Greetings, Class 7 students! Building on your prior knowledge, this chapter delves deeper into Active Voice and Passive Voice. Mastering voice transformation enhances your ability to construct varied and nuanced sentences, a vital skill for effective communication. We will explore rules for various sentence types, including interrogatives and imperatives.
Lesson Plan on Active and Passive Voice for Class 7
- What is Active Voice?
- What is Passive Voice & Its Uses?
- Fundamental Steps for Voice Transformation
- Transformation Rules for Tenses
- Transforming Special Sentences
- Passive Voice with Prepositions
- Consolidated Recall: Key Principles
- Exercises on Active and Passive Voice for Class 7
- Quizzes on Active and Passive Voice for Class 7
- FAQs on Active and Passive Voice for Class 7
- Worksheet Ideas on Active and Passive Voice for Class 7
Active and Passive Voice for Class 7 | Examples and Exercises
Active Voice
In an Active Voice sentence, the subject is the agent or doer of the action expressed by the verb. The typical structure is: Subject + Verb + Object.
This voice is characterized by its directness and clarity, placing emphasis on the performer of the action.
Examples:
- The research team analyzed the data meticulously.
- The government has implemented new environmental policies.
- Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Active voice is generally preferred for straightforward and vigorous writing.
Passive Voice & Its Uses
In a Passive Voice sentence, the subject is the recipient of the action. The emphasis shifts from the agent to the action itself or to the entity affected by the action.
The structure is: Subject (Recipient) + Form of 'to be' + Past Participle (V3) + (by + Agent)
Examples:
- The data was analyzed meticulously by the research team.
- New environmental policies have been implemented by the government.
- Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
Strategic Uses of Passive Voice:
- When the agent is unknown, irrelevant, or obvious: The historical site was discovered in 1922.
- To emphasize the action or the recipient: The new theorem was proven after years of research.
- In formal, scientific, or objective writing: The samples were then heated to 100°C.
- For tact or to avoid assigning blame: An error was made in the report.
Fundamental Steps for Voice Transformation (Active to Passive)
The conversion from Active to Passive voice follows these core steps:
- The Object of the active sentence becomes the Subject of the passive sentence.
- The main Verb of the active sentence is changed to its Past Participle (V3) form.
- An appropriate form of the auxiliary verb "to be" (is, am, are, was, were, being, been) is inserted before the V3. The tense of this 'be' verb corresponds to the tense of the main verb in the original active sentence and agrees in number with the new subject.
- The Subject of the active sentence can become the agent in the passive sentence, introduced by the preposition "by". This phrase is optional.
- Pronouns must be changed appropriately (e.g., I → by me; they → by them).
Active: The organization (S) launched (V) a new initiative (O).
Passive: A new initiative (New S) was launched (be + V3) by the organization (by + New O).
Passive Voice Transformation Rules for Tenses
The auxiliary 'be' adapts to reflect the original tense of the active sentence.
Simple Present Tense
Active: S + V1(s/es) + O
Passive: O + is/am/are + V3 + by + S
Ex: The company manufactures electronic components. → Electronic components are manufactured by the company.
Simple Past Tense
Active: S + V2 + O
Passive: O + was/were + V3 + by + S
Ex: The historian documented the events. → The events were documented by the historian.
Simple Future Tense
Active: S + will/shall + V1 + O
Passive: O + will/shall + be + V3 + by + S
Ex: The board will finalize the decision. → The decision will be finalized by the board.
Present Continuous Tense
Active: S + is/am/are + V1-ing + O
Passive: O + is/am/are + being + V3 + by + S
Ex: The engineers are developing a new algorithm. → A new algorithm is being developed by the engineers.
Past Continuous Tense
Active: S + was/were + V1-ing + O
Passive: O + was/were + being + V3 + by + S
Ex: The committee was discussing the implications. → The implications were being discussed by the committee.
(Note: Future Continuous Tense is rarely used in passive voice.)
Present Perfect Tense
Active: S + has/have + V3 + O
Passive: O + has/have + been + V3 + by + S
Ex: The scientist has published several influential papers. → Several influential papers have been published by the scientist.
Past Perfect Tense
Active: S + had + V3 + O
Passive: O + had + been + V3 + by + S
Ex: They had completed the preparations before the event. → The preparations had been completed by them before the event.
Future Perfect Tense
Active: S + will/shall + have + V3 + O
Passive: O + will/shall + have + been + V3 + by + S
Ex: The agency will have finalized the report by next week. → The report will have been finalized by the agency by next week.
(Note: Perfect Continuous Tenses are generally not converted into Passive Voice.)
Sentences with Modal Auxiliaries
Active: Subject + Modal (can, could, may, might, should, must, etc.) + V1 + Object
Passive: Object (New Subject) + Modal + be + V3 + by + Agent (Old Subject)
Ex: The team must submit the proposal. → The proposal must be submitted by the team.
Ex: We should address this issue promptly. → This issue should be addressed by us promptly.
Passive Voice of Interrogative Sentences
Interrogative sentences (questions) can also be converted to passive voice. The question form is maintained.
1. Yes/No Questions
The auxiliary verb (Do, Does, Did, or other auxiliaries like Is, Are, Has, Have, Will) at the beginning of the active question is changed according to the new subject and tense in the passive form. The main verb becomes V3.
Structure: Auxiliary 'be' verb / Modal + Subject (old object) + (optional 'being'/'been') + V3 + by + Agent (old subject)?
- Active: Does the engineer inspect the equipment?
Passive: Is the equipment inspected by the engineer? - Active: Did she write this article?
Passive: Was this article written by her? - Active: Have they completed the assignment?
Passive: Has the assignment been completed by them? - Active: Will you help him?
Passive: Will he be helped by you?
2. Wh- Questions (Who, Whom, What, Which, When, Where, Why, How)
The Wh-word usually remains at the beginning. The rest of the sentence follows the interrogative passive structure.
- Who: Changes to 'By whom' in passive (formal) or 'Who' remains and 'by' is placed at the end (informal).
- Active: Who wrote this novel?
Passive (Formal): By whom was this novel written?
Passive (Informal): Who was this novel written by?
- Active: Who wrote this novel?
- Whom: Changes to 'Who' in passive (as it becomes the subject).
- Active: Whom did you invite?
Passive: Who was invited by you?
- Active: Whom did you invite?
- What, Which, When, Where, Why, How: These Wh-words remain unchanged at the beginning.
- Active: What did they discuss?
Passive: What was discussed by them? - Active: Why has he done this?
Passive: Why has this been done by him? - Active: When will they announce the results?
Passive: When will the results be announced by them?
- Active: What did they discuss?
Passive Voice of Imperative Sentences
Imperative sentences express commands, requests, advice, or suggestions. Their passive forms often start with "Let" or use "You are requested/ordered/advised to...".
- Sentences with an Object (Commands/Requests):
Structure: Let + Object (New Subject) + be + V3
- Active: Open the document.
Passive: Let the document be opened. - Active: Complete this assignment.
Passive: Let this assignment be completed.
Alternatively, for requests or polite commands:
Structure: You are requested/ordered/advised to + V1 + Object
- Active: Please submit your report.
Passive: You are requested to submit your report. - Active: Follow the instructions carefully.
Passive: You are advised to follow the instructions carefully.
- Active: Open the document.
- Sentences without an Object (Often advice/suggestions, or intransitive verbs):
These are less commonly changed to passive, but can be rephrased using "You are advised/suggested to..." or by implying a general subject.
- Active: Work diligently.
Passive: You are advised to work diligently. - Active: Think before you speak.
Passive: It is suggested that one should think before speaking. / You are advised to think before you speak.
- Active: Work diligently.
- Negative Imperatives:
- Active: Do not waste resources.
Passive: Let resources not be wasted. / You are advised not to waste resources.
- Active: Do not waste resources.
Passive Voice of Sentences with Two Objects
Some transitive verbs take two objects: a Direct Object (DO) and an Indirect Object (IO). Examples: give, ask, offer, promise, tell, send, show, teach.
When such sentences are changed to passive voice, either object can become the subject of the passive sentence, resulting in two possible passive forms.
Active: Subject + Verb + Indirect Object (IO) + Direct Object (DO)
Example Active Sentence: The manager (S) offered (V) her (IO) a new project (DO).
- Making the Indirect Object the Subject: (This is often more common and natural.)
Passive Structure: IO (New Subject) + be + V3 + DO + by + Agent
- Passive 1: She was offered a new project by the manager.
- Making the Direct Object the Subject:
Passive Structure: DO (New Subject) + be + V3 + to/for + IO + by + Agent
(The preposition 'to' or 'for' is often needed before the indirect object when it follows the verb in this passive form.)- Passive 2: A new project was offered to her by the manager.
More Examples:
- Active: My friend gave me (IO) a valuable gift (DO).
- Passive 1: I was given a valuable gift by my friend.
- Passive 2: A valuable gift was given to me by my friend.
- Active: The teacher told the students (IO) an interesting story (DO).
- Passive 1: The students were told an interesting story by the teacher.
- Passive 2: An interesting story was told to the students by the teacher.
Both passive forms are grammatically correct, but one might sound more natural depending on the context and what needs to be emphasized.
Passive Voice with Prepositions (Brief Note)
Sometimes, the agent in a passive sentence is introduced by prepositions other than 'by', especially with certain verbs that express feelings or states. These are often fixed expressions.
Examples:
- Active: His performance surprised everyone.
Passive: Everyone was surprised at/by his performance. - Active: Smoke filled the room.
Passive: The room was filled with smoke. - Active: I know him well.
Passive: He is well known to me. - Active: This container holds water.
Passive: Water is contained in this container. - Active: Her dedication pleased her superiors.
Passive: Her superiors were pleased with/by her dedication.
The choice of preposition often depends on the specific verb and its idiomatic usage.
Consolidated Recall: Key Principles
- Active Voice: Subject (agent) performs the action. (S + V + O)
- Passive Voice: Subject (recipient) receives the action. (O + be + V3 + by S)
- Core Transformation: Object becomes subject; main verb becomes V3; appropriate 'be' verb is added.
- Tense Consistency: The tense of 'be' in passive matches the tense of the main verb in active.
- Continuous tenses add 'being' (is/are/was/were being + V3).
- Perfect tenses add 'been' (has/have/had been + V3; will have been + V3).
- Modals add 'be' (modal + be + V3).
- Interrogatives: Maintain question structure; auxiliary verb starts the sentence (or follows Wh-word). 'Who' → 'By whom'.
- Imperatives: Often use 'Let + object + be + V3' or 'You are requested/ordered/advised to + V1'.
- Two Objects: Either object can become the passive subject. If DO becomes subject, IO often takes 'to' or 'for'.
- Agent ('by' phrase): Optional, especially if unknown, obvious, or unimportant.
- Pronoun Changes: Subject pronouns become object pronouns in the agent phrase.
Advanced Practice Worksheets on Active and Passive Voice
Exercise 1: Voice Identification and Agent/Recipient
This exercise builds your foundational skills in recognizing the structure of active and passive sentences. Your task is to identify the voice of each sentence and then pinpoint the "doer" (agent) and "receiver" (recipient) of the action. Mastering this is the first step toward understanding how to control focus in your own writing.
For each sentence, identify the voice (Active/Passive). If active, identify the agent and recipient (if any). If passive, identify the recipient (subject) and the agent (if mentioned).
- The committee has already reviewed all submitted proposals.
- Groundbreaking research is being conducted by leading universities worldwide.
- Will the new regulations significantly impact small businesses?
- This complex algorithm was developed over several years.
- The students were offered scholarships by the foundation.
- Someone has left the main gate open.
- The championship will be won by the most deserving team.
- The chef is preparing a special meal for the guests.
- Mistakes were made during the initial phase of the project.
- Why did the authorities cancel the event at the last minute?
- A new policy on recycling has been announced.
- The gardener waters the plants every morning.
- He was given a final warning by the manager.
- The rescue team had located the survivors before sunset.
- Valuable paintings were stolen from the museum last night.
Exercise 2: Comprehensive Voice Transformation
This exercise challenges you to apply the rules of voice conversion by rewriting sentences. You will practice changing sentences from active to passive and vice versa, ensuring that you maintain the original tense and meaning. This skill is key to developing a flexible and sophisticated writing style.
Convert the following sentences from Active to Passive, or Passive to Active. Ensure tense and meaning are preserved.
- The chief engineer is meticulously inspecting the structural integrity of the bridge. (To Passive)
- By whom was this intricate tapestry woven? (To Active)
- The corporation must disclose all financial irregularities. (To Passive)
- Let the preliminary findings be presented to the board immediately. (To Active)
- The ancient artifact had been carefully preserved by the museum curators. (To Active)
- Did the investigative journalist uncover new evidence? (To Passive)
- The community offered the volunteers considerable support. (To Passive - provide both forms if applicable)
- They will have completed the construction by next year. (To Passive)
- Was the package delivered on time by the courier service? (To Active)
- The teacher is going to explain the concept tomorrow. (To Passive)
- Someone should look into this matter. (To Passive)
- He was seen climbing over the fence. (To Active)
- The government is launching a new welfare scheme. (To Passive)
- Who taught you how to play the guitar? (To Passive)
- The loud noise frightened the children. (To Passive)
Exercise 3: Fill in the Blanks with Correct Passive Verb Forms
This exercise hones your precision in forming the passive voice across different tenses. Your task is to fill in the blanks with the correct passive form of the given verb, paying close attention to the context. This practice will solidify your ability to construct grammatically correct passive sentences with confidence.
Complete the sentences using the correct passive form of the verb in brackets, paying attention to tense and context.
- The final decision on the matter _______________ (will make) after further deliberation.
- Currently, several alternative energy sources _______________ (explore) by researchers.
- Before the new system was implemented, extensive training _______________ (provide) to all employees.
- This particular issue _______________ (should address) with utmost urgency.
- If the hypothesis _______________ (confirm) by subsequent experiments, it will revolutionize the field.
- The results of the competition _______________ (not announce) yet.
- Last night, a strange noise _______________ (hear) coming from the abandoned house.
- The stadium _______________ (build) for the last two years and is nearly complete.
- The windows _______________ (must keep) closed during the storm.
- All the cakes _______________ (eat) by the time we arrived at the party.
- A new bridge _______________ (construct) across the river next month.
- English _______________ (speak) all over the world.
- The patient _______________ (take) to the hospital in an ambulance.
- This book _______________ (write) by a famous author in the 19th century.
- Permission _______________ (grant) for the event to take place.
Comprehensive Quizzes
Quiz 1: Complex Transformations and Identifications
This quiz tests your ability to accurately convert a variety of sentence types, including questions and imperatives. You will select the most grammatically correct transformed sentence from multiple-choice options. Success here demonstrates a strong command of the technical rules of voice conversion.
- Active: "Who is organizing this international conference?"
(a) By whom is this international conference being organized? (b) Who is this international conference organized by? (c) Both a and b are correct. (d) This international conference is being organized. - Passive: "The critical data might have been overlooked by the analysts."
Active: (a) The analysts might overlook the critical data. (b) The analysts might have overlooked the critical data. (c) The analysts had overlooked the critical data. - Imperative Active: "Inform all stakeholders about the revised timeline."
Passive: (a) Let all stakeholders be informed about the revised timeline. (b) All stakeholders should be informed about the revised timeline. (c) Both a and b can be considered correct passive constructions. - Active: "They are painting the house."
Passive: (a) The house is painted by them. (b) The house is being painted by them. (c) The house has been painted by them. (d) The house was being painted by them. - Passive: "A novel has been written by her."
Active: (a) She has written a novel. (b) She wrote a novel. (c) She writes a novel. (d) She had written a novel. - Active: "The doctor advised him to take rest."
Passive: (a) He was advised by the doctor to take rest. (b) He is advised to take rest by the doctor. (c) He was being advised to take rest. (d) He had been advised by the doctor to take rest. - Active: "Please shut the door."
Passive: (a) Let the door be shut. (b) You are requested to shut the door. (c) The door should be shut. (d) You are ordered to shut the door. - Passive: "Why was such a letter written by your brother?"
Active: (a) Why your brother wrote such a letter? (b) Why did your brother write such a letter? (c) Why had your brother written such a letter? (d) Why does your brother write such a letter? - Active: "I know him."
Passive: (a) He is known by me. (b) He was known to me. (c) He is known to me. (d) He has been known by me. - Passive: "The poor should be helped."
Active: (a) We should help the poor. (b) Someone should help the poor. (c) You should help the poor. (d) All of the above are possible. - Active: "The fire damaged the building."
Passive: (a) The building is damaged by the fire. (b) The building has been damaged by the fire. (c) The building was damaged by the fire. (d) The building had been damaged by the fire. - Active: "Someone has stolen my purse."
Passive: (a) My purse was stolen. (b) My purse has been stolen. (c) My purse had been stolen by someone. (d) My purse is stolen. - Passive: "He was made captain by the team."
Active: (a) The team made him captain. (b) The team has made him captain. (c) The team makes him captain. (d) The team had made him captain. - Active: "Do not insult the weak."
Passive: (a) You are warned not to insult the weak. (b) Let the weak not be insulted. (c) The weak should not be insulted. (d) Both b and c are correct. - Active: "They will have caught the thief."
Passive: (a) The thief will be caught by them. (b) The thief would have been caught by them. (c) The thief will have been caught by them. (d) The thief is to be caught by them.
Quiz 2: Choosing the Appropriate Voice and Justification
This quiz focuses on your strategic understanding of why one voice is chosen over another. You will analyze different writing scenarios and decide whether the active or passive voice is more effective, justifying your choice. This quiz ensures you not only know how to change the voice, but also when and why to do so for maximum impact.
For each scenario, choose whether Active or Passive voice is more appropriate and briefly state why.
- Scenario: A scientific report describing the methodology of an experiment.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: A news headline about a company launching a new product, where the company is well-known.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: A notice stating that a meeting has been postponed, without needing to specify who postponed it.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: Telling a story where you want to create a sense of directness and action.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: Writing a historical account where the focus is on the events, not necessarily the people who caused them.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: A police report where the culprit has not yet been identified. (e.g., "The bank...")
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: Giving a direct order to a person.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: A user manual explaining how a feature works.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: Emphasizing the object or recipient of an action. (e.g., "The Mona Lisa...")
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: A formal invitation where the host is less important than the event itself.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: A political speech where the speaker wants to take clear responsibility for an action.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: A newspaper article about a natural disaster's impact.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: Writing an advertisement that highlights what a product does.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: A complaint letter where you want to avoid directly accusing a specific person.
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________ - Scenario: A rulebook stating a general prohibition. (e.g., "Running in the hallways...")
(a) Active Voice (b) Passive Voice
Why? _________________________
Frequently Asked Questions (Advanced)
Q1: Can a sentence in passive voice have an indirect object as its subject?
Yes. When an active sentence has both a direct object (DO) and an indirect object (IO), either can become the subject of the passive sentence. If the IO becomes the subject, the DO remains in the sentence. Example: Active: "The university awarded her (IO) a scholarship (DO)." Passive (IO as subject): "She was awarded a scholarship by the university."
Q2: Are there any tenses that cannot be converted to passive voice?
While theoretically possible for most, the passive forms of Perfect Continuous tenses (Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Perfect Continuous) and the Future Continuous tense are very rarely used because they result in awkward and cumbersome constructions (e.g., "The project will have been being completed..."). Therefore, they are generally avoided in practical usage.
Q3: How is the passive voice formed for interrogative sentences starting with 'Whom'?
When an active interrogative sentence starts with 'Whom' (which is an object pronoun), 'Whom' changes to 'Who' (subject pronoun) in the passive voice because it becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
Active: Whom did the committee select?
Passive: Who was selected by the committee?
Q4: What is the 'impersonal passive' and when is it used?
The impersonal passive is often formed with "It is said that...", "It is believed that...", "It is reported that...", etc. It's used to report opinions, beliefs, or general knowledge without specifying the source, making the statement sound more objective or general.
Example: It is believed that early intervention is crucial. (Instead of "People believe that...")
Another form involves using a subject + passive verb + to-infinitive: He is said to be an expert.
Challenging Worksheet Ideas
Further enhance your command over Active and Passive Voice with these activities:
- Transforming Complex Sentences: Provide sentences with multiple clauses, non-finite verbs, and varied tenses for conversion between active and passive voice.
- Contextual Voice Choice: Present short passages or scenarios (e.g., a formal report summary, a dramatic narrative scene, a set of instructions). Students rewrite them, choosing the most effective voice for different parts and justifying their choices.
- Analyzing Literary Excerpts: Select passages from literature and have students identify instances of active and passive voice, discussing the author's purpose and the effect created by the choice of voice.
- Passive Voice with Different Prepositions: Create exercises focusing on passive constructions that use prepositions other than 'by' (e.g., known to, filled with, surprised at, interested in).
- Debate/Discussion Point Formulation: Students formulate arguments for a debate, practicing the use of active voice for strong assertions and passive voice for objective statements or when the agent is less relevant.
- Error Analysis in Advanced Texts: Provide texts containing subtle errors in passive voice construction (e.g., incorrect auxiliary, wrong participle form in complex tenses, awkward phrasing) for identification and correction.
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