Compose this letter.
Answer: Let this letter be composed.
(v) Where did you buy this pen from?
Answer: From where was this pen bought by you?
(vi) Who wrote this speech?
Answer: By whom was this speech written?
(vii) One should respect one’s elders.
Answer: Elders should be respected.
(viii) I did not praise anybody.
Answer: Nobody was praised by me.
(ix) He hurt his leg in an accident.
Answer: His leg was hurt in an accident.
(x) Someone was knocking at the door.
Answer: The door was being knocked at by someone.
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FAQs on Detailed Notes: Active & Passive Voice - English Grammar Advanced - Class 10 PDF Download
| 1. What is the difference between active and passive voice? |  |
Ans.Active voice occurs when the subject of the sentence performs the action, while passive voice is used when the subject receives the action. For example, in the active voice "The dog chased the cat," the dog (subject) performs the action. In passive voice, it would be "The cat was chased by the dog," where the cat receives the action.
| 2. How can I identify if a sentence is in active or passive voice? | |
Ans.To identify the voice of a sentence, look for the subject and the verb. In active voice, the subject is doing the action (e.g., "The teacher explained the lesson"). In passive voice, the subject is being acted upon, often indicated by a form of "to be" followed by the past participle (e.g., "The lesson was explained by the teacher").
| 3. Can you provide examples of sentences in both active and passive voice? | |
Ans.Certainly! An example of an active voice sentence is "The chef cooked a delicious meal." In passive voice, it would be "A delicious meal was cooked by the chef." Another example: Active - "The committee made a decision." Passive - "A decision was made by the committee."
| 4. When should I use passive voice instead of active voice? | |
Ans.Passive voice is often used when the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious, or when the focus is on the action itself rather than the subject. For instance, in scientific writing, one might say "The solution was heated to 100 degrees," where the focus is on the process rather than who performed it.
| 5. How can I convert a sentence from active to passive voice? | |
Ans.To convert a sentence from active to passive voice, identify the object of the active sentence and make it the subject of the passive sentence. Then, use the appropriate form of "to be" and the past participle of the main verb, followed by the original subject (now the agent) in a prepositional phrase. For example, "The artist painted the mural" (active) becomes "The mural was painted by the artist" (passive).
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