Active and Passive Voice: Definition, Rules, and Examples

Active and Passive Voice: Learning the active and passive voice is necessary for your banking exam preparation. Active and passive voices help you learn grammar better; this is important for error detection questions. It is also required for direct transformation questions; you just have to get the rules right.

There are two major grammatical voices in English: the active and the passive voice. While the active voice shows the Subject acting, the passive voice shows the Subject as the receiver of the action. For example, "The clerk paid the amount" is in the active voice. "The amount was paid by the clerk" is in passive voice. Both sentences express the same thing, but with a different focus.

Most banking students often get one piece of advice common to everybody. They hear: avoid the passive voice. This is bad advice for the exam. Passive voice is a tool. Intelligent exam candidates know when to use both.

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What is the Difference Between Active and Passive Voice?

You must know the difference between active and passive voice. This is the first step. All simple sentences consist of three main parts: Subject, Verb, and Object. This basic order is termed as S-V-O.

 S: Subject. This is the person or thing that does the action.   

 V: Verb. This is the action that happens.

 O: Object. This is the person or thing that gets the action.

The way you put these parts determines the voice of the sentence: active or passive.

Active Voice: The Doer First

The Subject comes first in an active voice. This Subject does the action of the verb. The structure follows the normal S-V-O order of the active voice.

 Principle of Active Voice Sentence Structure: Subject + Verb + Object. (Receiver).

 Example: The manager approved the funds. (The manager is the Doer/Subject).

 The active voice is generally clearer. It is also more brief. It quickly ties the action to the doer. This is the best structure for most general writing. It makes the text easy to read. This part really matters: active and passive voice. 

Passive Voice: The Receiver is First

In passive voice, the Object of the action comes right at the top. It becomes a new subject. The person who did the action (the first Subject) often moves to the end after the word "by." When it is not mentioned at all, it indicates that even the original doer is not included.

 Passive voice construction is always: Object (New Subject) + To be Verb + V3 (Past Participle) + (by Doer).

 Example: The funds were approved by the manager. (The funds are the Receiver/New Subject).   

 More often, passive sounds formal. Besides that, it usually packs even more words than the active voice. This structure should be used when the focus is more on the object than on the doer. Look for two things to spot passive voice in sentences: a form of ”to be“ (is, was, being) plus the past participle of the main verb (V3). These are the marks of the passive voice. Use in error detection questions on active and passive voice.

Simple Active and Passive Voice Rules You Need to Know

To correctly change sentences, you must follow the active and passive voice rules. These rules are simple. They give you a clear process. Two basic rules work for all tense conversions. These active and passive voice rules are key.

The Two Golden Rules for Active and Passive Voice

1. Swap Positions: The Subject and Object must change places when you switch to passive voice.

2. V3 is required: The main verb must always be changed to the Past Participle (V3 or 3rd form) in passive voice. This V3 form is fixed.

Five Easy Steps to Convert Active to Passive Voice

Follow these five steps for perfect conversions every time. These steps are the core active and passive voice rules.

1. Find S, V, O: First, locate the Subject, the main Verb, and the Object in the active sentence.

2. Object Becomes Subject: Move the active voice Object to the start of the new sentence. It acts as the new Subject.

3. Add the Right Helper Verb: Use the correct form of the "to be" verb. This helper verb must match the tense of the original active sentence. It must also match the new Subject (the former Object). The helper verb carries the tense. The active and passive voice rely on this helper.

4. Change the Main Verb to V3: Convert the active verb into its 3rd form (Past Participle). This is a necessary rule for all changes involving active and passive voice.

5. Subject Becomes Object: Use the word "by" followed by the original subject. This "by-phrase" is the agent. It tells who did the action. It is sometimes left out.

Crucial Rule: Changing Pronouns

When you swap the subject and object, personal pronouns must change their case. This is a critical rule for proper structure in active and passive voice in English grammar.

• I changed to by myself.

• She changes to by her.

• He changes to by him.

• We changes to by us.

• They changes to by them.

Use these active and passive voice rules correctly. This ensures the sentence's meaning is kept the same during the change.

Essential Active and Passive Voice Chart for All Tenses

Grammar rules for all tenses are hard to remember. This simple active and passive voice chart is a tool you must have. Use this chart to quickly check the correct structure for any tense. This chart is the fastest way to master active and passive voice. You must master this active and passive voice chart.

Passive voice is mainly formed for eight of the twelve tenses. You usually do not convert the perfect continuous tenses in your exam.

Look closely at the chart. Continuous tenses (Present and Past) need the word "being" in the passive structure. Perfect tenses (Present, Past, and Future) need the word "been" in the passive structure.This pattern simplifies the complex rules for active and passive voice conversions. The active and passive voice chart is a vital tool.

Practical Active and Passive Voice Examples for Exam Practice

 You should go through these active and passive voice examples; they show a swift application of the rules. In most exam questions, a candidate has to choose the right conversion within minutes.

 Converting Simple Present Tense

Active: They sell financial products worldwide. 

 Passive: Financial products are sold worldwide. (We use are + V3).  

 Note: The doer ("by them") is often left out when it is general or unknown.

 Converting Simple Past Tense

Active: The reckless driver drove the car.

 Passive: The car was driven by the reckless driver. (We use was + V3).   

 Exam Tip: Check if the was/were matches the new subject (car is singular, so was).

 Converting Present Continuous Tense

Active: The girls are solving maths problems.

 Passive: The maths problems are being solved by the girls. (We use are + being + V3).   

 Rule: Remember the word "being" for continuous tenses. It is a must.

 Present Perfect Tense Conversion

Active: Softtech Solution has developed a new software program.

 Passive: A new software program has been developed by Softtech Solution. (We use has + been + V3).   

 Rule: Remember the word "been" for perfect tenses. It is a must. The active and passive voice must be perfect.

 Converting Future Tense

Active: The manager will review the report.

 Passive: The report will be reviewed by the manager. (We use will + be + V3). 

 Rule: The simple future uses "be" after will/shall. This is a simple rule for active and passive voice.

 Every example here is a careful selection of the use of V3 and the right helping verb, as it has been usually known to fortify the knowledge of the language. It is also important to remember that the active-passive voice is a scoring topic.

Active and Passive Voice Exercises for Banking Exams

To learn active and passive voices, practice is needed. In this section, one gets practice from the active and passive voice exercises. They have the same kind of problem in banks and SSC exams. Applying the core active and passive voice rules will be necessary to solve this. They are very basic active and passive voice exercises.

Set A: Change Active Voice to Passive Voice (Practice 1)

Follow the five steps: Find SVO, flip, use the right to be verb, use V3. These active and passive voice exercises test if you can remain in the true tense.

1. The carpenter built the house.

Answer: The house was built by the carpenter.   

2. My grandmother baked the cake.

Answer: The cake was baked by my grandmother.   

3. The committee wrote the report.

Answer: The report was written by the committee.   

4. The engineers constructed a new bridge.

Answer: A new bridge was constructed by the engineers.   

5. A thief stole my car from the garage.

Answer: My car was stolen from the garage by a thief.

6. The tide damaged the old dam.

Answer: The old dam was damaged by the tide.

7. The school awarded Bhavana the first prize.

Answer: First prize was awarded to Bhavana by the school.   

8. The manager sent the email.

Answer: The email was sent by the manager.

Set B: Change Passive Voice to Active Voice (Practice 2)

Find the original doer (after "by"). This doer will become the new subject. Change the verb back to the correct active tense. These active and passive voice exercises are a challenge to your knowledge of tenses. This is a feature of the active and passive voice rules.

1. The ball was kicked by the boy.

Answer: The boy kicked the ball.   

2. Dinner was cooked by the girl.

Answer: The girl cooked dinner.   

3. A lesson plan was written by the teacher.

Answer: The teacher wrote a lesson plan.   

4. The essay was written by Salim.

Answer: Salim wrote the essay.   

5. The rings were found by Catherine.

Answer: Catherine found the rings.   

6. The proposal was denied by the board.

Answer: The board denied the proposal.   

7. The chemistry book was read by the students.

Answer: The students read the chemistry book.   

8. The error was made by Andrew.

Answer: Andrew made the error.

Completing these active and passive voice exercises is a fair indicator of strong topic knowledge. Continuous practice with these questions is key for high marks. What you learn in an active and passive voice is treasured. 

Active and Passive Voice in English Grammar: Tricky Exam Structures

Getting a top score means handling difficult questions. Simple SVO conversions are not enough. You must master the tricky sentences common in competitive exams. The deepest understanding of active and passive voice in English grammar requires this knowledge.

1. Handling Intransitive Verbs (A Key Exam Trick)

This is a very important rule for active and passive voice. Only sentences with a direct object can be changed to passive voice. These are called Transitive Verbs.

• If a verb is Intransitive (has no object), you cannot make it passive.

• Example (Active): The flight arrived.

• Passive (Incorrect): The flight was arrived by.... (This cannot be done).

• Exam Tip: If an Error Detection question shows an intransitive verb in a passive structure, that sentence is wrong. This is a common test to check your active and passive voice knowledge.

2. Conversion with Modal Verbs

Modal verbs (can, must, should, might) follow a very simple rule for conversion. This often appears in Fill in the Blanks questions. The active and passive voice with modals is easy to learn.

• Active Rule: Subject + Modal + V1 + Object

• Passive Rule: Object + Modal + be + V3 + (by Subject)

• Example: Active: We must respect our elders.

• Passive: Our elders must be respected by us.

3. Conversion of Sentences with 'To' + V1

Sentences that use a form of to be or have followed by "to" and V1 also have a specific passive structure.

• Active Rule: Subject + Helper Verb (is/has) + To + V1 + Object

• Passive Rule: Object + Helper Verb + To + Be + V3 + By + Subject

• Example: Active: I am preparing dinner.

• Passive: The dinner is to be prepared by me.

4. Conversion of Imperative Sentences

Imperative sentences are commands or requests. They are common in arrangement and transformation tasks. They start with the verb.

• Active: Open the door. (Command)

• Passive (Using Let): Let the door be opened.

• Passive (Using Request): You are requested to open the door. (If the tone is a request).

5. When Passive Voice is Best (For Reading Comprehension)

For most writing, active voice is clearer. However, sometimes a passive voice is needed. You need to know these cases for formal writing or comprehension tasks.

• When the Doer is Unknown or Irrelevant: If we don't know who did it, or it doesn't matter, use passive voice.

• Example: Cash was stolen from the register. (The thief is unknown).

• For Objective Reports: In formal reports or scientific methods, the action is more important than the person.

• Example: The samples were tested in the lab. (Focus is on the sample and the test, not the scientist).

• To emphasize the Result: If the action's result is the most important part, put it first.   

• Example: These dangerous emissions are produced by diesel engines. (Focus is on emissions).   

Using Both the Active and Passive Voices for Ultimate Exam Success

We looked at the important differentiating point that makes one voice more effective than the other. The necessary active and passive voice rules were established. A detailed active and passive voice chart was reviewed. They practiced actionable, active, and passive voice examples with conversion of active and passive voice exercises. The active and passive voice conversion techniques are now clear.

 Active voice is generally preferred for general questions or clarifications. It is concise and clear. It also makes your writing strong. The active and passive voice subject is significant.

But an intelligent exam candidate knows the value that passive voice rules should have in transformation questions. Remember these secrets to exam success: by using the conversion chart correctly, understanding deformation sentence rules like modals and imperatives, and by spotting intransitive verbs in error-detection tasks. Active and passive voice knowledge is powerful. You have fully grasped the active and passive voices. Active and passive voice is a primary topic.

These conversions should be practiced every day, as this increases English grammar scores drastically. You have now conquered this important aspect of active and passive voice in English grammar. Active and passive voice are the key to success. The active and passive voice rules are your secret weapon.

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