Active vs Passive Voice: Understanding and Using Both in English

The active voice is the normal voice. This is the voice that we use most of the time. You are probably familiar with active voice. In the active voice the object receives the action of the verb.

The passive voice is less usually than active voice. A verb in the active voice when its form shows that the person of thing denoted by the subject does something.

Example:

A dog (S) Killed (V) a snake (O)               --> Active Voice (A.V)

A snake (S) was Killed by (V) a dog(O)  --> Passive Voice (P.V)

Note: Identification of passive voice is “be + V3”

Note:

S--> subject

V--> verb

O--> Object

Be form

When an active voice is changed into passive voice, the following changes are made:

1.The object in the active voice becomes the subject into passive voice, the following changes are made.

2.The verb is changed into passive form.

3.A suitable preposition is used.

4.The subject in the active voice becomes the object of the preposition in the passive voice. (If necessary)

Example:

Shajahan built the TajMahal

The TajMahal was built by Shajahan

Note:

Most verbs in the passive voice take the preposition “by” before the agent(object)

But the following verbs take different prepositions as shown below:

Amazed, surprised, astonished --> at

Pleased, satisfied, thronged, crowded --> with

Known --> to

Contained --> in

Example:

We known him well

He is known to us well

The news astonished at the news very much.