Verb Voice: Active and Passive Voice – Rules, Examples – Practice Test
Select Your Practice Test- Choose Your Difficult Level
Easy – Class 6 & Class 7 – Intermediate – Class 7 & Class 8 & Class 9 – HARD – Class 10 , CLASS 11- 12
MCQ Test, Self Assessment
| Chapter | Test Type |
|---|---|
| Easy | |
| Intermediate | |
| Hard |
🔍 What is Verb Voice?
Voice in English grammar shows whether the subject of a sentence performs the action or receives the action. There are two main types of voice:
- 🔹 Active Voice: The subject does the action.
- 🔹 Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.
📊 Active vs Passive Voice Chart
| Feature | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | On the doer of the action | On the receiver of the action |
| Sentence Structure | Subject + Verb + Object | Object + Form of “be” + Past Participle + [by + subject] |
| Example | The chef cooked the meal. | The meal was cooked by the chef. |
| Usage | More direct and concise | More formal or when doer is unknown/unimportant |
✏️ Examples of Active and Passive Voice
| Tense | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | She writes a letter. | A letter is written by her. |
| Present Continuous | He is painting the house. | The house is being painted by him. |
| Present Perfect | They have finished the task. | The task has been finished by them. |
| Simple Past | The team won the match. | The match was won by the team. |
| Past Continuous | She was reading a novel. | A novel was being read by her. |
| Past Perfect | He had delivered the parcel. | The parcel had been delivered by him. |
| Future Simple | She will complete the report. | The report will be completed by her. |
| Future Perfect | They will have submitted the forms. | The forms will have been submitted by them. |
📘 Rules to Convert Active to Passive Voice
- Identify the subject, verb, and object.
- Move the object of the active sentence to the subject position in passive.
- Use the correct form of the verb ‘to be’ (based on the tense).
- Use the past participle form of the main verb.
- Add “by + agent” (optional) if the doer is important.
🧠 When to Use Passive Voice
- The doer is unknown or unimportant:
The documents were stolen. - You want to emphasize the action or object:
The final decision was taken after much discussion. - In scientific or formal writing:
The experiment was conducted in a sterile environment.
💡 Tips & Tricks
- Don’t use passive voice unnecessarily — prefer active for clarity.
- Use passive for instructions or formal notices:
Mobile phones must be switched off. - Check verb tense before forming passive voice.
- Remember: Only transitive verbs (those that take objects) can be made passive.
🧩 Common Passive Voice Verbs with “Be”
| Tense | Form of “Be” | Example (Passive) |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | is/are | The work is done. |
| Past Simple | was/were | The book was written. |
| Future Simple | will be | The letter will be sent. |
| Present Perfect | has/have been | The files have been saved. |
| Past Perfect | had been | The show had been cancelled. |
| Future Perfect | will have been | The form will have been filled. |
📝 Practice Exercises
🔸 Exercise 1: Convert to Passive Voice
- She writes a blog every week.
- They are watching a documentary.
- He had solved the puzzle.
- The mechanic will repair the bike.
- The teacher praised the student.
Answers:
- A blog is written by her every week.
- A documentary is being watched by them.
- The puzzle had been solved by him.
- The bike will be repaired by the mechanic.
- The student was praised by the teacher.
🔸 Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Passive Form
- The report ______ by the assistant yesterday.
(a) was prepared (b) prepares (c) preparing
Answer: (a) was prepared - These files ______ regularly.
(a) checked (b) are checked (c) were checking
Answer: (b) are checked
🔸 Exercise 3: Identify Voice
Mark each sentence as Active or Passive:
- The results were announced late last night.
- She is learning Spanish.
- The movie was being directed by a famous filmmaker.
- I cleaned the whiteboard.
Answers:
- Passive
- Active
- Passive
- Active
🔸 Exercise 4: Error Spotting
Find the error and correct it:
Sentence: The book was write by a renowned author.
Error: write Correction: written
📚 Voice Transformation Table
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I eat an apple. | An apple is eaten by me. |
| She is making a cake. | A cake is being made by her. |
| They had completed the task. | The task had been completed by them. |
| The students will submit their files. | The files will be submitted by the students. |
🔎 FAQs About Verb Voice
Q1: Can all sentences be changed to passive voice?
👉 No. Only transitive verbs (that have objects) can be used in passive voice.
Q2: Why is passive voice used in formal writing?
👉 It sounds more objective and puts focus on the action, not the subject.
Q3: Is passive voice incorrect or bad style?
👉 Not at all. It’s useful when used appropriately, especially in reports, research, and formal contexts.
✅ Conclusion
Understanding Active and Passive Voice is essential for writing clear, grammatically accurate, and stylistically effective English. Mastering when and how to use each voice will improve your academic writing, professional communication, and exam performance.
