who is not doing homework today passive voice

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Changing Passive to Active Voice

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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.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, active vs passive voice: understanding the difference.

General Education

Though fun, writing can also get pretty darn confusing, especially when you’re trying to figure out whether to use the active or passive voice. What is the difference between active and passive voice? When and how should you use them?

In this complete active voice vs passive voice guide, we'll go over how each voice works in English grammar, when to use the two voices, and how to change a sentence from passive to active (and vice versa). We’ll also give you an active vs passive voice quiz to test your skills. Let's get started!

What Is Active Voice?

The active voice is when the subject of a sentence performs an action on an object. In other words, the subject does the action, and the object receives the action .

The active voice is easy to identify in writing because it follows a simple form, which is the basis of English grammar:

Subject ( doer ) → Verb → Object ( recipient )

Here’s an example of a sentence using the active voice:

The dog ate my homework.

In this example, "the dog" is the subject, "ate" is the verb, and "my homework" is the object. Here’s a diagram to better show this connection:

Here, "the dog" is doing (or, in this case, has already done) the action: it is the one that "ate." Meanwhile, "homework" is the object that is receiving this action of eating.

Here’s another example of the active voice at play:

She is writing an essay.

In this example, "she" is the subject, "is writing" is the verb (in the present progressive tense), and "an essay" is the object.

Once again, the subject ("she") is the one performing the action: "she" is "writing." And what is she writing? An "essay," i.e., the noun that’s receiving the action.

Finally, here's an example of the active voice being used without an object:

In this sentence, we have a subject ("he") and a verb ("sings") but no object. Regardless, because the subject is performing the act of singing, we can identify this as the active voice .

What Is Passive Voice?

The passive voice is basically the opposite of the active voice: it’s when the subject is acted upon by the object. In other words, the subject receives the action, and the object does the action .

The passive voice is a little trickier to identify, as it uses more words than the active voice. The basic structure is as follows:

Subject ( recipient ) → Verb ( past participle of "to be" form ) → Object ( doer )

Note that the object here is always preceded by the word "by."

Additionally, the verb takes its "to be" form (meaning it’s preceded by "is/are" for the present tense and "was/were" for the past tense) and is put in the past participle (e.g., "eaten" for the verb "eat" or "given" for the verb "give").

Here’s an example of a sentence using the passive voice:

The ice cream was bought by the little girl.

In this example, "the ice cream" is the subject, "bought" is the verb, and "the little girl" is the object. Here’s a diagram to help you understand this grammar pattern better:

As you can see, "the ice cream" (as the subject) is the one receiving the action, while "the little girl" (as the object) is the one performing the action.

Here's another passive voice example:

Our tests were graded by the teacher.

Here, the subject is "our tests," the verb is "were graded," and the object is "the teacher." Again, the subject ("our tests") is receiving the action from the object ("the teacher") , which is, in turn, performing it (i.e., the one who is grading).

Sometimes you’ll see the passive voice being used without an object (i.e., without identifying the doer of the action—only the recipient). Here’s an example:

The tea was poured.

In this sentence, "the tea" is the subject and "was poured" is the verb; however, there’s no object performing the action of pouring . Simply put, we don’t know who poured the tea! Nevertheless, we can identify this sentence as passive based on its setup: a subject followed by a verb in its past participle "to be" form.

If we wanted to insert an object here, we'd simply add the word "by" followed by a noun:

The tea was poured by my grandmother.

Now, we have an object, or doer, of this act of pouring tea: "my grandmother."

Active vs Passive Voice: When Do You Use Them?

The active and passive voice express the same ideas, just in different ways. In terms of when we actually use them, though, what is the difference between active and passive voice?

In general, you should always aim to use the active voice whenever you write. This is because the active voice is clearer and more direct, while the passive voice is wordier and more confusing.

That being said, this doesn’t mean that the passive voice is inherently wrong. There are many cases in which you might opt for the passive voice over the active voice.

Here are some scenarios in which you might want (or need) to use the passive voice:

• When you want to emphasize the recipient of the action
• When you want to emphasize the action itself
• When you don’t know who or what is performing the action
• When the doer of the action is irrelevant or unimportant

For example, say you’re writing an essay about the Declaration of Independence and you come up with the following sentence:

Most people believe that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, but this is not actually the case.

Let’s parse this out a bit. 

While part of the sentence is clearly in the active voice (the "most people believe" section), the crux of it ("the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4") is in the passive voice. Doing this lets you keep the emphasis on the document, i.e., the topic of your essay .

In addition, there were many people who signed the Declaration of Independence, but listing them all here would only make the sentence longer and more convoluted; this is why the passive voice is a better fit.

Changing From Passive to Active Voice (and Vice Versa)

There are many times you might want to change a sentence from passive to active, or even from active to passive. To do this, you’ll need to understand exactly how the two types of voices work.

First, recall that the primary difference between active and passive voice lies in the roles of the subject and object : whereas in active voice the subject is the doer and the object is the recipient of the action, in passive voice the subject is the recipient of the action and the object is the doer.

Here’s an example of a sentence in the active voice vs passive voice:

Active: She created a travel blog. Passive: A travel blog was created by her.

Below is another way of looking at the difference between active and passive voice:

As you can see here, in the active voice, "she" is the subject and doer, whereas "a travel blog" is the object and recipient of the verb "created."

But in the passive voice, these designations swap : as the original subject, "she" becomes the object (but is still the doer of the action), whereas "a travel blog," which was originally the object, becomes the subject (but is still the recipient of the action).

In addition, the verb, which began in the simple past, has been converted into its past participle "to be" form .

To sum up, to convert from active to passive voice, here’s what you must do:

• Switch the positions of the subject and object so the original object is now the subject and the original subject is now the object
• Add the word "by" before the new object
• Convert the verb into its "to be" past participle form  based on the original tense used
• Switch the positions of the subject and object so the original subject is now the object and the original object is now the subject
• Delete the word "by" used before the original object (now subject)
• Convert the "to be" past participle form of the verb into the appropriate tense as indicated by the verb and overall sentence

The verb is arguably the trickiest part of converting from passive to active. You want to make sure you’re keeping the same tense as indicated by the original verb and sentence.

As an example, here's how you'd change various tenses of the word "do" from passive to active:

• is done → do/does
• is/are being done → is/are doing
• was/were done → did
• was/were being done → was/were doing
• will be done → will do

Finally, know that you cannot convert from active to passive or passive to active if you do not have an object . You can see why this doesn’t work in these active vs passive voice examples:

Active (Without Object): I drank. Passive: ??? was drunk by me.

Without an object, we have no idea what "I" actually "drank."

Passive (Without Object): The project will be completed by tomorrow. Active: ??? will complete the project by tomorrow.

Without an object, we cannot explain who "will complete the project."

Active vs Passive Voice Quiz

It’s time to test out what you learned in an active vs passive voice quiz. 

Before you start, make sure you know what the three types of questions expect you to do:

• Questions 1-3: Identify whether the sentence is active or passive
• Questions 4-5: Fill in the blanks to create a grammatically correct sentence
• Questions 6-8: Convert the sentence from active to passive, or vice versa

Answers and explanations will be provided at the end of the quiz. Good luck!

#1: Active or Passive?

This novel was not written by Charlotte Brontë but rather her sister Emily.

#2: Active or Passive?

The mail arrived on time yesterday.

#3: Active or Passive?

A study on the gender wage gap was conducted in 2018.

#4: Fill in the Blank

This gift was given to me _____ my sister.

#5: Fill in the Blank

The toy will soon be _____ by him. (past participle of "fix")

#6: Convert to Passive

Jessica is teaching me how to speak Italian.

#7: Convert to Active

He was advised by his dentist to floss more.

#8: Convert to Active

The valuable painting is finally going to be sold this year.

Active vs Passive Voice Quiz: Answers + Explanations

In this sample sentence, the subject is "the novel," the action is "was not written," and the object is "Charlotte Brontë" — we can leave out that last part since it’s not really important to understanding the voice here.

Because the object ("Charlotte Brontë") is the doer of the action — that is, she’s the one who did not write "the novel" —you should be able to tell right away that  this sentence is in the passive voice . (You might also be able to tell it’s passive due to the use of the word "by" before the object.)

Here, "the mail" is the subject and "arrived" is the verb — there is no object. Because "the mail" is the one doing the action of "arriving," this sentence uses the active voice .

In this example, "a study" is the subject and "was conducted" is the verb; there’s no object. Since "a study" is receiving the action instead of performing it, this sentence is in the passive voice .

(Just in case you’re wondering, the reason we don’t see "by" is that the object, or doer, of the action is either unknown or irrelevant.)

Right away you should recognize this as the passive voice. "This gift" is the subject, "was given" is the verb, and "my sister" is the object who is performing the action of giving.

As you know, the word "by" must come before the object in a passive sentence , so this is the missing word. The sentence should therefore read, "This gift was given to me by my sister."

Again, you should recognize this example as a passive sentence since it calls for the past participle of the verb and has the word "by" before the object. The past participle of the verb "fix" is the same as its simple past: "fixed" ; t herefore, the sentence should read, "The toy will soon be fixed by him."

To convert this sentence from active to passive, you must switch the positions of the subject and object and then convert the verb (in present progressive) to its past participle "to be" form. Don't forget that "me" must transform into its subject form ("I") when going from an object to a subject. ("Jessica" is a name and proper noun and therefore does not change form.)

Finally, place the word "by" before the new object ("Jessica"). This should give you the following passive sentence: "I am being taught how to speak Italian by Jessica."

To convert this example from passive to active, you’ll need to switch the subject and object, change the verb form from "to be" past participle to simple past, and eliminate the "by." Note that "he" will turn into "him" when converted from a subject into an object.

Doing all this correctly should give you this: "His dentist advised him to floss more."

If you didn’t know it already, this question is actually a trick! But how? Because there is no object in this passive sentence, there’s no way to convert it into the active voice. In other words, we have no idea who is going to sell the painting.

If we tried to convert it, we’d get this nonsensical statement: "??? is finally going to sell the valuable painting this year." As such, we cannot create a sentence in the active voice without a subject .

What’s Next?

Now that you understand active voice vs passive voice examples, want to brush up on your English grammar? Then check out our detailed guides on semicolons , verbs , prepositions , proper nouns , and parts of speech .

To ace the SAT/ACT, you'll need to have an excellent grasp of the English language.  Learn the most important SAT grammar rules and ACT grammar rules so you can earn an amazing score.

Need help with using and identifying literary devices? Our expert guide explains more than 30 key literary devices and how they work to help you become a pro at reading and writing.

Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

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Passive Voice Usage and Examples for ESL/EFL

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The passive voice in English is used to express what is done to someone or something. Here are a few examples:

The company was sold for $5 million. That novel was written by Jack Smith in 1912. My house was built in 1988.

In each of these sentences, the subject of the sentences does nothing. Rather, something is done to the subject of the sentence. In each case, the focus is on the object of an action. These sentences could also be written in the active voice.

The owners sold the company for $5 million. Jack Smith wrote the novel in 1912. A construction company built my house in 1988.

Choosing Passive Voice

The passive voice is used to place focus on the object rather than the subject. In other words, who does something is less important than what was done to something (focusing on the person or thing affected by an action). Generally speaking, the passive voice is used less frequently than the active voice.

That said, the passive voice is useful to switch the focus from  who  is doing something to  what  is being done, which makes it especially useful in business settings when the focus is placed on a product. By using the passive, the product becomes the focus of the sentence. As you can see from these examples, this makes a stronger statement than using the active voice.

Computer chips are manufactured in our plant in Hillsboro. Your car will be polished with the finest wax. Our pasta is made using only the finest ingredients. 

Here are some other example sentences that a business might change to the passive form in order to change focus:

We have produced over 20 different models in the past two years.  (active voice) Over 20 different models have been produced in the past two years.  (passive voice) My colleagues and I develop software for financial institutions.  ​(active voice) Our software is developed for financial institutions.  (passive voice)

Study the passive voice below and then practice your writing skills by changing passive sentences to active sentences , or vice versa.

Passive Voice Sentence Structure

Passive subject + to be + past participle

Note that the verb "be" is conjugated followed by the participle form of the main verb. 

The house was built in 1989. My friend is being interviewed today. The project has been completed recently. 

The passive voice follows the same usage rules as all the  tenses in English . However, some tenses tend not to be used in the passive voice. Generally speaking, perfect continuous tenses are not used in the passive voice.

Using the Agent 

The person or people taking an action are referred to as the agent. If the agent (the person or people performing an action) is not important for understanding, the agent can be left out. Here are some examples:

The dogs have already been fed. (It's not important who fed the dogs) The children will be taught basic math. (It's clear that a teacher will teach the children) The report will have been finished by the end of next week. (It's not important who completes the report)

In some cases, it's important to know the agent. In this case, use the preposition "by" to express the agent following the passive structure. This structure is especially common when speaking about artistic works such as paintings, books, or music.

"The Flight to Brunnswick" was written in 1987 by Tim Wilson. This model was developed by Stan Ishly for our production team. 

Passive Used With Transitive Verbs

Transitive verbs are verbs that can take an object. Here are some examples:

We assembled the car in less than two hours. I wrote the report last week. 

Intransitive verbs do not take an object:

She arrived early. The accident happened last week. 

Only verbs that take an object can be used in the passive voice. In other words, the passive voice is used only with transitive verbs. 

We assembled the car in less than two hours.  (active voice) The car was assembled in less than two hours.  (passive voice) I wrote the report last week.  (active voice) The report was written last week.  (passive voice)

Passive Voice Structure Examples

Here are examples of some of the most common tenses used in the passive voice:

Passive Voice Quiz 

Test your knowledge by Conjugating the verbs in parentheses in the passive voice. Pay close attention to the time expressions for clues on tense usage:

• Our house ______________ (paint) brown and black last week.
• The project ______________ (complete) next week by our outstanding marketing department. 
• The plans for the new contract __________________ (draw up) right now. 
• More than 30,000 new computers _________________ (manufacture) every day at our plant in China. 
• The children ________________ (teach) by Ms Anderson since last year.
• The piece ________________ (write) by Mozart when he was only six years old.
• My hair ______________ (cut) by Julie every month.
• The portrait _______________ (paint) by a famous painter, but I'm not sure when. 
• The cruise ship ______________ (christen) by Queen Elizabeth in 1987.
• My paper ______________ (deliver) every morning by a teenager on his bike.
• was painted
• will be completed/is going to be completed 
• are being drawn up
• are manufactured
• have been taught
• was written
• will be painted 
• was christened
• is delivered 
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• B1-B2 grammar

Do you know how to use the passive voice to change the focus of a sentence? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how the passive voice is used.

A lot of olive oil is produced in Italy. This book was written by Angela Davis. The suspect will be released tomorrow. This product has not been tested on animals.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Passives: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

We use the passive voice to change the focus of the sentence.

My bike was stolen. (passive – focus on my bike ) Someone stole my bike. (active – focus on someone )

We often use the passive:

• when we prefer not to mention who or what does the action (for example, it's not known, it's obvious or we don't want to say)
• so that we can start a sentence with the most important or most logical information
• in more formal or scientific writing.

How we make the passive

We make the passive using the verb be + past participle. We start the sentence with the object.

It is not always necessary to add who or what did the action.

Only the form of be changes to make the tense. The past participle stays the same. Here are examples of the passive in its most common tenses.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Passives: 2

Language level

Firstly, it is my understanding that when we use the past participle in this way, it is no longer the past participle but the 'passive verb'. The past participle always follows a form of the verb 'to have', but the passive verb always follows a form of the verb 'to be'.

Secondly, question 7 (on the second grammar test) is not an example of the passive voice.

"Someone saw my talk at the conference and recommended me as a speaker."

This sentence uses the the verb 'to do' in it's past form (did). It's hidden in the conjugation. If we un-conjugate the verbs in the sentence, it reads:

"Someone did see my talk at the conference and did recommend me as a speaker."

Therefore, this sentence is in past simple tense. In order for it to be in the passive voice, it needs to use a form of the verb 'to be' and a 'passive verb'.

• Log in or register to post comments

Hello Kieronimo,

That's an interesting point about the term 'past participle'. Since the resources on our website are for learners, we've used the most common terminology.

Thanks also for your observation about question 7. We included a non-passive form as a kind of challenge, but can see how this could be confusing. We'll consider changing this.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hi, i have a question about a sentence that i came across. "8 year old me was convinced that she was Indian". is the word "convinced"here used in the passive form or is it an adjective. how can i distinguish this easily. with sentences like the door was painted or the cookies were made by him, the passives here looks very obvious to me but in the sentence above i had a little confusion. i hope you can help me out

Hi nino23,

The passive will normally have an agent phrase (e.g. I wasn't sure whether to apply for the promotion but I was convinced by my colleagues to go for it ). Since there is no strong idea of any agent causing the convincing in your example, it's probably an adjective. 

LearnEnglish team

A quick question, there was an example given at my daughter's English lesson : This seems to be a successful makeover. Susan/remodel/her cheekbones. With the correct sentence given as: Susan has had her cheekbones remodeled. Why "has had" is to be used? Is that because of the Present Simple used in the first sentence.. "seems"?

Hi PiotrM,

This structure is called the causative "have". To "have (something) (done)" means to receive that action from somebody else, normally as a professional service. For example:

• Yesterday I had my hair cut .
• The trousers were too long so I took them to the tailor and had the legs shortened .
• The car was making a strange noise so I took it to the garage and had it checked .

As you can see, the structure shows an action. Turning to your example sentence, the action of remodelling must logically have happened before the present moment, so the present perfect "has had ..." is used. A past simple form ( Susan had her cheekbones remodelled ) is also possible, but the present perfect is preferable because the remodelling is clearly relevant to the present topic of conversation.

Incorrect answers would include  Susan (has) remodelled her cheekbones , since Susan received rather than performed this action. Instead, the causative "have" is needed.

I hope that helps to understand it.

Hello, Sir! 1. We seem to miss one book. (Active Infinitive) 2. One book seems to be missed. (Passive infinitive) 3. We seem to be one missed. (one = one book) Is the sentence 3 passive? Are the sentences 1 and 3 the same? Thank you in advance for your time.

Hello Sokhomkim,

I'm afraid that none of these sentences are correct. Could you explain in other words what you mean to say with them? For example, if we normally have 10 books but now there are only 9, we could say 'One book is missing' or 'One book seems to be missing' (similar to sentence 2). It's also possible to say 'We seem to be missing one book' (sentence 1). But I don't understand sentence 3.

In the sentences I wrote, ' missing ' is an adjective.

Thank you very much, Sir. Your example is what I mean. - We seem to be missing one book. ( "to be missing" is continuous infinitive with the object "one book, isn't it?) I wanted to know if I can use "the simple infinitive (to miss one book) or it has to be "continuous infinitive (to be missing one book). And can I change your sentence using the passive infinitive?) - One book seem to be being missed (by us). Thank you so much for your time.

I think the root of the confusion here is two different meanings of the word 'missing'.

1) The first meaning refers to something that we can't find; in this case, 'missing' is an adjective. So if this sentence means that we can't find one book, then 'to be missing' is not a continuous infinitive. Instead, it is the simple infinitive 'to be' and the adjective 'missing'.

2) The second meaning refers to a person or thing that is not with us and whose absence makes us sad; in this case, it is a form of the verb 'to miss'. Note that normally we use the verb 'miss' in this way to speak of people or situations or animals -- things we have an emotional connection to. It is possible to have this feeling about a book, but more unusual.

So if 'missing' refers to an emotional state in which we find our life incomplete because the book is gone (as if the book were a person you are close to), then 'to be missing' could indeed be a continuous infinitive. That is not how I understood the sentence, but it is a possible meaning.

Hope this helps.

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Passive Voice: Important Rules and Useful Examples

Posted on Last updated: December 21, 2023

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Understanding how to construct sentences in the passive voice is an essential skill that can enhance the variety and sophistication of your communication. Throughout this lesson, we will delve into the key rules that govern the formation of passive constructions and explore their appropriate usage in various contexts.

Table of Contents

Understanding Passive Voice

Definition of Passive Voice

Passive voice  occurs when the subject of the sentence is acted upon by the verb. The focus is not on who is performing the action, but rather on the action itself or the recipient of that action. Sentences in passive voice typically follow this structure: the object + be + past participle + by + the subject. For example, “ The cake was eaten by us ,” puts emphasis on the cake and the action of it being eaten.

Active vs. Passive Voice

Active Voice

The active voice illustrates a sentence where the subject performs the action that stated by the verb.

Form: SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT.

• I do my home work.
• My mom cooks the dinner.
• Our teacher gives us a lot of homework.
• She receives a letter from her father.

Passive Voice

In contrast, passive voice is describe a sentence in which the subject receives an action.

Form: SUBJECT + VERB + “TO BE” + PAST PARTICIPLE.

• My homework is done (by me).
• The dinner is cooked (by my mom).
• We are given a lot of homework (by our teacher).
• A letter from her father is received (by her).

Note: “By+…” can be taken out in passive voice.

When to Use Passive Voice?

 1. In formal texts

• Active: They invite him to the party.
• Passive: He is invited to the party. (sounds more formal)

2. To show interest in the person or object that receive an action rather than the person or object that performs the action.

• The party was held in a luxury hotel. (we’re interest in the party rather than who held it.)
• All tickets were sold out! (we’re interest in the ticket rather than who sold it.)

3. When we don’t know (or do not want to express) who performed the action.

• My purse was stolen!
• A whole pot of jam was eaten!

Passive Voice For All Tenses

Passive voice for all tenses in English.

• V1 : Base Form of Verb
• V2 : Past Simple
• V3 : Past Participle

Present Simple Tense

Learn passive voice for present simple tense in English.

• Active : S + V1 + O.
• Passive : S + is/am/are +V3.
• Active : He receives a letter.
• Passive : A letter is received by him.

Present Continuous Tense

• Active : S + am/are/is +V-ing + O.
• Passive : S + am/are/is +being + V3.
• Active : She is cooking the dinner.
• Passive : The dinner is being cooked by her.

Past Simple Tense

• Active : S + V2+O.
• Passive : S+was/were+V3.
• Active : I did my homework last night.
• Passive : Homework was done by me last night.

Past Continuous Tense

• Active : S + was/were + V-ing + O.
• Passive : S+was/were + being +V3.
• Active : He was playing the volleyball yesterday afternoon.
• Passive : The volleyball was being played by him yesterday afternoon.

Present Perfect Tense

• Active : S + have/has + V3 + O.
• Passive : S+have/has been +V3.
• Active : I have studied English for 10 years.
• Passive : English has been studied for 10 year.

Past Perfect Tense

• Active : S + had + V3 + O.
• Passive : S + had been +V3.
• Active : I had bought a new car.
• Passive : A new car had been bought by me.

Future Simple Tense

• Active : S + will + V1 + O.
• Passive : S + will be +V3.
• Active : I will make a cake on my Mom’s birthday.
• Passive : A cake will be made on my Mom’s birthday.

Future Tense with Going to

• Active : S + am/are/is going to + V1 + O.
• Passive : S + am/are/is going to be +V3.
• Active : She is going to do housework.
• Passive : Housework is going to be done by her.

Modals Verb

• Active : S + can/could/may/might… + V1 + O.
• Passive : S + can/could/may/might…be +V3.
• Active : She could lift this box.
• Passive : This box could be lifted by her.

Modal Perfect

• Active : S + should/could/may/might…have + V3+ O.
• Passive : S + should/could/may/might…have been + V3.
• Active : You should have finished the task on time.
• Passive : The task should have been finished on time.

Interactive Exercises

Exercise 1: change from active to passive voice.

Rewrite the following active sentences in the passive voice. Be sure to keep the same tense.

• The team is preparing the report.
• The chef cooked a delicious meal.
• The students will present the project next week.
• The company has shipped your order.
• The mechanic fixed the car.
• The teacher is grading the exams.
• The artist painted a beautiful portrait.
• The gardener has planted new flowers.
• The committee will announce the results tomorrow.
• The kids are making a mess in the living room.
• The report is being prepared by the team.
• A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.
• The project will be presented by the students next week.
• Your order has been shipped by the company.
• The car was fixed by the mechanic.
• The exams are being graded by the teacher.
• A beautiful portrait was painted by the artist.
• New flowers have been planted by the gardener.
• The results will be announced by the committee tomorrow.
• A mess is being made in the living room by the kids.

Exercise 2: Identify the Correct Passive Voice Sentence

Choose the correct passive voice sentence from the options provided.

• The novel (was written/was wrote) by the author last year.
• The windows (are cleaned/were cleaned) every Saturday.
• The song (has been sung/was been sung) by the choir beautifully.
• The homework (must be finished/must finished) before the deadline.
• The instructions (will be given/are given) by the instructor shortly.
• The trophy (is being awarded/was being awarded) to the winner as we speak.
• The agreement (has been signed/had been signed) by both parties.
• The message (was being delivered/is being delivered) when the system crashed.
• The new policy (is being implemented/was being implemented) starting next month.
• The cake (was being baked/is being baked) when the power went out.
• was written 
• are cleaned 
• has been sung
• must be finished 
• will be given 
• is being awarded 
• has been signed 
• was being delivered 
• is being implemented 
• was being baked 

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I convert a sentence from active to passive voice?

To convert from active to passive, you first identify the object of the active sentence. Make this object the subject of the passive sentence. Then, add the appropriate form of the verb “to be” followed by the past participle of the main verb. If necessary, you may include “by” followed by the original subject to indicate who performed the action.

Can you provide some examples of passive voice in different tenses?

Sure, here are some examples:

• Present simple: “The mail is delivered daily.”
• Past simple: “The window was broken by the storm.”
• Future simple: “The project will be completed by next week.”
• Present perfect: “The agreement has been signed.”

What are some common mistakes to avoid when using passive voice?

Common mistakes include overusing passive voice, which can make writing seem dull or evasive. Make sure the subject of your sentence is clear, as sentences with obscured subjects can be confusing. Also, watch out for the correct form of ‘to be’ to match the tense of your sentence.

In what situations is using passive voice considered inappropriate?

Passive voice is typically avoided in writing that requires action and clarity, such as in most forms of academic writing, journalism, and calls to action. It’s also less appropriate when it’s important to know who performed the action.

How does passive voice affect the clarity of writing?

While passive voice can reduce the clarity of writing by shifting the focus away from the subject performing the action, it can also be used intentionally to emphasize the action itself or when the performer is unknown or irrelevant.

What tools can help me check if I’ve used passive voice correctly?

Grammar checking tools like Grammarly can help identify passive constructions. Additionally, word processing software often has built-in grammar checks that can highlight passive voice, allowing you to reconsider its usage.

Mustapha mohammed lawan

Tuesday 24th of October 2023

It's educating and so Interesting!

Tuesday 6th of December 2022

i am not going to school is it passive?

Friday 8th of July 2022

So confused with this.. difficult to get!

Friday 16th of July 2021

I AM SOOO CONFUSED

hehheheheeheh

Kiran Kumar

Monday 15th of March 2021

Grammar: Voice

Active and passive voice.

There are two main “voices” in English writing: the active voice and the passive voice. You’ve probably heard a lot about them—and you’ve probably been warned away from the passive voice. But what exactly are they?

In the simplest terms, an active voice sentence is written in the form of “A does B.” (For example, “Carmen sings the song.”) A passive voice sentence is written in the form of “B is done by A.” (For example, “The song is sung by Carmen.”) Both constructions are grammatically sound and correct. Let’s look at a couple more examples of the passive voice:

• I’ve been hit! ( or , I have been hit!)
• Jasper was thrown from the car when it was struck from behind.

You may have noticed something unique about the previous two sentences: the subject of the sentence is not the person (or thing) performing the action.  The passive voice “hides” who does the action. Despite these sentences being completely grammatically sound, we don’t know who hit “me” or what struck the car.

The passive is created using the verb  to be and the past participle. When identifying passive sentences, remember that  to be  has other uses than just creating the passive voice. “She was falling” and “His keys were lost” are not passive sentences. In the first, to be  is a continuous past verb, and in the second to be  is past tense linking verb. There are two key features that will help you identify a passive sentence:

• Something is happening (the sentence has a verb that is not a linking verb).
• The subject of the sentence is not doing that thing.

As you read at the two sentences below, think about the how the different voice may affect the meaning or implications of the sentence:

• Passive voice: The rate of evaporation is controlled by the size of an opening.
• Active voice: The size of an opening controls the rate of evaporation.

The passive choice slightly emphasizes “the rate of evaporation,” while the active choice emphasizes “the size of an opening.” Simple. So why all the fuss? Because passive constructions can produce grammatically tangled sentences such as this:

Groundwater flow is influenced by zones of fracture concentration, as can be recognized by the two model simulations (see Figures 1 and 2), by which one can see . . .

The sentence is becoming a burden for the reader, and probably for the writer too. As often happens, the passive voice here has smothered potential verbs and kicked off a runaway train of prepositions. But the reader’s task gets much easier in the revised version below:

Two model simulations (Figures 1 and 2) illustrate how zones of fracture concentration influence groundwater flow. These simulations show . . .

To revise the above, all we did was look for the two buried things (simulations and zones) in the original version that could actually do something, and we made the sentence clearly about these two nouns by placing them in front of active verbs. This is the general principle to follow as you compose in the active voice: Place concrete nouns that can perform work in front of active verbs.

Are the following sentences in the active or passive voice? How can you tell?

• The samples were prepared in a clean room before being sent out for further examination.
• Karen was dancing with Joshua when she suddenly realized she needed to leave.
• Carlos was a very serious scientist with unique interests.
• This sentence uses the passive voice. The action ( prepared ) was done to the subject of the sentence ( samples ). If this sentence were written in the active it would be something like this: “[Actor] prepared the samples in a clean room before sending them out for further examination.” Since we do not know who prepared the samples, the active sentence is incomplete.
• This sentence uses the active voice. In this case  was indicates that the sentence happened in the past; it does not indicate the passive voice.
• This sentence uses the active voice. In this case  was  is acting as a linking verb. It links  Carlos with the phrase  very serious scientist .

Revise Weak Passive-Voice Sentences

As we’ve mentioned, the passive voice can be a shifty operator—it can cover up its source, that is, who’s doing the acting, as this example shows:

• Graded by whom though?
• Active: The teacher will grade the papers according to the criteria stated in the syllabus.

It’s this ability to cover the actor or agent of the sentence that makes the passive voice a favorite of people in authority—policemen, city officials, and, yes, teachers. At any rate, you can see how the passive voice can cause wordiness, indirectness, and comprehension problems.

Convert these passive voice sentences into the active voice. Why is the active voice a better choice for each of these sentences?

• The process, which was essential for the experiment’s success, was completed by Enzo.
• The cake that I worked on all day long is being eaten by Justin.
• After the pattern has been applied to the fabric, work on the embroidery can be started.
• In the passive sentence, the  which -clause makes the subject of the sentence excessively long. By converting the sentence to the active voice, the clause is moved to the predicate, which makes the sentence easier to understand.
• The active voice works better in this sentence for the same reasons as sentence one. It is also likely that you would want to put emphasis on Justin in this sentence. After all, he’s doing something that is (most likely) inconsiderate.
• This sentence is likely found in a set of instructions, which are usually written directly to the reader. Addressing “you” and avoiding the passive voice will make the instructions feel more natural and accessible.

Don’t get the idea that the passive voice is always wrong and should never be used. It is a good writing technique when we don’t want to be bothered with an obvious or too-often-repeated subject and when we need to rearrange words in a sentence for emphasis. The next page will focus more on how and why to use the passive voice.

• Revision and Adaptation. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• Practice Activities. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• The Passive versus Active Voice Dilemma. Authored by : Joe Schall. Provided by : The Pennsylvania State University. Located at : https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c1_p11.html . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• Power-Revision Techniques: Sentence-Level Revision. Authored by : David McMurrey. Located at : https://www.prismnet.com/~hcexres/textbook/hirev2.html#passive . License : CC BY: Attribution

Active and Passive Voice Exercise With Answers

We use passive voice when we do not know who the subject is, or it is not important who the subject is or when it is obvious to the listener or reader who the subject is because it is the person who usually does it.  When we give more importance to the object of the sentences rather than the subject, we use passive voice. Below we have prepared active and passive voice exercises for ESL students. Attempt the following exercise, then compare your answers with the correct answers given below.

Active and Passive Voice Complete Grammar Rules

Active and passive voice exercise.

Change the active sentences below into passive sentences. Write “No change” if you think sentences cannot be changed.

• She writes a letter.
• They go to school every day.
• He doesn`t paint the wall.
• Why are you crying?
• Did the mechanic fix your car?
• You should do your homework.
• Don`t talk so loudly.
• They are painting their house.
• We have drunk milk tea.
• Will you watch TV tonight?
• I am not going to work today.
• He has been teaching English for ten years.
• When are you going to buy a car?
• Who taught you the active and passive sentences?
• She had cleaned the kitchen.
• We will have eaten dinner by the time you get there.
• People speak English in the USA.
• Would you rather learn English or French?
• You must not come late to class.
• She has to pass the test.
• He bought his son a book.
• Bismo teaches us every day.
• Who is your teacher?
• Who fights the coalition forces?
• Who have you invited to the party?
• I`ll build a hospital if I have a million dollars.
• If I had had a million dollars, I would have built a big mosque.
• We will be playing cricket at this time tomorrow.
• Aren’t they going to be building a house?
• It has been raining since yesterday.
• The explosion had killed many people.
• I have never been to Egypt.
• Have you been digging out the ground since morning?
• I will have written a poem by the time you call me.
• The heavy storm damaged a lot of crops in Mumbai.
• I was playing football yesterday.
• Could you help me, please?
• Who can answer my question?
• Will she have been watering the garden?
• Milad is helping me solving the active and passive voice exercise.
• A letter is written by her.
• Not Change.
• The wall isn’t painted by him.
• Intransitive verb (Crying)
• Was your car fixed by the mechanic?
• Your homework should be done by you.
• Intransitive verb (talk)
• Their house is being painted.
• Milk tea has been drunk.
• Will TV be watched by you?
• Not change.
• English has been taught by him for ten years.
• When is a car going to be bought by you?
• By whom were you taught the active and passive sentences?
• The kitchen had been cleaned.
• Dinner will have been eaten by the time you get there.
• English is spoken in the USA.
• Would English or French rather be learned by you?
• You are ordered not to come late to class.
• The test has to be passed by her.
• His son was bought a book by him.
• We are taught every day by Bismo.
• By whom were the coalition forces fought?
• Who has been invited to the party?
• A hospital will be built if I have a million dollars.
• If I had had a million dollars, a big mosque would have been built.
• Cricket will be played at this time tomorrow by us.
• Isn’t a house be going to be built by them?
• Many people had been killed by the explosion.
• A poem will have been written by me by the time you call me.
• A lot of crops were damaged by the heavy rain in Mumbai.
• Football was being played yesterday by me.
• Could I be helped, please?
• By whom my answer can be answered?
• I am being helped by Milad to solve the active and passive voice exercises.

Exercise 02:

Change the following sentences from Active Voice into Passive Voice and write your answers in the comment section below.

• The chef prepares a delicious meal every evening.
• People speak English in many countries around the world.
• The company will launch a new product next month.
• The teacher assigned homework to the students yesterday.
• We are planting flowers in the garden this weekend.
• The mechanic fixed my car last week.
• The storm damaged several houses in the neighborhood.
• The students are studying for their exams in the library.
• The police arrested the suspect yesterday.
• Someone will deliver the package to your house tomorrow.

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Active and Passive Voice Quiz with Answers

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Whose or who`s, advisability and desirability in english, how to use so and such.

Thanks, it helped me a lot.

You are welcome!

exercise is good to practice

33 and 39 can be passive if not can anyone explain why?

I don’t understand the question types. Could you explain me a little bit? Do I need to leave (you) in question type? Can (you) be used in its behind (by)?

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They were doing homework. The passive voice of this statement is …………………..

A. Homework were done.

B. Homework were being done.

C. Homework was being done

D. Homework is being done.

Select your answer:          

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Ellie ___________ ride a bicycle. She rides it to school every day.

C. can’t

D. couldn’t

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D. molecule

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PASSIVE VOICE - HOMEWORK

25 questions

Introducing new   Paper mode

No student devices needed.   Know more

Chuyển câu sau sang bị động (chú ý thì của động từ)

You should take those books back to the library

They have widened this street recently

Members may keep books for 3 weeks

The worksheets _______________ to students by the teacher before the examination.

were returned

was returned

have returned

EAUT students ______ to do the online quiz by Ms. Huong.

has been invited

have been invited

been invited

Homework answers ________________by Tien on the chalkboard now.

are written

are being written

were being wrote

Charlotte ________________ to represent the class to join the storytelling competition.

was being chosen

The exam papers______________ last week.

was printed

are printed

have been printed

were printed

The computer ______________ by my sister when I was doing my homework at 8:00 pm last night.

was being used

has been used

Câu sau là chủ động (active) hay bị động (passive)

I hate homework.

The dog dug the tunnel in the ground.

The cookies were eaten by the children.

The English test ... for 6 times in a month.

have been given

has been given

The score of English test ... on Wednesday next week.

will be given

will be gave

The school boy ________ in the accident.

seriously injured

seriously was injured

was seriously injured

to be injured seriously

Have you ________ by a dog?

ever been bitten

ever been bit

The house ________ at this time yesterday.

is being painted

were being painted

was being painted

She was made ________ over the passport.

Your house needs ________.

redecorated

redecorating

being redecorated

to redecorate

This road ________ larger next year.

will be opened

Mary sang a song.

A song sang by Mary

A song was sung by Mary.

A song was sang by Mary

Pets demands attention.

Attention is demanded by pets.

Attention is demand by pets.

Attention is demands by pets.

The witch captured the little boys.

The little boys were capture by the witch.

The little boys are captured by the witch

The little boys were captured by the witch.

Any new related to my company _____ on the bulletin board every week.

Computer technicians _____ the program on a regular basis.

is installed

are installed

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I Do My Homework? How Can I Change Into a Passive Voice

There are so many examples in the paper of students who just do their assignments without putting any effort into them. I have a few friends that do their own coursework and some sort of independent study. These types of students need to learn how to be more efficient and they need to take the initiative to do their homework. If I do my homework by myself, I will be too lazy.

I want to do my homework, change into a passive voice so that I can become more at ease in my role as a student. I want to do my coursework and I would like to do my homework and coursework on my free time. These things are important and they go hand in hand. I think that doing homework and coursework in the morning, while commuting, is a good idea.

You see, I have my own office here at school and I do most of my coursework at my own desk. There are days when my co-students are not available and I do some coursework at home. In fact, there are times that I even do my coursework over the phone. My wife sometimes comes in and does some work for me as well. I love it.

My wife is also willing to do some of the coursework for me and she gets to decide when she works. Sometimes I get stuck and do some of the coursework at night after I finish doing some work in the morning. We have a schedule set up for our lives and we know what we have to do. This helps me to be more comfortable with being a teacher and doing my homework, coursework, and reading to my students, reading to my wife, and just being a person who is settled and full of energy.

To do my homework, change into a passive voice when teaching and when I do my coursework, I will do my coursework out loud if that helps me relax and keep focused. Sometimes I will do my homework aloud, but I will also do it slowly. Sometimes I will do my coursework quickly. That depends on the material and on how I am feeling and on my needs at the time.

I encourage you to do the same thing you are doing. To really get the most benefit from your learning, learn to do both your work and your lessons silently. You will get used to how you want to do both and then you will be able to do them with complete and total control. You will be more effective in your classes and you will be more relaxed and confident when you teach.

Remember, your homework and your class are important parts of your life. Do not dread them or do them poorly. Learn to get a good night’s sleep each night and do them well. If you can do this, you will find your classes will become easier, your grades will go up and you will enjoy life more because you are better prepared to deal with whatever comes your way!

I do my homework change into passive voice whenever I am reading a chapter from a book or doing an assignment for class. When I finish a project, I often revise that same chapter, just to refresh my memory about what I learned. Then I write about that chapter in my journal or put it on the Internet so that others can read about it. When I get an assignment for class, I will write that chapter in my journal or send it to my professor directly.

If you need to take a nap or if you need to get some much-needed shut eye, do it when your brain is totally shut down. Sit up straight in bed or lie down and close your eyes. If you do any kind of physical activity, make sure that it happens when you do not need to be thinking about it. That way, you won’t get tired or run down and do less work.

For most people, “I do my homework” means that they do it when they have time. Most students want to be productive with what they are learning and do the work that is required of them. They don’t always want to spend that kind of extra time working on their assignments. If you need extra space or if you want to avoid being too distracting while you are studying, write things down in your journal or on the Internet so that you will know how to get done without distraction when you do your homework.

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