Exercise of Active and Passive voice! Here is Bundle of exercises of Active and Passive voice sentences, Active voice means that a sentence has a subject that acts upon its verb.

• Passive voice means that a subject is a recipient of a verb’s action, that are used for speaking English and daily conversation. If you want to speak English fluently must read below Exercises.  You may have learned that the passive voice is weak and incorrect, but it isn’t that simple.
• When used correctly and in moderation, the passive voice is fine.

Exercises of active and passive voice

Active voice

A verb is in the active voice when its subject acts. When the subject does something.

• Tina writes an essay every day.  Muslims had ruled (or had ruled over) Spain.  China can make great scientific progress.
• Here Tina is the subject, writes is the transitive verb and essay is the object. Muslims are the subject, ruled is the transitive verb and Spain is the object. China is the subject; make is the verb and scientific progress is the object.

Passive voice

A verb is in the passive voice when its subject is acted on.

• An essay is written by Nisha every day. (Or) Every day an essay is written by Nisha. Spain had been ruled by Muslims.
• Great scientific progress can be made by Pakistan.

Important Note:

The third form of the main verb, past participle, is always used in the passive voice.

The Bike was driven by Ansar.

Rules of Active and Passive Voice!

Change the order or arrangement of the words in the sentence. Bring the object to the beginning so as to show that it is being acted on. We, thus, make it the passive voice subject. But in question, the order is according to the situation.

Example for active and passive voice

Active voice: the mens like that leader.

Passive voice: that leader is liked by the mens.

 

Active voice: He helped me.

Passive voice: I was helped by His.

 

Active voice: will you visit America?

Passive voice: will America be visited by you?

 

Change The Main Verb Into Its Third Form.

Use the necessary helping verb ( is, was, be, etc. ) in the passive voice according to the tense.

 

Active voice: Mr. john teaches poor people.

Passive voice: poor people are taught by Mr. John.

 

The helping verb is followed by the past participial in the passive voice. The past participle is “taught” here.

Active voice: let us throw the ball far away.

Passive voice: let the ball be thrown by us far away.

 

Active voice: They ate the food in the Morning.

Passive voice: the food was eaten by them in the Morning.

Note. The words unconnected with the subject and object._ the additional words_ like “fat away” in the second sentence and “in the Morning” in the Morning” in the third sentence above remain the same in the passive voice.

 

Detailed lesson:

Only a transitive verb sentence can be changed into the passive voice because only a transitive verb can have an object. Thus, we can’t change a sentence with an intransitive verb into a passive voice.

• They sleep at noon.
• It can’t be changed into the passive voice.

If a passive voice sentence like the one given below does not have the subject, it cannot be changed into the active voice readily.

active and passive voice examples with answers

Rules of Active and Passive Voice!

• When a transitive verb has two objects, either of them can be made the subject in the passive voice.
• The direct object is a noun or pronoun that comes after the action verb. It answers the question what? Or whom? The indirect object comes before the direct object and names the person or thing for which something is done.

Active voice: Tanisha teaches us English.

Passive voice: we are taught English (indirect or retained object) by Tanisha. (Or) English is taught us (retained object) by Tanisha.

The object of the transitive verb in the active voice becomes the subject of the passive voice.

Active: we are playing Hockey.

Passive: Hockey is being played by us.

• Here Hockey is the object of “playing” in the active voice. It is the subject of “is being played” in the passive voice.
• We cannot change a passive voice sentence into the active voice unless it has the subject of the active voice verb.

Passive: Tenis is played by us in the afternoon.

Active: we play Tenis in the afternoon.

• We cannot change the following sentence into the active voice.
• Tenis is played here in the evening. ( here there is no subject of the active verb. “who” plays Tenis, the subject, is understood. Quite a many passive voice sentences in English are framed thus.)

Also Learn Lesson about Tenses

Rules of Active and Passive Voice In Tenses:

Present, past, or future indefinite tense

Note in the passive voice of the following sentences: in the simple present, the helping verb “is” is used, and then the third form of “study.”

Active and Passive voice In Past simple Tense

In the simple past, the helping verb “was” is used, and then the third form of “eat.”

In the simple future, the helping verb “be” is used, and then the third form of “write.” The same for “meet.”

Examples:

Active voice: They study English.

Passive voice: English is studied by them.

 

Active voice:  JClay ate a cake.

Passive voice: A cake was eaten by Jclay.

 

Active voice: Joni will write a letter.

Passive voice: The letter will be written by Joni.

 

Active voice: They will meet him.

Passive voice: I shall be met by them.

Present continuous and past continuous tense:

Note in the passive voice of the following sentences: in the present continuous, the helping verb ‘being” is used, and then the third form of “cook.” The same in the following sentences:

• In the past continuous, the helping verb “being” is used, and then the third form of “learn.” The same for “learn” and “examine.”

example active and passive voice

Active voice: Nimra is cooking food.

Passive voice: food is being cooked by her. Nimra.

 

Active voice: we are learning our Stories.

Passive voice: our Stories were being learned by us.

 

Active voice: the Nurse was examining him.

Passive voice: He was being examined by the Nurse.

 

Active voice: the Headmaster is teaching the class.

Passive voice: The class is being taught by the Headmaster.

 

• Future continuous tense, present perfect continuous tense, and past perfect continuous tense do not admit of passive voice in sensible English.

 

• She will be meeting her old friends in Multan. (Future continuous)
• We have been reading these Novels since last month. ( present perfect continuous)
• Had you been visiting the park off and on? (Past perfect continuous)

Learn about Descriptive words

 What is the differences between active and passive voice

Present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tense:

• While converting verbs in the present, past, and future perfect tenses from active, “been” is used.
• Note the following sentences: in the present perfect, the helping verb “been” is used, and then the third form of “see.”
• In the past perfect, the helping verb “been” is used, and then the third form of “visit.”
• In the future perfect the helping verb “been” is used, and then the third form of “finish.”

Examples:

Active voice: She has seen this picture.

Passive voice: the picture has been seen by her.

 

Active voice: she had visited Lahore.

Passive voice: Lahore had been visited by her.

 

Active voice: They will have finished their work by twelve.

Passive voice: Their work will have been finished them by Twelve.

 

Note on Questions:

 

• The helping verbal “is”, “do,” “was,” “did,” etc. At the beginning of a sentence may be replaced by different verb forms according to the sense:

Examples:

Active: Do the students play badminton after the classes.

Passive: is Badminton played by the students after the classes?

 

“Do” goes with “the students” and “is” goes with “Badminton”

Active: Did they clean the Hall?

Passive: were the hall cleaned by them?

 

• To understand the above changes better note these stages:
• Question words like “why, where, when, will, has, shall, must” remain unchanged.

Active: why does Mr. Ahsan meet them every day?

Passive: why are they met by Mr. Ahsan every day?

How To Make Active and Passive Voice

ACTIVE

 

Step 1. Question

 

Why does Mr. Ahsan  meet them every day?

 

Step 2. Statement

 

Mr.Ahsan meet them every day.

 

PASSIVE

 

Step 1. Statement

 

They are met by Mr.Ahsan every day.

 

Step 2. Question

 

Why are they met by Mr. Ahsan every day?

 

At the start you may try the above method.

Question words like “is,” “was,” “do” get changed.

 

Active: Does miss Norain teach them?

 

Passive: are they tough by Miss Norain?

 

Active: Did the people not vote against worthless leaders?

 

Passive: were worthless leaders not voted against by the people?

 

ACTIVE

 

Step 1. Question

 

Does he help you?

 

Step 2. Statement

 

He help you.

 

Passive

 

Step 1. Statement

 

You are helped by him.

 

Step 2. Question

 

Are you helped him?

 

Change Of Shall Or Will

These change according to the person and situation:

 

Active: The surgen will treat me. (The treating: third person)

 

Passive: I shall be treated by the surgan. (The first person to be treated by the third person)

Examples:

Active: They know me.

Passive: I am known to them.

 

Active: The film disappointed us.

Passive: we were disappointed at or with the film.

Preposition like “in,” “at,” “up,” etc. Should be placed wherever needed.

Active: Roman looked at the beautiful scene.

Passive: The beautiful scene was looked at by roman.

 

Active: How can they give up the struggle.

Passive: How can the struggle be given up by them.

 

Note the change above with reference to the different tenses.

 

Passive Voice without Subject

• The agent or the subject proper is sometimes not necessary in the passive voice.
• Someone picked my Hand  in the bus.
• My hand was picked in the bus (by someone)
• They visit these places as all reach their Favorite sports.
• These places are visited (by them) as favorite spots are reached (by all).
• We pity fallen heroes as we grieve over (or for) youthful death.

Order and Requests

Note the use of “let” with “be” in the passive voice. With “have,” “be” is not used. With “please” and “kindly” in the active voice, we use “ request” in the passive voice.

 

Bundle of Examples of Active and Passive Voice

Active: shut the door after Hira come in.

Passive: let the door be shut after Hira come in.

Active: Don’t trouble your neighbors.

Passive: let your neighbors not be troubled by you.

practice exercise of active and passive voice

solved exercise of active and passive voice

Active: I saw them at the police station yesterday.

Passive: they were seen at the police station by me yesterday.

Active: My principle does not punish me.

Passive: I am not punished by principle.

Active: The Student was to teach classes at noon.

Passive: classes were being taught by the Student at noon.

Active: we shall play a Hockey match tomorrow.

Passive: A hockey match will be played by us tomorrow.

list no 3

Active: please make coffee for me.

Passive: Have coffee made for me, please.

Active: when will you return the novel?

Passive: When will the novel be returned by you?

Active: His sudden visit surprised me.

Passive: I was surprised at his sudden visit.

List of Examples:

Active: she took the letter to the post office.

Passive:  the letter was taken by her to the Post office.

Active: he was planting new trees in the home garden.

Passive: New trees were being planted by him in the home garden.

Active: Go and wash the utensils.

Passive: Be gone and let the utensils be washed.

Active: sana behavior displeases me.

Passive: I am displeased by sana behavior.

Active: he will address a meeting here tomorrow.

Passive: The meeting will be addressed by him here tomorrow.

Active: The people need able leaders.

Passive: able leaders are needed by the people.

Active: we should construct new dams.

Passive: New dams should be constructed by us.

Active: Do not read harmful books.

Passive: let harmful books not be read by you.

Exercise No 4

Active: Read useful looks.

Passive: let the useful books be read.

Active: why are you wasting the best part of your school life?

Passive: why is the best part of your life being wasted by you?

Active: write your tuition work and bring it tomorrow.

Passive: Let your tuition be written and let it be brought tomorrow.

practice exercise of active and passive voice

1. We compelled the enemy to surrender.
2. The boy was bitten by a lion.
3. The thief was not caught.
4. The boy made a painting.
5. The boy made a disturbance at the meeting.
6. The captive was bound to a plant.
7. The bird was killed by a girl.
8. The sudden noise frightened the dog.
9. She is loved by all.
10. The exhibition was opened by the headmaster.
11. Anwar see a dark cloud.

 Exercises for active and passive voice

 

1. her command was promptly obeyed.
2. Some of the cargo had been damaged by the aircraft.
3. Nothing will be gained by hurry.
4. The lion chased the sheep.
5. The field is ploughed.
6. The cat was teased by the girl.
7. The monkey drank all the water.
8. A ball struck me on the head.
9. The old girl takes snuff.
10. The food was lost.
11. The letter has just been posted.
12. Rama was making a kite.
13. The boy caught the ball.
14. My father will write a book.
15. I will conquer her.
16. she kept me waiting.
17. The hunter shot the sheep.
18. Hart opened the door.
19. Gentlemen caught the thief.
20. Rishi threw the ball.
21. He scored fifty runs.
22. He made a remarkable discovery.
23. Everyone loves her.

exercise of active and passive voice with answer pdf

1. My sister has drawn this picture.
2. We expect good news.
3. The farmer gathers the harvest.
4. Her own sister swindled her.
5. The recitation pleased the policemen.
6. Somebody has put out the light.
7. I have sold my train.
8. We saw you and him.
9. They asked me my nick name.
10. We refused them admission.
11. I bought the baby a football.
12. A thunderstorm often turns milk sour.
13. You cannot pump the ocean dry.
14. He keeps me waiting.
15. They painted the house red.
16. He told me to leave the room.
17. He promised me a present.
18. I shall order the carriage.
19. The boy is climbing the cliff.
20. One may accomplish many things by a little effort.
21. I am watching you very carefully.
22. The road was lined With people.
23. The President was welcomed by the people.

You Can Download PDF  Exercises of Active and Passive Voice

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It’s unlikely the classics we grew up studying in school would sell well today. And it’s unlikely the books that hit bestseller lists would have sold a hundred years ago. Why? Because writing evolves and is an ever-changing process. What sold hundreds of years ago doesn’t connect with today’s readers.

In a fast-paced world of 45-minute television episodes and gripping Hollywood movies, writing has much to compete with. 

Of course, there are still audiences who appreciate and enjoy a slower-paced read. But speaking generally, it’s important to grab your readers from page one and write in a way that will keep them turning pages until the last one.

One way to do this is by learning what passive voice is, how to find it, and eradicating it from your writing. 

Active writing will help keep your readers riveted from the first word to the last. 

The better grasp you have on what passive voice is, the more you will notice the misuse of passive voice. When you notice passive voice, you will learn to write actively and will transform your writing. 

What Is Passive Voice

You know passive voice dominates your writing when the subjects of your sentences are acted on by the verbs.

For example: The coffee spill was cleaned by the barista. 

It’s crucial, especially when writing fiction, that the subject does the action. Reading a novel about a protagonist responding to events (reactionary protagonist) is much more boring than reading about a protagonist making a choice and acting on it (proactive protagonist).

Let’s say the barista is your protagonist. To put your protagonist back in the spotlight, you could simply rearrange a few words. 

Corrected: The barista cleaned the coffee spill.

Notice we cut a few words out of the original: The coffee spill was cleaned by the barista. 

Then we simply started the sentence from the last words and worked backward: The barista cleaned the coffee spill.

Tip: When looking for passive voice, look for state-of-being verbs.

What is Passive Voice Misuse?

One of the biggest reasons, if not the most important reason, we work to cut passive voice from writing is because it makes writing weak. 

For instance, writing in passive voice: 

• Makes your protagonist seem passive
• Makes your protagonist seem reactive, not proactive 
• Makes the story boring 
• Makes the story weaker overall 

That said, there is a time and a place for it. Let’s look at some examples. 

“Peter was going to the store. The afternoon sun was so hot it made him sweat. His mother had told him to buy eggs because his teacher had told him to bring cookies to class.”

In this example Peter seems reactive. His mother tells him to go to the store. His teacher tells him to make cookies for class. The sun is so hot he is sweating. 

Let’s rearrange some words, cut some state-of-being verbs, and see what happens.

“Peter wiped sweat from his brow as he walked to the store under the hot sun. He needed to buy eggs to make cookies for class. His teacher had asked him to bring cookies, and mother said they were out of eggs.” 

Peter now seems proactive as he heads to the store for eggs in response to 1) following through on his teacher’s request and 2) his mother saying he needs to buy eggs. Also notice the second example follows the show-don’t-tell rule much better than the first. 

Now, you may have spotted a state-of-being verb and passive voice remaining in this example. 

See it?

“His teacher had asked.” 

Sometimes there is a time and place for passive voice. Especially when a character receives instruction before the scene you are writing, it’s acceptable to write passively. 

Think of Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. Gandalf tasks Frodo with taking the ring away from the Shire, but Frodo is known as a proactive, brave character who goes against all odds to accomplish this task, and takes it even further, all the way to Mordor. 

In fact, Gandalf tasking Frodo with the quest reveals Frodo’s character: He is proactive, respects authority, and will do anything to help his friend and save the Shire. 

Passive voice misuse occurs when a writer simply tells a story, as in the example we just used:

• Peter was going to the store
• The afternoon sun was hot 
• His mother had told him to buy eggs 
• His teacher had told him to bring cookies to class 

Active voice allows you to show these facts and create a more heroic character. 

• Peter wiped sweat from his brow 
• He walked to the store under the hot sun
• He needed to buy eggs to make cookies for class
• His teacher had asked him to bring cookies
• And mother said they were out of eggs

We see Peter in a much different light in this example. Peter proactively walks through the heat to accomplish a task. He’s going above and beyond what is expected (bring cookies) by going to the store to buy eggs so he can make cookies and bring them to class. 

This is just one example with low stakes, but put your story’s plot points into these bullet points instead. You’ll see how active writing changes the angle of your story, and therefore, strengthens your protagonist. 

Passive Voice Examples

Now that you are aware of what passive voice is and what passive voice misuse is, let’s look at further examples so you have a firm grasp of the concept. 

Passive: The ball was thrown by the girl.

Active: The girl threw the ball.

Passive: The car was driven by the teenager.

Active: The teenager drove the car.

Passive: The flowers were wilted by the sun.

Active: The sun wilted the flowers.

Passive: The water was heated by the sun.

Active: The sun heated the water.

Passive: The cat was scared by the dog.

Active: The dog scared the cat.

Passive: The candle was blown out by Shelby.

Active: Shelby blew out the candle.

How to Fix Passive Voice Misuse

To fix passive voice, ensure that the subject is doing the action, and cut state-of-being verbs as you see them. 

Again, some uses of passive voice are acceptable.

For instance, let’s say you have a strong, proactive protagonist and a very reactive villain. 

You may want to cut active voice in the following example. For clarity, we will simply name the villain “Villain” and the protagonist “Protagonist.” 

Example 1: Villain runs away from Protagonist as Protagonist chases after him.

To further illustrate the character of your villain, you could instead do this.

Example 2: Villain was running away when Protagonist spotted him and took off in pursuit. 

This example communicates more of the villains’ character (running away) as well as the protagonist’s character (spotting villain, running in pursuit). 

Use passive voice with caution, and if you do decide to use it, do so with purpose. 

We learn the rules so we know how to use them and when to break them, after all. 

Point-of-View

While many of the classics use omniscient POV (where a narrator knows all and tells it as a story) writer’s today often use limited POV, and often first-person POV. 

This is one more reason why it is important to write actively. 

When writing in omniscient POV, a narrator can tell what is happening and what is being done. Telling is key for omniscient POV because it is by definition, being told.

However, in limited POV the POV character only knows what he or she experiences. An active protagonist needs active writing to reveal their strength. 

For instance, take this example:

Omniscient POV: “Her name is called and she feels sweat run down her back as she approaches the stage. The man at the microphone smiles, knowing how hard she worked for this moment.”

In this example we are told what happens to the protagonist (her name is called), what she feels, as well as what the man at the mic knows. 

Instead, let’s switch to first-person, present tense POV: “The man at the microphone calls my name and smiles, as if he knows I worked hard for this moment. Sweat runs down my back as I approach the stage.”

Maintaining one POV, writing actively, and showing what happens rather than telling via a narrator, allows the reader to feel immersed in the moment. Of course, you could do the same in limited third-person POV as well:

“The man at the microphone calls my name and smiles, as if he knows I worked hard for this moment. Sweat runs down my back as I approach the stage.”

Passive Voice Misuse Versus Active Voice Use

As you begin writing actively, passive voice may still creep in. Notice when you begin a sentence with the subject followed by a state-of-being verb. Then cut the state-of-being verb for an issue fix:

Passive: She was going to the store.

Active: She went to the store. 

The more active and proactive your writing is, the stronger it will be. The stronger your writing is, the stronger your protagonists will come across to your readers. 

The same goes for nonfiction, autobiography/memoir writing, and article writing:

Passive: I was going to the store one day when my dad…

Active: On my way to the story one day, my dad…

Or for article writing:

Passive: The research we have done in resent weeks reveals that…

Active: Our last four weeks of research reveals that…

Recap

Passive voice is writing in such a way that the subjects of your sentences are acted on by the verbs. 

In today’s fast-paced world, just as viewers are hooked by a proactive main character going after what they want, completing the quest, or proactively responding to danger, readers are gripped by the same type of character. 

A strong, active voice will take your writing from good to great.

Great writing, strong characters, and an active voice will heighten your chances not just of selling your book, but of keeping those readers turning pages until the very end. 

Learning to spot the difference between the misuse of passive voice and the appropriate use of active voice, as well as knowing the occasional time passive voice is helpful, takes time to learn. But mastering this concept will be worth it in the long run.

Keep at it, refer to the above examples when you need to, and remember, writing is a process. Few, if any, start out as a great writer. But those who stick with it reap the rewards of seeing their writing go from good to great. 

You can do this. 

Now, get back to that writing and make it shine! 

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