ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE MS. C ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE MS.C.VENNILA AP/ENGLISH SNS College of Engineering C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 1/15

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE Active voice Describes a sentence where the subject performs the action stated by the verb.   Passive voice The subject is acted upon by the verb. Form of Passive Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs) The object of the active sentence becomes the subject in passive the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle) C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 2/15

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE 1. Simple Present tense Active: Rita writes a letter. Passive: A letter is written by Rita. (Pre. “be” form+V3) 2. Simple Past Active: Rita wrote a letter. Passive: A letter was written by Rita. (Past “be” form+V3) 3. Simple Future Active: Rita will write a letter. Passive: A letter will be written by Rita.(Modal Auxiliary + be +V3) C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 3/15

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE 4.Present Progressive Active: Rita is writing a letter. Passive: A letter is being written by Rita. (Pre. “be” form+being+V3) 5.Past Progressive Active: Rita was writing a letter. Passive: A letter was being written by Rita. (Past “be” form+being+V3) 6.(Present Perfect) Active: Rita has written a letter. Passive: A letter has been written by Rita. (Pre. “have”form+been+V3) C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 4/15

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE 7.Past Perfect Active: Rita had written a letter. Passive: A letter had been written by Rita. (Past “have” form+been+V3) 8.Future Perfect Active: Rita will have written a letter. Passive: A letter will have been written by Rita. (Modal +have +been+V3) C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 5/15

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE Interrogative Form Active: Do you write a letter? Passive: Is a letter written by you? Active: Did Alice invite you? Passive: Were you invited by Alice? Active: Will he accept our invitation? Passive: Will our invitation be accepted by him? Active: Who killed the snake? Passive: By whom was the snake killed? Active: Why did he punish you? Passive: Why were you punished by him? C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 6/15

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE Tenses not having Passive form 1.Present Perfect Continuous 2. Past Perfect Continuous 3. Future Perfect Continuous 4. Future Perfect Continuous C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 7/15

PASSIVE VOICE -USAGE 1.Writing Recommendations Example : Recommendations to control the Traffic - It is recommended to obey… - It is suggested to follow… - It is advised to check… 2.Preparing Reports If the report is to document the details and happenings of something, lean on the passive voice. e.g. On Day 1, the equipment was installed by the Engineering Department and full power was obtained after four hours of being switched on. C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 8/15

PASSIVE VOICE -USAGE 3. Framing yes/no questions Are grapes grown in California? Is the test written in room 311? Were the students taught at home? Has the work been finished by you? C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 9/15

TEACHING AIDS Practicing in the Classroom MCQ’S Puzzles Quiz - Peer group study C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 10/15

EXERCISES Decide whether the following sentences are written in the active or passive voice. 1. Thomas feeds his dog. 2. The family went to the beach. 3. The letter was written by Marshall. 4. The game had been won by the blue team. 5. The problem was solved. 6. The stunt man risked his life. 7. The fire was extinguished. 8. The car was being cleaned by its owner. 9. It gets cold here during the winter. C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 11/15

QUIZ Fill in the blanks with suitable active and passive verb forms. 1. This house ———————- in 1970 by my grandfather. a) Built b) Was built c) Was build d) Has built 2. The robbers ————————- by the police. a) Have arrested b) Have been arrested c) Was arrested d) Had arrested 3. We ———————- for the examination. a) Have preparing b) Are preparing c) Had preparing d) Have been prepared C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 12/15

MCQ 1. The boy laughed at the beggar. A. The beggar was laughed by the boy. B. The beggar was being laughed by the boy. C. The beggar was being laughed at by the boy. D. The beggar was laughed at by the boy. 2. The boys were playing Cricket. A. Cricket had been played by the boys. B. Cricket has been played by the boys. C. Cricket was played by the boys. D. Cricket was being played by the boys. C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 13/15

PUZZLE C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 14/15

THANK YOU C.Vennila TECHNICAL ENGLISH II 15/15