Active and Passive Voice: The Three Words That Carry the Tense

Introduction

Voice tells you whether the subject of a sentence is doing the action or receiving it.

• Active: The manager approved the funds. The doer comes first.
• Passive: The funds were approved by the manager. The receiver comes first.

Every guide then supplies a chart of eight tense formulas and asks you to memorise it. That chart is why candidates get the tense wrong, because eight formulas are easy to confuse and hard to check under time pressure.

There is no need for it. In a passive sentence the tense lives entirely in the form of be. The main verb is always the third form and carries no tense at all. So the tense is copied across from the active sentence, never recalculated.

Three words do all the work.

• Be, in whichever form the tense requires. Is, am, are, was, were, will be, has been.
• Being appears only in a continuous tense.
• Been appears only in a perfect tense.

So is written is simple, is being written is continuous, and has been written is perfect. Once those three words are automatic, every passive form can be built rather than recalled.

Where This Topic Is Asked

This is among the most reliably scoring topics in the paper. Nothing here depends on vocabulary or judgement, so accuracy close to total is realistic once the three-word system is automatic. Check your own pattern in the exam-wise syllabus hub.

The Transitivity Gate

Before converting anything, check one thing. Only a transitive verb, meaning a verb that has a direct object, can be made passive. An intransitive verb cannot, because there is nothing to promote into the subject slot.

This gate is itself an exam question. If an error spotting sentence puts an intransitive verb into a passive structure, that is the error, and no other check is needed. A small group of verbs including resemble, lack, suit, befit and have take objects but have no passive form in normal use.

The Four-Slot Rebuild

Rather than swapping words around, build the new sentence in four slots.

The result is the problems are being solved by the girls. Notice that slot two did the only thinking, and it did it by copying the tense rather than working it out.

The Eight Tenses, Derived Rather Than Memorised

Read the middle column downwards and the pattern is visible. The be form changes with the tense, being appears exactly where the tense is continuous, and been appears exactly where it is perfect. Nothing else moves.

Four tenses have no passive form used in exams: present perfect continuous, past perfect continuous, future continuous and future perfect continuous. If an option offers one, it is wrong.

The Pronoun Changes

When the old subject moves after by, it takes the object form.

One correction is needed here, because a widely used guide states in its prose that I becomes by myself. That is wrong, and it changes the meaning. By me names the agent, while by myself means alone or unaided. The same guide's own table correctly gives me, so its prose contradicts its table. The case rules behind this are in pronouns.

When the Agent Is Dropped

The by phrase is optional, and leaving it out is often better English than including it.

• The doer is unknown. Cash was stolen from the register.
• The doer is obvious. The thief was arrested, since police make arrests.
• The doer is general. English is spoken all over the world, rather than by people.
• The doer is irrelevant. The samples were tested in the laboratory.

In a multiple-choice question, an option that drops the agent is not automatically wrong. Judge it by whether the agent was general or unknown in the original.

Structures That Look Passive but Are Not

A small group of forms carries a passive sense while staying active in structure. These appear in error spotting, where the temptation is to "correct" something already right.

The test for the third row is whether an agent could sensibly follow. The gate is closed by the guard reports an action, so it is passive. She is tired admits no agent, so tired is simply an adjective. That distinction matters because a past participle after a linking verb is an adjective, a point covered in adverbs.

Imperative Sentences

Commands have no subject at all, so the passive needs a different opening. Three patterns cover every case.

Notice that the tone decides the pattern. A bare command takes Let, while anything addressed to a person as advice, request or instruction takes the you are opening instead.

Questions

The question stays a question, so the auxiliary keeps its place in front of the new subject.

• Has he done the work? Becomes: Has the work been done by him?
• Did she write the letter? Becomes: Was the letter written by her?
• Who stole your bike? Becomes: By whom was your bike stolen?
• Why did they reject the plan? Becomes: Why was the plan rejected by them?
• What do you want? Becomes: What is wanted by you?

The who conversion is the one candidates miss. Who becomes by whom, and it moves to the front of the sentence, so by whom was your bike stolen rather than your bike was stolen by whom.

Modals and Infinitives

The modal itself never changes. Can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must and ought to all stay exactly as they are, and only the words after them move.

Sentences With Two Objects

Verbs such as give, send, award, offer, teach, tell and promise take two objects, so two passives are possible.

Active: The school awarded Bhavana the first prize.

• Promoting the thing: The first prize was awarded to Bhavana by the school.
• Promoting the person: Bhavana was awarded the first prize by the school.

When the thing becomes the subject, a preposition appears before the person, usually to or for. Both versions are correct, so in a multiple-choice question read all four options before deciding.

Verbs Followed by a Preposition

Where the verb needs a preposition to reach its object, the preposition travels with the verb and stays in place.

• The students were listening to the teacher. Becomes: The teacher was being listened to by the students.
• They laughed at his suggestion. Becomes: His suggestion was laughed at by them.
• She looks after the children. Becomes: The children are looked after by her.
• Someone has broken into the house. Becomes: The house has been broken into.

The passive here ends with two prepositions in a row, as in looked after by her. That looks odd and is entirely correct, so do not reject an option for that reason. The pairs themselves are in phrasal verbs.

The By, With and To Rule

Not every passive takes by. A group of common verbs uses a different preposition, and this is under-taught and regularly tested.

The general test is whether the doer is genuinely acting. A person who acts takes by. A state of being, a feeling or a substance takes one of the others. So the letter was written by her, but the jar was filled with juice. The fixed-pair logic is the same as in prepositions.

Passive Back to Active

The reverse conversion is usually easier, and the same three words guide it.

1. Find the agent. It follows by, and becomes the new subject. If no agent is given, supply a general one such as someone, people or they.
2. Read the tense off the be form. Is being means present continuous, had been means past perfect.
3. Rebuild the verb in that tense, dropping be, being and been entirely.
4. Move the old subject into the object slot, changing its pronoun case.

• The ball was kicked by the boy. Becomes: The boy kicked the ball.
• English is spoken all over the world. Becomes: People speak English all over the world.
• The problems are being solved by the girls. Becomes: The girls are solving the problems.
• Let the door be opened. Becomes: Open the door.

When the Passive Is the Right Choice

The passive is not a weaker form of the active. It is the correct form in four situations, and knowing them helps in reading comprehension and in descriptive papers.

• The doer is unknown or irrelevant. Cash was stolen from the register.
• The report should sound objective. The samples were tested in the laboratory.
• The result matters more than the cause. These emissions are produced by diesel engines.
• The doer is being deliberately shielded. Mistakes were made, which is worth recognising as a rhetorical move.

Outside those cases the active is shorter and clearer, so a descriptive answer packed with passives reads as evasive rather than formal.

A Warning About Study Material on This Topic

• A pronoun rule that changes the meaning. One guide states in its prose that I becomes by myself. It becomes by me, since by myself means unaided. The same guide's table gives the correct form, so the page contradicts itself.
• A conversion that changes the tense and the sense. The same source offers I am preparing dinner as becoming the dinner is to be prepared by me. The active is present continuous, so it should read dinner is being prepared by me. The version given means the dinner has not been started.
• A simple past turned into a continuous. Another guide lists he read the newspaper as becoming the newspaper is being read by him. The correct form is was read by him, and the example also sits in a present perfect table where it does not belong.
• A simple past turned into a past perfect. The same table gives she won the match as becoming the match had been won by her. A simple past becomes was won; the past perfect would need had won in the active.
• A simple past turned into a present. He created this masterpiece appears as this masterpiece is created by him, where it should be was created.

Three of those five are tense errors inside model conversion tables, which is exactly what the three-word system protects against. Read the tense off the active sentence and copy it, and a wrong table cannot mislead you.

Ten Solved Questions

1. Choose the passive form. The teacher praised the students.

Working: Simple past, and the new subject students is plural. Answer: The students were praised by the teacher.

2. Choose the passive form. The manager will review the report.

Working: Simple future, so will plus be plus the third form. Answer: The report will be reviewed by the manager.

3. Choose the passive form. People speak English all over the world.

Working: Simple present, and the agent is general enough to drop. Answer: English is spoken all over the world.

4. Choose the passive form. I have to do it.

Working: Have to becomes has to be, agreeing with the new singular subject it. Answer: It has to be done by me. Options such as it is be done and it should to be done are the distractors.

5. Choose the passive form. The students were listening to the teacher.

Working: The preposition travels with the verb. Answer: The teacher was listened to by the students. An option reading was listening to by keeps the active form of the verb and is wrong.

6. Choose the passive form. Who stole your bike?

Working: Who becomes by whom and moves to the front, and the question order is kept. Answer: By whom was your bike stolen?

7. Choose the passive form. Never disobey your elders.

Working: A prohibition addressed to a person takes the you are opening with not to. Answer: You are asked not to disobey your elders.

8. Choose the passive form. Open the door.

Working: A bare command takes Let plus the object plus be plus the third form. Answer: Let the door be opened.

9. Choose the passive form. You should have helped him.

Working: A past modal takes have been after it. Answer: He should have been helped by you.

10. Find the error. The flight was arrived (a) / at the airport (b) / an hour behind schedule. (c) / No error (d)

Working: Arrive is intransitive and has no object, so it cannot take a passive form at all. Answer: (a), which should read the flight arrived.

Worked Examples: Wrong to Right

Example 1 (recalculating the tense instead of copying it)

Sentence: A student converts He read the newspaper into The newspaper is being read by him.

Trap: Read is spelt identically in the present and the past, so the eye supplies a present tense. The tense must be copied from the active sentence, and here the context makes it simple past.

Correct Answer: The newspaper was read by him.

Rule in Simple Words: Read the tense off the active sentence, never recalculate it.

Example 2 (passivising an intransitive verb)

Sentence: A student accepts The flight was arrived at the airport.

Trap: The structure looks like a textbook passive, with an auxiliary and a third form in the right places. Arrive has no object, so there is nothing to promote into the subject slot and no passive exists.

Correct Answer: The flight arrived at the airport.

Rule in Simple Words: No object means no passive.

Example 3 (agreeing the auxiliary with the old subject)

Sentence: A student writes The problems is being solved by the girls.

Trap: The eye is still on the girls, which was the subject a moment ago, and the singular feels attached to the singular-looking phrase. The auxiliary agrees with the new subject, and problems is plural.

Correct Answer: The problems are being solved by the girls.

Rule in Simple Words: The auxiliary follows the new subject, as in subject-verb agreement.

Example 4 (dropping being or been)

Sentence: A student writes A letter is written by him for He is writing a letter.

Trap: The conversion is structurally complete, with the right auxiliary and the right third form, so nothing looks missing. The active was continuous, and a continuous passive needs being.

Correct Answer: A letter is being written by him.

Rule in Simple Words: Being marks continuous, been marks perfect.

Example 5 (changing the modal)

Sentence: A student converts We must respect our elders into Our elders had to be respected by us.

Trap: Narration teaches that must becomes had to, and the rule transfers by habit. Voice conversion changes no modal at all, since only the words after it move.

Correct Answer: Our elders must be respected by us.

Rule in Simple Words: The modal stays; add be and the third form after it.

Example 6 (by myself for by me)

Sentence: A student writes The work was completed by myself.

Trap: A study guide printed the rule that way, and myself sounds more careful than me. By myself means unaided, so the sentence now claims something the original never said.

Correct Answer: The work was completed by me.

Rule in Simple Words: The agent takes the plain object form.

Example 7 (keeping who instead of by whom)

Sentence: A student converts Who stole your bike? into Your bike was stolen by whom?

Trap: The words are all correct and the question mark survives, so the option looks acceptable. English moves the question phrase to the front, and the auxiliary must precede the new subject.

Correct Answer: By whom was your bike stolen?

Rule in Simple Words: The question phrase leads, and the auxiliary follows it.

Example 8 (that clause for an imperative)

Sentence: A student converts Open the door into The door should be opened by you.

Trap: The passive is well formed and the meaning is close, so it feels like a fair answer. A bare command takes the Let pattern, while should be belongs to advice rather than an order.

Correct Answer: Let the door be opened.

Rule in Simple Words: Match the pattern to the tone of the original.

Common Traps Students Fall Into

These are the habits that most often cost marks. Each one is a common trap, not a silly mistake, and each has a one-line fix.

• Trap: Recalculating the tense instead of copying it. Fix: Read it off the active sentence.
• Trap: Passivising an intransitive verb. Fix: Check for an object first.
• Trap: Agreeing the auxiliary with the old subject. Fix: It follows the new one.
• Trap: Forgetting being in a continuous passive. Fix: Being marks continuous.
• Trap: Forgetting been in a perfect passive. Fix: Been marks perfect.
• Trap: Changing the modal. Fix: Modals never move in voice conversion.
• Trap: Writing by myself for by me. Fix: The agent takes the plain object form.
• Trap: Leaving who at the end. Fix: It becomes by whom and moves to the front.
• Trap: Using by where the verb needs another preposition. Fix: Known to, filled with, surprised at.
• Trap: Rejecting an option because the agent is missing. Fix: The by phrase is optional.
• Trap: Trusting a printed conversion table. Fix: Three of five errors found in one source were tense errors inside such tables, as with the material warnings in error spotting.

Memory Tricks and Formulas

1. Be, being, been

Three words carry the whole system. Be in some form holds the tense, being appears only in a continuous tense, and been only in a perfect one. The third form never changes and never carries tense.

2. Copy the tense, do not compute it

Voice conversion never changes the time frame. So identify the tense of the active sentence and reproduce it in the be form, which removes the commonest source of error in the topic.

3. Check for an object before anything else

No object means no passive. That one check answers a whole category of error spotting questions on its own, and it also rules out resemble, lack, suit and befit.

4. The auxiliary follows the new subject

Once the object moves to the front it is the subject, so the auxiliary agrees with it. The problems are being solved, not is being solved, however singular the old subject was.

5. Modals do not move

Can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must and ought to all stay exactly as written. Add be for a present modal and have been for a past one.

6. Match the imperative to its tone

A bare command takes Let the door be opened. Advice takes the poor should be helped. A request takes you are requested to. Read the tone, then pick the pattern.

7. Not every passive takes by

A person who acts takes by. A feeling, a state or a substance takes something else: known to, filled with, surprised at, contained in, made of.

8. Budget the time honestly

With 1 to 2 questions in almost every paper and rules that never vary, one session on the three-word system and a second on the special types is enough. Accuracy here should approach 100 per cent.

Exam Patterns and High-Yield Facts

Frequently Confused Pairs

Repeating Question Patterns

• A tense mismatch offered among the options, usually a continuous passive for a simple active.
• An intransitive verb in a passive structure, planted in error spotting.
• The auxiliary agreed with the wrong subject.
• A modal changed during conversion.
• Who left unconverted instead of becoming by whom at the front.
• An imperative given the wrong pattern, using should be for a bare command.

Practice Set: Fifteen Questions

Convert each sentence into the other voice, or mark it as impossible to convert.

1. The carpenter built the house.
2. The girls are solving the maths problems.
3. Softtech has developed a new program.
4. The accident happened near the crossing.
5. We must respect our elders.
6. Who broke the window?
7. Please post this letter.
8. Shut the window at once.
9. The board had rejected the proposal.
10. They laughed at his suggestion.
11. The essay was written by Salim.
12. English is spoken all over the world.
13. You should have informed the office.
14. Juice fills the jar.
15. The school awarded Bhavana the first prize.

Note items four, fourteen and fifteen. One cannot be converted at all, one takes a preposition other than by, and one has two correct answers. Those three account for most of the marks lost in this topic, and none of them is about tense. Practise with the free English MCQ quizzes and full papers from the mock test archive.

Quick Revision

Active and passive voice should be one of the highest-accuracy topics in the paper, because nothing in it depends on vocabulary or judgement. The trouble comes from treating it as eight formulas to memorise, which invites exactly the tense errors that appear even in published conversion tables. So work from the three words instead. Copy the tense into the be form, add being for continuous and been for perfect, leave the third form alone, and check for an object before you begin. The topic rests on tenses for the time frames and on subject-verb agreement for the auxiliary, sits beside direct and indirect speech as the other great conversion topic, and feeds into transformation of sentences and sentence improvement. The wider set is in the topic-wise English notes.