In this article, we are going to learn about two interesting ways to say things: Active Voice and Passive Voice. Understanding these will make your sentences even more powerful and clear. Let's dive in and see how they work!
Active and Passive Voice for Class 5 | Rules, Tenses & Examples
Table of Contents
What is Active Voice?
In Active Voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. The focus is on the doer of the action.
The basic structure is: Subject + Verb + Object
Examples:
- Rohan kicked the ball. (Rohan is the subject and he did the action of kicking.)
- The cat chased the mouse. (The cat is the subject and it did the chasing.)
- My mother bakes delicious cakes. (My mother is the subject and she does the baking.)
Uses of Active Voice:
- It makes sentences clear and direct.
- It is usually stronger and more concise (shorter).
- It clearly shows who or what is doing the action.
What is Passive Voice?
In Passive Voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. The focus is on the action itself or the receiver of the action, rather than the doer.
The basic structure is: Object (of active sentence) + 'be' verb (is/am/are/was/were/been/being) + Past Participle (V3) + by + Subject (of active sentence)
Examples:
- The ball was kicked by Rohan. (The ball is the subject and it received the action of being kicked.)
- The mouse was chased by the cat. (The mouse is the subject and it received the action of being chased.)
- Delicious cakes are baked by my mother. (Delicious cakes is the subject, receiving the action.)
Uses of Passive Voice:
- When the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant.
- Example: My bicycle was stolen. (We don't know who stole it, or it's not important to say.)
- When the action or the receiver of the action is more important than the doer.
- Example: The results will be announced tomorrow. (The announcement is important, not necessarily who announces.)
- In scientific writing or formal reports to sound objective.
- Example: The experiment was conducted carefully.
How to change Active Voice to Passive Voice
Here are the general steps to change a sentence from Active Voice to Passive Voice:
- Identify the Subject (S), the Verb (V), and the Object (O) in the active sentence.
Example Active: The dog (S) chased (V) the squirrel (O). - The Object of the active sentence becomes the Subject of the passive sentence.
Example: The squirrel... - The Subject of the active sentence becomes the Object of the passive sentence (and is usually preceded by the preposition "by"). Sometimes, if the subject is unknown or unimportant (like 'someone', 'people'), it can be omitted.
Example: ...by the dog. - The main Verb is changed into its Past Participle form (V3). For example, chase -> chased, eat -> eaten, write -> written.
Example: ...chased... - An appropriate form of the auxiliary verb "to be" (is, am, are, was, were, been, being) is used before the past participle. The form of "to be" depends on the tense of the active sentence and the number (singular/plural) of the new subject in the passive sentence.
Example (Simple Past): ...was chased...
Putting it together:
Active: The dog (S) chased (V) the squirrel (O).
Passive: The squirrel (New S) was chased (be + V3) by the dog (by + New O).
Transformation Rules for Different Tenses
Let's look at how to change active voice to passive voice for different tenses. Remember the main verb always changes to the Past Participle (V3) form.
1. Sentences in Simple Present Tense
Active: Subject + V1 (s/es) + Object
Passive: Object + is/am/are + V3 + by + Subject
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| He reads a book. | A book is read by him. |
| She sings songs. | Songs are sung by her. |
| They help us. | We are helped by them. |
| I water the plants. | The plants are watered by me. |
2. Sentences in Simple Past Tense
Active: Subject + V2 + Object
Passive: Object + was/were + V3 + by + Subject
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| He wrote a letter. | A letter was written by him. |
| They built a house. | A house was built by them. |
| She cleaned the rooms. | The rooms were cleaned by her. |
| The cat drank the milk. | The milk was drunk by the cat. |
3. Sentences in Simple Future Tense
Active: Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object
Passive: Object + will/shall + be + V3 + by + Subject
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I will finish the work. | The work will be finished by me. |
| She will buy a car. | A car will be bought by her. |
| They will help you. | You will be helped by them. |
| The teacher will teach a new lesson. | A new lesson will be taught by the teacher. |
4. Sentences in Present Continuous Tense
Active: Subject + is/am/are + V1-ing + Object
Passive: Object + is/am/are + being + V3 + by + Subject
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| He is reading a novel. | A novel is being read by him. |
| They are playing cricket. | Cricket is being played by them. |
| I am writing a poem. | A poem is being written by me. |
| The gardener is watering the plants. | The plants are being watered by the gardener. |
5. Sentences in Past Continuous Tense
Active: Subject + was/were + V1-ing + Object
Passive: Object + was/were + being + V3 + by + Subject
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| She was cooking food. | Food was being cooked by her. |
| The children were making noise. | Noise was being made by the children. |
| He was repairing the car. | The car was being repaired by him. |
| The birds were building a nest. | A nest was being built by the birds. |
(Note: Future Continuous Tense (e.g., He will be reading a book) is generally not changed into Passive Voice as it becomes too clumsy.)
6. Sentences in Present Perfect Tense
Active: Subject + has/have + V3 + Object
Passive: Object + has/have + been + V3 + by + Subject
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| She has completed the assignment. | The assignment has been completed by her. |
| They have won the match. | The match has been won by them. |
| I have eaten the apples. | The apples have been eaten by me. |
| The postman has delivered the letters. | The letters have been delivered by the postman. |
7. Sentences in Past Perfect Tense
Active: Subject + had + V3 + Object
Passive: Object + had + been + V3 + by + Subject
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| He had finished his homework. | His homework had been finished by him. |
| The police had caught the thief. | The thief had been caught by the police. |
| She had already informed us. | We had already been informed by her. |
| They had cleaned the house before the guests arrived. | The house had been cleaned by them before the guests arrived. |
8. Sentences in Future Perfect Tense
Active: Subject + will/shall + have + V3 + Object
Passive: Object + will/shall + have + been + V3 + by + Subject
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| They will have built the bridge by next year. | The bridge will have been built by them by next year. |
| She will have written the letter by evening. | The letter will have been written by her by evening. |
| We shall have completed the project by Monday. | The project will have been completed by us by Monday. |
(Note: Perfect Continuous Tenses - Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, and Future Perfect Continuous - are generally not changed into Passive Voice.)
Let's Recall: Key Points
- Active Voice: Subject performs the action (S + V + O). Focus on the doer. Example: The dog chased the cat.
- Passive Voice: Subject receives the action (O + be + V3 + by S). Focus on the action or receiver. Example: The cat was chased by the dog.
- The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- The verb in the passive voice is always in the Past Participle (V3) form, preceded by an appropriate form of the verb 'to be'.
- The subject of the active sentence becomes the object in the passive sentence, usually with 'by' before it.
- Pronouns change form: I → by me, We → by us, You → by you, He → by him, She → by her, It → by it, They → by them.
Quick Tense Change Summary for Passive Voice:
| Tense (Active) | Auxiliary Verb(s) in Passive Voice + V3 |
|---|---|
| Simple Present | is/am/are + V3 |
| Simple Past | was/were + V3 |
| Simple Future | will be + V3 |
| Present Continuous | is/am/are + being + V3 |
| Past Continuous | was/were + being + V3 |
| Present Perfect | has/have + been + V3 |
| Past Perfect | had + been + V3 |
| Future Perfect | will have + been + V3 |
Exercises on Active and Passive Voice
Exercise 1: Identify the Voice
Read each sentence and write whether it is in Active Voice or Passive Voice.
- The teacher praised the student. (______________)
- The car was repaired by the mechanic. (______________)
- Children love cartoons. (______________)
- A story is being told by Grandma. (______________)
- The cat drank all the milk. (______________)
- The plants are watered by the gardener every day. (______________)
- Someone has stolen my pen. (______________)
- The window was broken last night. (______________)
- We will celebrate his birthday. (______________)
- The cookies were baked by my sister. (______________)
Answers: 1. Active, 2. Passive, 3. Active, 4. Passive, 5. Active, 6. Passive, 7. Active, 8. Passive, 9. Active, 10. Passive
Exercise 2: Change from Active Voice to Passive Voice
Rewrite the following sentences in Passive Voice.
- The farmer grows crops.
- She painted a beautiful picture.
- They will clean the room.
- My mother is baking a cake.
- The students were reading books.
- He has finished the project.
- The team had won the championship.
- We shall have learned this topic.
- The children fly kites.
- The mechanic repaired the bicycle.
Answers: 1. Crops are grown by the farmer. 2. A beautiful picture was painted by her. 3. The room will be cleaned by them. 4. A cake is being baked by my mother. 5. Books were being read by the students. 6. The project has been finished by him. 7. The championship had been won by the team. 8. This topic will have been learned by us. 9. Kites are flown by the children. 10. The bicycle was repaired by the mechanic.
Exercise 3: Fill in the Blanks (Passive Voice)
Complete the sentences using the correct passive form of the verb in brackets.
- The letters _______________ (deliver) every morning. (Simple Present)
- This beautiful song _______________ (sing) by Lata Mangeshkar many years ago. (Simple Past)
- The match _______________ (play) tomorrow. (Simple Future)
- The food _______________ (cook) in the kitchen right now. (Present Continuous)
- The bridge _______________ (build) when the storm came. (Past Continuous)
- All the tickets _______________ already _______________ (sell). (Present Perfect)
- The patient _______________ (take) to the hospital before the doctor arrived. (Past Perfect)
- The new rules _______________ (announce) next week. (Simple Future)
Answers: 1. are delivered 2. was sung 3. will be played 4. is being cooked 5. was being built 6. have already been sold 7. had been taken 8. will be announced
Exercise 4: True or False
Read the statements about Active and Passive voice and state if they are True or False.
- In Active Voice, the subject receives the action. (True/False)
- "The cake was eaten by me" is in Passive Voice. (True/False)
- We use 'by' before the doer in Active Voice. (True/False)
- The verb is always in V3 (Past Participle) form in Passive Voice. (True/False)
- "She helps him" can be changed to "He is helped by she." (True/False)
- Passive voice is used when the doer of the action is unknown. (True/False)
Answers: 1. False, 2. True, 3. False, 4. True, 5. False (He is helped by her.), 6. True
Quizzes on Active and Passive Voice
Test your understanding with these quick quizzes.
Quiz 1: Choose the Correct Passive Form
Select the correct passive form for the given active sentence.
- Active: The cat drinks milk.
(a) Milk is drank by the cat. (b) Milk is drunk by the cat. (c) Milk was drunk by the cat. - Active: He will write a story.
(a) A story will be wrote by him. (b) A story is written by him. (c) A story will be written by him. - Active: They are building a new road.
(a) A new road is built by them. (b) A new road is being built by them. (c) A new road was being built by them. - Active: Someone has broken the vase.
(a) The vase has been broken. (b) The vase was broken. (c) The vase is broken. - Active: The teacher taught the lesson.
(a) The lesson is taught by the teacher. (b) The lesson was taught by the teacher. (c) The lesson will be taught by the teacher.
(Answer Key Quiz 1: 1. (b), 2. (c), 3. (b), 4. (a), 5. (b))
Quiz 2: Identify the Voice
Choose whether the sentence is in Active or Passive Voice.
- The homework was completed by the students.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice - My father drives the car carefully.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice - English is spoken all over the world.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice - The gardener is watering the plants.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice - A prize will be given to the winner.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
(Answer Key Quiz 2: 1. (b), 2. (a), 3. (b), 4. (a), 5. (b))
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1: Why do we use Passive Voice?
We use passive voice when the action is more important than the doer, or when the doer is unknown or not important to mention. For example, "The window was broken" (we might not know who broke it, or it's not important to say who did it). It can also make writing sound more formal or objective, like in science reports.
Q2: Can all sentences be changed into Passive Voice?
No, not all sentences can be changed into passive voice. Generally, only sentences with a transitive verb (a verb that takes an object) can be changed into passive voice. Sentences with intransitive verbs (verbs that do not take an object, like 'sleep', 'laugh', 'go', 'arrive') usually cannot be made passive. For example, "He sleeps soundly" cannot be changed to passive voice because there is no object receiving the action of sleeping.
Q3: What happens to pronouns when we change from Active to Passive Voice?
Pronouns change their form when they move from subject position in active voice to object position (after 'by') in passive voice, and vice-versa. Here are the changes:
- I changes to me (e.g., I write a letter. → A letter is written by me.)
- We changes to us (e.g., We help them. → They are helped by us.)
- You remains you (e.g., You sing a song. → A song is sung by you.)
- He changes to him (e.g., He kicks the ball. → The ball is kicked by him.)
- She changes to her (e.g., She reads a book. → A book is read by her.)
- It remains it (e.g., The cat chased it. → It was chased by the cat.)
- They changes to them (e.g., They play football. → Football is played by them.)
Similarly, if 'me' is the object in an active sentence (e.g. "Someone helped me."), it becomes 'I' as the subject in the passive sentence ("I was helped by someone.").
Q4: Do we always need to use 'by + agent' in passive voice?
No, we do not always need to use 'by + agent' (the doer of the action) in passive voice. It is often omitted if the agent is:
- Unknown: My wallet was stolen. (We don't know by whom.)
- Obvious or Unimportant: The thief was arrested. (Obviously by the police.)
- General (people, someone, they): English is spoken here. (By people in general.)
Worksheet Ideas (For Practice)
Here are some ideas for worksheets to practice Active and Passive Voice:
- Transformation Tables: Create a table with two columns: "Active Voice" and "Passive Voice". Provide sentences in one column and ask students to fill in the other, possibly specifying the tense.
- Story Rewriting: Give a short paragraph written mostly in Active Voice and ask students to rewrite it in Passive Voice, focusing on specific sentences.
- Picture Prompts with Actions: Show pictures of actions (e.g., a boy eating an apple, a girl reading a book, a car being washed). Ask students to write one sentence in Active Voice and one in Passive Voice describing the picture.
- Doer Detective / Action Focus: Provide passive sentences where the doer (by + agent) is missing. Ask students to add a suitable doer OR explain why the doer might be omitted. Example: "The cake was eaten." → "The cake was eaten by the children." OR "The focus is on the cake being eaten, not who ate it."
- Tense Match-up & Conversion: List active sentences in various tenses in one column. In another column, ask students to identify the tense and then convert the sentence to passive voice.
- Newspaper Headlines: Show some newspaper headlines that are often in passive voice (e.g., "Bank Robbed," "New Bridge Opened"). Discuss why passive voice is used and then ask students to write a short active voice sentence that gives the same information if possible.
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