Active and Passive Voice in English Grammar: A Complete Guide
Voice in English Grammar
In English grammar, voice shows the relationship between the subject of a sentence and the action expressed by the verb. It helps us understand whether the subject is performing the action or receiving it.
انگلش گرامر میں Voice سے مراد جملے کے Subject (فاعل) اور Verb (فعل) کے درمیان تعلق کو ظاہر کرنا ہے۔ یہ واضح کرتی ہے کہ سبجیکٹ خود کام کر رہا ہے یا اس پر کام کیا جا رہا ہے۔
There are two main types of voice:
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Active Voice
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Passive Voice
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Active Voice (فعل معروف)
When the subject of a sentence performs the action directly, the sentence is said to be in the Active Voice.
جب جملے کا سبجیکٹ (Subject) خود براہِ راست کام انجام دے رہا ہو، تو اسے Active Voice کہتے ہیں۔
Example: Usman bakes a cake. (عثمان کیک بیک کرتا ہے۔)
(وضاحت: یہاں “Usman” سبجیکٹ ہے اور وہ خود کیک بنانے کا کام کر رہا ہے۔)
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Passive Voice (فعل مجہول)
When the subject of a sentence does not perform the action itself, but instead receives the action, the sentence is said to be in the Passive Voice.
جب جملے کا سبجیکٹ (Subject) خود کام نہ کر رہا ہو بلکہ اس پر کام کیا جا رہا ہو، تو اسے Passive Voice کہتے ہیں۔
Example: A cake is baked by Usman. (ایک کیک عثمان کے ذریعے بیک کیا جاتا ہے۔)
(وضاحت: یہاں “A cake” جملے کا سبجیکٹ ہے، لیکن وہ خود کوئی کام نہیں کر رہا بلکہ اس پر کام کیا جا رہا ہے۔)
Core (بنیادی) Reasons for Using the Passive Voice
The Doer is Obvious
When the person performing the action is already clear from the context, mentioning the doer at the end of the sentence becomes unnecessary.
جب کسی جملے میں کام کرنے والا شخص (Doer) پہلے ہی سیاق و سباق سے واضح ہو تو جملے کے آخر میں اس کا ذکر کرنا ضروری نہیں رہتا۔
جب جملے سے یہ بات واضح ہو کہ کام کون کر رہا ہے، تو اس شخص کا نام آخر میں دوبارہ لکھنے کی ضرورت نہیں ہوتی۔
Example: The packages were delivered yesterday morning.
The Doer is Unknown
When we do not know who performed the action, the passive voice allows us to describe the event without identifying the doer.
جب ہمیں یہ معلوم نہ ہو کہ کام کس نے انجام دیا ہے، تو ہم Passive Voice کا استعمال کرتے ہیں تاکہ واقعہ کو واضح طور پر بیان کیا جا سکے بغیر فاعل (Doer) کو ظاہر کیے۔
Example: My office keys were misplaced.
Concealing the Identity of the Doer
In formal, professional, or sensitive situations, the passive voice can be used to report an action without directly naming or blaming a particular person.
رسمی، پیشہ ورانہ یا حساس حالات میں Passive Voice استعمال کی جاتی ہے تاکہ کسی شخص کا نام لیے بغیر واقعہ بیان کیا جا سکے۔
Example: The employee was removed from the project.
Scientific and Research Writing
In scientific experiments, research papers, and official reports, the focus is usually placed on the process or result rather than on the person performing the action.
سائنسی تجربات، تحقیقی مقالات اور سرکاری رپورٹس میں عموماً توجہ عمل یا نتیجے پر دی جاتی ہے، نہ کہ اس شخص پر جو عمل انجام دیتا ہے۔
Example: Ten grams of sodium chloride was dissolved in water and boiled.
Emphasizing the Action Rather Than the Doer
Sometimes the action or its result is more important than the person who performed it. In such cases, passive voice is preferred.
کبھی کبھار عمل یا اس کا نتیجہ اس شخص سے زیادہ اہم ہوتا ہے جس نے وہ عمل کیا ہو۔ ایسے حالات میں Passive Voice کو ترجیح دی جاتی ہے۔
Example: The bridge was completed in record time.
Basic Rules for Changing Active Voice into Passive Voice
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Exchange the Positions of the Subject and Object
The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
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Introduce the Original Subject with “By”
The original subject is usually placed at the end of the sentence and is introduced by the preposition “by”.
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Preserve the Original Tense
The tense of the sentence must remain unchanged during the transformation from active to passive voice.
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Use the Third Form of the Verb
Passive voice always requires the Past Participle (Third Form) of the main verb.
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Select the Appropriate Form of “Be”
Choose the correct form of the helping verb (is, am, are, was, were, be, been, being) according to the tense and the number of the new subject.
Passive Voice for Interrogative Sentences
Questions Beginning with Helping Verbs (Auxiliary Verbs)
Questions with Do / Does / Did
Direct: Do many students join this academy?
Passive: Is this academy joined by many students?
Direct: Did you submit your assignment before the deadline?
Passive: Was your assignment submitted by you before the deadline?
Questions in Continuous Tenses
Direct: Is she preparing breakfast?
Passive: Is breakfast being prepared by her?
Questions with Has / Have / Had
Direct: Has he completed the report?
Passive: Has the report been completed by him?
Questions with Modal Verbs
Direct: Can you play this guitar?
Passive: Can this guitar be played by you?
Questions Beginning with Wh-Words
For most Wh-questions, the structure is:
Wh-word + Helping Verb + Subject + Third Form of Verb
Direct: Why did you cut down the tree?
Passive: Why was the tree cut down by you?
Direct: Where do you keep your books?
Passive: Where are your books kept by you?
Questions Beginning with Who
When a question begins with “Who”, it changes to “By whom” in passive voice.
Direct: Who will design the poster?
Passive: By whom will the poster be designed?
Direct: Who will solve this difficult problem?
Passive: By whom will this difficult problem be solved?
Important Note
While converting interrogative sentences into passive voice, the sentence must remain interrogative. Never change a question into a statement.
Tense-by-Tense Voice Transformations and Examples
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Simple Present Tense
Rule: Subject + is/am/are + Third Form of Verb + by + Agent
Direct: Zainab sings a beautiful song.
Passive: A beautiful song is sung by Zainab.
Direct: The carpenter fixes a wooden chair.
Passive: A wooden chair is fixed by the carpenter.
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Simple Past Tense
Rule: Subject + was/were + Third Form of Verb + by + Agent
Direct: Kamran broke the bowling record.
Passive: The bowling record was broken by Kamran.
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Future Indefinite Tense
Rule: Subject + will/shall + be + Third Form of Verb + by + Agent
Direct: He will play two cricket matches.
Passive: Two cricket matches will be played by him.
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Present Continuous Tense
Rule: Subject + is/am/are + being + Third Form of Verb + by + Agent
Direct: The storyteller is telling an interesting story.
Passive: An interesting story is being told by the storyteller.
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Past Continuous Tense
Rule: Subject + was/were + being + Third Form of Verb + by + Agent
Direct: The children were playing football in the ground.
Passive: Football was being played by the children in the ground.
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Future Continuous Tense
Note: Sentences in the Future Continuous Tense cannot normally be converted into Passive Voice.
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Present Perfect Tense
Rule: Subject + has/have + been + Third Form of Verb + by + Agent
Direct: I have won the championship match.
Passive: The championship match has been won by me.
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Past Perfect Tense
Rule: Subject + had + been + Third Form of Verb + by + Agent
Direct: The servant had watered the flowers in the garden.
Passive: The flowers in the garden had been watered by the servant.
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Future Perfect Tense
Rule: Subject + will/shall + have + been + Third Form of Verb + by + Agent
Direct: They will have finished their lunch by afternoon.
Passive: Their lunch will have been finished by them by afternoon.
Master Chart: Tense Transformations in Active & Passive Voice
Tense |
Passive Voice Rule |
Active Voice Example |
Passive Voice Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Present Indefinite |
is/am/are + 3rd Form |
The chef prepares delicious meals. |
Delicious meals are prepared by the chef. |
Present Continuous |
is/am/are + being + 3rd Form |
The chef is preparing delicious meals. |
Delicious meals are being prepared by the chef. |
Present Perfect |
has/have + been + 3rd Form |
The chef has prepared delicious meals. |
Delicious meals have been prepared by the chef. |
Past Indefinite |
was/were + 3rd Form |
The chef prepared delicious meals. |
Delicious meals were prepared by the chef. |
Past Continuous |
was/were + being + 3rd Form |
The chef was preparing delicious meals. |
Delicious meals were being prepared by the chef. |
Past Perfect |
had + been + 3rd Form |
The chef had prepared delicious meals. |
Delicious meals had been prepared by the chef. |
Future Indefinite |
will/shall + be + 3rd Form |
The chef will prepare delicious meals. |
Delicious meals will be prepared by the chef. |
Future Perfect |
will/shall + have + been + 3rd Form |
The chef will have prepared delicious meals. |
Delicious meals will have been prepared by the chef. |
Note: Future Continuous Tense is generally not converted into Passive Voice.
Passive Voice with Modal Auxiliaries
Rule:
Modal verb (can/could/should/must/may, etc.) + be + 3rd Form of Verb + by + Agent
Active Voice |
Passive Voice |
|---|---|
I can solve this puzzle. |
This puzzle can be solved by me. |
My brother cannot guide me. |
I cannot be guided by my brother. |
Should we write an essay? |
Should an essay be written by us? |
Passive Voice of Imperative Sentences (Commands & Requests)
Rule 1:
Polite requests or instructions are changed into:
You are requested / ordered / advised + to + base verb
Rule 2:
Commands or suggestions can also be changed using:
Let + object + be + 3rd form of verb
or
Object + should be + 3rd form of verb
Active Voice |
Passive Voice |
Please turn off the light. |
You are requested to turn off the light. |
Protect your country. |
Your country should be protected. |
Protect your country. |
Let your country be protected. |
Complete the task. |
Let the task be completed. |
Complete the task. |
The task should be completed. |
Passive Voice where “By” is NOT Used (Prepositional Changes)
Rule:
In some sentences, “by” is not used. Instead, other prepositions such as to, at, with, in are used according to meaning.
Active Voice |
Passive Voice |
I know your brother. |
Your brother is known to me. |
The sudden noise shocked us. |
We were shocked at the sudden noise. |
Fans crowded the arena on all sides. |
The arena was crowded with fans on all sides. |
This box holds ancient coins. |
Ancient coins are contained in this box. |
Can you satisfy the manager? |
Can the manager be satisfied with you? |
Her attitude annoyed me. |
I was annoyed at her attitude. |
Tourists packed the market. |
The market was packed with tourists. |
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Subject Understood Type
Rule: In some passive sentences, the agent or doer of the action is hidden. When transforming these sentences back into the active voice, a suitable subject must be supplied based on the context of the statement.
Active Voice: His manager requested him to resign.
Passive Voice: He was requested to resign.
Active Voice: The rangers captured the smuggler.
Passive Voice: The smuggler was captured.
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Prepositional Verbs
Rule: If a specific preposition is attached to a verb in the active voice, that preposition must remain attached to the verb when it is converted into the passive structure. Do not remove it.
Active Voice: Please focus on your studies.
Passive Voice: You are requested to focus on your studies.
Active Voice: She rejected my advice.
Passive Voice: My advice was rejected by her.
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Double Object Type
Rule: When an active sentence contains two objects (a direct object and an indirect object), either object can be chosen to act as the new subject in the passive voice. Both sentence structures are grammatically correct.
Active Voice: Asif offered me a job.
Passive Voice 1: I was offered a job by Asif.
Passive Voice 2: A job was offered to me by Asif.
Active Voice: She teaches us Mathematics.
Passive Voice 1: We are taught Mathematics by her.
Passive Voice 2: Mathematics is taught to us by her.
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Infinitives (To + Verb)
Rule 1: The active infinitive structure “to + base form of verb” is converted into the passive infinitive structure “to be + third form of verb”.
Rule 2: Sentences that begin with the phrase “It is time to…” follow a specific passive pattern: “It is time + for + object + to be + third form of verb”.
Active Voice: He wishes to rent a house.
Passive Voice: He wishes a house to be rented.
Active Voice: It is time to submit the files.
Passive Voice: It is time for the files to be submitted.
Active Voice: You need to complete this.
Passive Voice: This has to be completed by you.
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Important Examples
Active Voice: One must tolerate what one cannot avoid.
Passive Voice: What cannot be avoided must be tolerated.
