Passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of a sentence receives the action, rather than performing the action. To put in other words passive voice is object oriented.
Example:
- Active: She wrote the book.
- Passive: The book was written by her.
In the passive sentence, "The book" (the object) becomes the subject, and "was written" is formed using the past tense of "to be" (was) and the past participle of the main verb "written." "By her" is an optional part that shows the doer of the action.
More Examples:
1. Active: They are painting the house.
Passive: The house is being painted by them.
2. Active: The teacher will assign the homework.
Passive: The homework will be assigned by the teacher.
3. Active: The chef cooked a delicious meal.
Passive: A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.
4. Active: The company launched a new product yesterday.
Passive: A new product was launched by the company yesterday.
5. Active: Someone has cleaned the room.
Passive: The room has been cleaned by someone.
Remember, passive voice is not always the best choice. Use it when you want to shift the focus to the object or when you don't know or don't want to mention the doer of the action. In many cases, active voice is more direct and clearer.
Using passive forms in writing or speech can offer several benefits:
1. Shifted Focus: Passive voice allows you to shift the focus from the doer of the action to the action itself or the receiver of the action. This can be useful when you want to emphasize what happened rather than who did it.
- Active: The chef prepared the meal.
- Passive: The meal was prepared by the chef.
2. Ambiguity Reduction: In some cases, passive voice can reduce ambiguity when the doer of the action is unknown or irrelevant.
- Active: Someone stole my wallet.
- Passive: My wallet was stolen.
3. Formality and Objectivity: Passive voice often adds a level of formality and objectivity to your writing. It can be particularly useful in academic, scientific, or technical writing.
- Active: I believe the data shows...
- Passive: It is believed that the data shows...
4. Variety and Style: Using passive voice in moderation can add variety to your writing style, making it more interesting to read.
- Active: The company will launch the product next week.
- Passive: The product will be launched next week.
5. Avoiding Responsibility or Blame: Passive voice can be employed when you want to avoid assigning direct responsibility or blame.
- Active: John broke the vase.
- Passive: The vase was broken.
6. Reducing Repetition: Passive voice can help reduce repetition of a subject in consecutive sentences, which can be helpful in maintaining a smooth flow in writing.
- Active: The manager reviewed the report. The manager approved the budget.
- Passive: The report was reviewed, and the budget was approved.
The structure of passive voice
I play cricket – cricket is played
I am playing cricket – cricket is being played
I played cricket- cricket was played
I was playing cricket- cricket was being played
I have played cricket- cricket has been played
I had played cricket- cricket had been played
I will play cricket- cricket will be played
I am going to play cricket- cricket is going to be played
I shall play cricket- cricket shall be played
I should have played cricket. Cricket should have been played
Exercise 1:
Change the following sentences from active voice to passive voice.
1. The teacher explained the lesson.
2. The chef is cooking a delicious meal.
3. They have built a new bridge.
4. Someone will finish the work by tomorrow.
5. The storm damaged the roof.
Answers:
1. The lesson was explained by the teacher.
2. A delicious meal is being cooked by the chef.
3. A new bridge has been built by them.
4. The work will be finished by someone by tomorrow.
5. The roof was damaged by the storm.
Exercise 2:
Convert the sentences below from active to passive voice.
1. People speak Spanish in many countries.
2. The mechanic fixed my car.
3. The company awarded him the Employee of the Month.
4. The police arrested the suspect.
5. The gardener plants flowers in the park every spring.
Answers:
1. Spanish is spoken in many countries by people.
2. My car was fixed by the mechanic.
3. He was awarded the Employee of the Month by the company.
4. The suspect was arrested by the police.
5. Flowers are planted in the park every spring by the gardener.
Exercise 3:
Rewrite the sentences in passive voice.
1. Someone has already taken the last piece of cake.
2. The janitor cleans the classrooms every evening.
3. We will announce the winner tomorrow.
4. The chef is preparing a special dish for the guests.
5. The team gave him a standing ovation.
Answers:
1. The last piece of cake has already been taken by someone.
2. The classrooms are cleaned every evening by the janitor.
3. The winner will be announced tomorrow by us.
4. A special dish is being prepared for the guests by the chef.
5. He was given a standing ovation by the team.
Exercise 4:
Change the following sentences into passive voice.
1. The committee will discuss the proposal next week.
2. The children are watching a movie in the living room.
3. The manager gave her a promotion.
4. Someone must water the plants every day.
5. They built this house in 1980.
Answers:
1. The proposal will be discussed by the committee next week.
2. A movie is being watched by the children in the living room.
3. She was given a promotion by the manager.
4. The plants must be watered every day by someone.
5. This house was built in 1980 by them.
Exercise 5:
Rewrite the following sentences in passive voice.
1. The company offered him a job.
2. They will send you an email.
3. The teacher is explaining the new concept.
4. The team presented her with an award.
5. Someone has already booked the conference room.
Answers:
1. He was offered a job by the company.
2. An email will be sent to you by them.
3. The new concept is being explained by the teacher.
4. She was presented with an award by the team.
5. The conference room has already been booked by someone.
These exercises and answers should help you practice converting sentences from active voice to passive voice.
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