Active and Passive Voice – Complete Notes for Competitive Exams
By Home Academy
ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE
Active and Passive Voice is one of the most important topics in English Grammar for competitive exams like JKSSB, JKPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, UPSC, CDS, NDA, CUET, Police, High Court, and State Exams.
Every year, 2–5 questions are asked directly or indirectly from this topic. Therefore, understanding the rules and practicing sentence conversion is essential.
What is Voice?
Voice refers to the form of a verb that shows whether the subject performs the action or receives the action.
There are two types of Voice:
Active Voice
Passive Voice
1. Active Voice
In Active Voice, the subject performs the action.
Structure
Subject + Verb + Object
Examples
Ram writes a letter.
She teaches English.They play cricket.
The police arrested the thief.
Here, the subject is doing the action.
2. Passive Voice
In Passive Voice, the object receives the action.
Structure
Object + Helping Verb + V3 + by + Subject
Examples
A letter is written by Ram.
English is taught by her.Cricket is played by them.
The thief was arrested by the police.
Why Do We Use Passive Voice?
Passive Voice is used when:
The doer is unknown.
The doer is unimportant.We want to focus on the action.
In official reports.
In scientific writing.
In newspaper headlines.
In legal language.
Examples
The road was repaired yesterday.
(The person who repaired it is not important.)
Mistakes were made.
(The doer is unknown.)
Formula of Active and Passive Voice
Active
Subject + Verb + Object
Example
The teacher teaches students.
Passive
Object + Helping Verb + V3 + by + Subject
Students are taught by the teacher.
Golden Rule of Passive Voice
Only Transitive Verbs can be changed into Passive Voice.
Transitive Verb = Verb having an object.
Example
She writes a letter.
Object = Letter
Passive possible.
Example
He sleeps.
No object.
Passive not possible.
Steps to Convert Active into Passive
Step 1
Find the Subject.
Example
Ram eats mangoes.
Subject = Ram
Step 2
Find the Verb.
Verb = eats
Step 3
Find the Object.
Object = mangoes
Step 4
Bring Object to the Beginning.
Mangoes...
Step 5
Use Correct Helping Verb.
Step 6
Change Main Verb into Third Form (V3)
eat → eaten
write → written
go → gone
make → made
drive → driven
Step 7
Write "by + Subject"
Mangoes are eaten by Ram.
Shortcut Formula
Object
↓
Helping Verb
↓
Verb Third Form (V3)
↓
by
↓
Subject
Pronoun Change Table
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| I | me |
| We | us |
| He | him |
| She | her |
| They | them |
| You | you |
| It | it |
| Who | whom |
Example
She loves me.
I am loved by her.
Tense-wise Rules of Active and Passive Voice
1. Present Indefinite
Active
Subject + V1 + s/es + Object
Passive
Object + is/am/are + V3 + by + Subject
Examples
He writes a letter.
A letter is written by him.
She teaches English.
English is taught by her.
2. Present Continuous
Active
Subject + is/am/are + Ving
Passive
Object + is/am/are + being + V3
Example
She is writing a letter.
A letter is being written by her.
3. Present Perfect
Active
has/have + V3
Passive
has/have + been + V3
Example
He has completed the work.
The work has been completed by him.
4. Past Indefinite
Active
V2
Passive
was/were + V3
Example
Ram cleaned the room.
The room was cleaned by Ram.
5. Past Continuous
Active
was/were + Ving
Passive
was/were + being + V3
Example
They were repairing the bridge.
The bridge was being repaired by them.
6. Past Perfect
Active
had + V3
Passive
had been + V3
Example
She had finished the work.
The work had been finished by her.
7. Future Indefinite
Active
will + V1
Passive
will be + V3
Example
They will complete the project.
The project will be completed by them.
8. Future Perfect
Active
will have + V3
Passive
will have been + V3
Example
She will have finished the work.
The work will have been finished by her.
Passive Voice with Modal Verbs
Structure
Object + Modal + be + V3
Examples
He can solve the problem.
The problem can be solved by him.
She must obey the rules.
The rules must be obeyed by her.
They may invite us.
We may be invited by them.
You should complete the work.
The work should be completed by you.
Imperative Sentences
Active
Open the door.
Passive
Let the door be opened.
Active
Do the work.
Passive
Let the work be done.
Passive of Negative Commands
Don't waste time.
Let not time be wasted.
Passive of Interrogative Sentences
Active
Do you know him?
Passive
Is he known to you?
Active
Did she write the letter?
Passive
Was the letter written by her?
Passive of WH Questions
Who wrote this book?
By whom was this book written?
Why did he break the glass?
Why was the glass broken by him?
Active to Passive Examples
Active
The teacher praised the student.
Passive
The student was praised by the teacher.
Active
Mother cooks food.
Passive
Food is cooked by Mother.
Active
The police arrested the criminal.
Passive
The criminal was arrested by the police.
Active
The company hired new employees.
Passive
New employees were hired by the company.
Active
The mechanic repaired the car.
Passive
The car was repaired by the mechanic.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1
Using V1 instead of V3
❌ The work is complete by him.
✅ The work is completed by him.
Mistake 2
Wrong Helping Verb
❌ The books is read.
✅ The books are read.
Mistake 3
Forgetting "been"
❌ The work has completed.
✅ The work has been completed.
Mistake 4
Using "being" incorrectly
❌ The work is being completed yesterday.
Correct
The work was completed yesterday.
Mistake 5
Changing Intransitive Verbs
❌ He slept.
Passive impossible.
Mistake 6
Wrong Pronouns
❌ The work was done by he.
✅ The work was done by him.
Verbs Commonly Used in Passive Voice
Write → Written
Eat → Eaten
Make → Made
Build → Built
Speak → Spoken
Teach → Taught
Bring → Brought
Buy → Bought
Catch → Caught
Find → Found
Give → Given
Keep → Kept
Know → Known
Pay → Paid
Read → Read
Say → Said
See → Seen
Send → Sent
Take → Taken
Wear → Worn
Tricks for Competitive Exams
✔ Always identify the object first.
✔ Remember: Passive Voice always uses V3 (Past Participle).
✔ Only transitive verbs can be converted into Passive Voice.
✔ Use the helping verb according to the tense.
✔ Change pronouns correctly (I → me, He → him, She → her, They → them).
✔ "By + Subject" is omitted if the doer is unknown or unnecessary.
One-Line Formula for All Tenses
Object + Suitable Helping Verb + (been/being if required) + V3 + by + Subject
Exam-Oriented Practice
Convert into Passive Voice
She writes a letter.
They are playing football.
Ram cleaned the room.
The police arrested the thief.
He will complete the work.
She has finished the project.
The mechanic repaired the bike.
We can solve this problem.
Open the window.
Who wrote this novel?
Quick Revision Sheet
Active Voice: Subject + Verb + Object
Passive Voice: Object + Helping Verb + V3 + by + Subject
Only transitive verbs have passive forms.
Main verb always changes to V3.
Use being in continuous tenses.
Use been in perfect tenses.
Use be + V3 after modal verbs.
Use Let + object + be + V3 for imperative sentences.
Pronouns change in the object form (he → him, she → her, they → them).
Expected Questions in Competitive Exams
Identify Active and Passive Voice.
Convert Active into Passive.Convert Passive into Active.
Find the grammatical error.
Choose the correct helping verb.
Choose the correct third form (V3).
Convert interrogative and imperative sentences.
Questions based on tense-wise passive voice.
Spot the incorrect use of been, being, or by.
Home Academy Exam Tip
Master the tense formulas, learn the V3 forms of common verbs, and practice daily conversions. In competitive exams, always identify the object first, determine the tense, then apply the correct passive structure. This simple three-step approach helps solve most Active–Passive questions quickly and accurately.