What are Active and Passive Voice?

What are ACTIVE and PASSIVE VOICE?

These are the two formations of the verbs we use in sentences. In other words, verbs have forms called ACTIVE VOICE and PASSIVE VOICE. 

The Active Voice is the normal form of the verb. We use this form in our sentences most of the times. It shows that the subject in a sentence does the action that affects the object. Study the sentence below.

Darren kicks the ball.

                                     subject     verb           object

You can see that Darren (subject) is the one who does the action kicks (verb) which the ball (object) receives.

In the active voice, the subject comes first before the action verb which is followed by its object. The active form of the verb always has an object.

Note: Only transitive verbs are used in the active voice.

The Passive Voice of the verb, however, is formed in a different way. In the active voice, the doer of the action is the subject of the sentence, but in the passive voice, the object of the verb becomes the subject. Study the sentences below.

ACTIVE VOICE

Darren kicks the ball.

                                                                                                          subject      verb           object

PASSIVE VOICE

The ball is kicked by Darren.

You can notice that the structure of the active voice is somewhat reversed in the passive voice. In the passive voice, the object of the verb becomes the subject of the sentence, followed by a be-verb + the past participle form of the action verb. 

HOW TO CHANGE AN ACTIVE VOICE INTO A PASSIVE VOICE

Again, the object of the verb in the active voice becomes the subject of the sentence in the passive voice, followed by a verb to be + the past participle form of the verb + by + the doer of the action (the subject of the sentence in the active voice).

CHANGING AN ACTIVE VOICE INTO A PASSIVE VOICE ACCORDING TO TENSES

Simple Present

Darren kicks the ball.

The ball is kicked by Darren.

Present Continuous

Darren is kicking the ball.

The ball is being kicked by Darren.

Present Perfect

Darren has kicked the ball.

The ball has been kicked by Darren.

Present Perfect Continuous

Darren has been kicking the ball.

The ball has been being kicked by Darren.

Simple Past

Darren kicked the ball yesterday.

The ball was kicked by Darren yesterday.

Past Continuous

Darren was kicking the ball yesterday.

The ball was being kicked by Darren yesterday.

Past Perfect

Darren had kicked the ball yesterday.

The ball had been kicked by Darren yesterday.

Past Perfect Continuous

Darren had been kicking the ball yesterday.

The ball had been being kicked by Darren yesterday.

Simple Future

Darren will kick the ball tomorrow.

The ball will be kicked by Darren tomorrow.

Future Continuous

Darren will be kicking the ball tomorrow.

The ball will be being kicked by Darren tomorrow.

Future Perfect

Darren will have kicked the ball  by the time we arrive tomorrow.

The ball will have been kicked by Darren by the time we arrive tomorrow.

Future Perfect Continuous

Darren will have been kicking the ball by the time we arrive tomorrow.

The ball will have been being kicked by the Darren by the time we arrive tomorrow. 

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