Active and Passive Voice: Rules and Worksheet

Active and passive voice describe who is doing the action in a sentence. In active voice the subject does the action: 'Ali wrote the essay.' In passive voice the action is done to the subject: 'The essay was written by Ali.' The meaning stays the same, but the focus shifts. This guide gives you the rule, the passive structure for every tense in one table, when to use each voice, and a short worksheet with answers so you can test yourself.

What is the difference between active and passive voice?

The difference is the subject. In active voice the subject performs the action. In passive voice the subject receives the action, and the real doer is moved to the end with 'by', or dropped entirely. Active sentences are usually shorter and clearer. Passive sentences are longer and put the focus on the action or the object instead of the doer.

How do you convert active to passive voice?

To change active to passive, follow three steps: make the object the new subject, change the verb to the matching form of 'be' plus the past participle (V3), and put the old subject after 'by'. Only sentences with an object (a transitive verb) can be made passive.

1. Move the object to the front to become the new subject. 'Sara (subject) reads (verb) the book (object)' starts as 'The book...'.
2. Change the verb: keep the tense, but use the correct form of 'be' + the past participle (V3 form, like 'read', 'written', 'eaten'). This gives 'The book is read...'.
3. Add 'by' + the old subject at the end. 'The book is read by Sara.' Drop the 'by' phrase if the doer is unknown or not important.

Pronouns also change: I becomes me, he becomes him, she becomes her, we becomes us, they becomes them after 'by'. Example: 'He helped me' becomes 'I was helped by him.'

Active and passive voice rules for all tenses (table)

The passive structure changes with the tense, but the pattern is always the right form of 'be' plus the past participle (V3). Use this table as your full reference. 'V3' means the third form of the verb (the past participle, e.g. eat to eaten).

Note: future continuous and the perfect continuous tenses (present, past, future) are almost never used in the passive, so exams do not test them. If you need the passive idea, rephrase the sentence instead.

How do you change questions and imperatives to passive voice?

Questions and commands follow special rules because they do not have a normal subject-first order. For questions, keep the question word but swap the structure to passive. For commands (imperatives), use 'Let' or 'should be'.

• Yes/no question: 'Did she write the letter?' -> 'Was the letter written by her?'
• Wh- question: 'Who wrote this?' -> 'By whom was this written?'
• Command: 'Close the door.' -> 'Let the door be closed.'
• Negative command: 'Do not waste time.' -> 'Let time not be wasted.'

When should you use passive voice?

Use passive voice when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious, or when you want to focus on the action or the result. Use active voice for most writing because it is clearer and shorter. Active is the default; passive is the exception you choose on purpose.

• The doer is unknown: 'My phone was stolen.' (You do not know who took it.)
• The doer is obvious or not important: 'The criminal was arrested.' (Clearly by the police.)
• You want to stress the action or object: 'The Sears Tower was built in 1973.'
• Formal or scientific writing: 'The sample was heated to 100 degrees.'

Outside these cases, keep your writing active. 'The committee made a decision' reads better than 'A decision was made by the committee.'

Active and passive voice worksheet (with answers)

Change each active sentence into the passive voice. Try them first, then check the answers below.

1. The chef cooks the meal.
2. The students are solving the questions.
3. Ali has completed the project.
4. The driver broke the window.
5. The teacher will announce the result.
6. Someone has stolen my pen.

Worksheet answers

1. The meal is cooked by the chef. (Present Simple)
2. The questions are being solved by the students. (Present Continuous)
3. The project has been completed by Ali. (Present Perfect)
4. The window was broken by the driver. (Past Simple)
5. The result will be announced by the teacher. (Future Simple)
6. My pen has been stolen. (Present Perfect, 'by someone' dropped because the doer is unknown)

Voice questions show up in MDCAT and ECAT English, where you often change a sentence from active to passive or pick the correct form. The fastest way to get quick at it is timed MCQ practice. You can practice MDCAT and ECAT English MCQs on Parhlai and see your weak grammar topics in your analytics.

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