Class VII

Lesson 13
Active and Passive Voice
When the subject does the action in a sentence, the sentence is said to
be in the active voice.
When the subject is being acted upon in a sentence, the sentence is
said to be in the passive voice.
A. Rewrite these sentences according to the instructions.
1. Who wrote this book?

By whom this book was written.

2. The tall man created a distur bance at the meeting.

A disturbance was created by a tall man.

3. The dog was hit by a naughty boy.

A naughty boy hit the dog.

4. He will be elected monitor by the class.

The class will elect him as a monitor.

5. He was known to be a kind man.

The people knew him to be a kind man.

6. He was appointed Principal.

They appointed him as a Principal.

7. Hari opened the door.

The door was opened by Hari.

8. We prohibit smoking.

Smoking is prohibited by us.

9. Keats wrote the poem ‘Ode to Autumn’.

The poem ‘Ode to Autumn’ was written by Keats.

10. We elected him leader.
He was elected leader by us.
B. Change these sentences into passive voice.
1. Columbus discovered America.

America was discovered by Columbus.

2. Who cleaned the garden?

The garden was cleaned by whom?

3. Shut the door.

Let the door be shut.

4. They are reading books.

Books are being read by them.

5. I will paint the gate.

Gate will be painted by me.

6. Somebody broke the pots yesterday.

Pots were broken by someone yesterday.

7. He sings a song.

A song was sang by him.

8. The man rescued a snake.

A snake was rescued by a man.

9. They caught him.

He was caught by them.

10. Farmers sow rice in the rainy season.

In rainy season rice is sown by the farmers.

11. Are you painting a picture?

Is a picture being painted by you?

12. The labourers were digging a well.

A well was dig by labourers.

13 to 16 will be homework.
C. Rewrite theses sentences so that the verbs are in the
active voice.
 1. We were taught history by Mr Ghosh.

Mr Ghosh taught us history.

2. She was praised by the teacher.

Teacher praised her.

3. The injured were taken to hospital by the rescue team.

Rescue team took the injured to the hospital.

4. The city was destroyed by the land slide.

A landslide destroyed a city.

5. My muffin has been eaten.

Somebody has eaten my muffin.

6. The building was damaged by the earthquake.

The earthquake damaged the building.

7. By whom were you taught swimming?

Who taught you swimming?

8. You will be given a ticket by the bus conductor.

Bus Conductor will give you a ticket.

9. The stadium was thronged by spectators.

Spectators thronged the stadium.

10. We will be encouraged by everyone.

Everyone will encourage us.

11. The trees were uprooted by the strong wind.

Strong wind uprooted the trees.

12. The thieves were caught by the police.

Police caught the thieves.

13. The letter was written by the Principal.

Principal wrote the letter.

14. The parents were received by the senior students.

Senior students received the parents.

15. The deer was killed by the hunter.

The hunter killed the deer.

16. The minister was welcomed by the party members.

The party members welcomed the minister.

17. He was found guilty of kidnapping.

They found him guilty of kidnapping.

18 to 22 will be homework.

Active and Passive Voice Exercises for Class 8 With

Answers CBSE PDF – English Grammar
Active Voice
In active voice, the sentence begins with the performer (Subject) of the action and
the object is at the end of the sentence as it is acted upon.
This means ‘subject’ is of prime importance or is ‘active’ in the sentence.
Hence, the structure is (Subject + Verb + Object)
e.g.

1. Saleem loves Noorjahan.

2. Some girls were helping the wounded women.

The ‘verb’ should be in accordance with ‘subject’ in active voice.

Passive Voice
In passive voice, the sentence begins with the ‘object’ and the ‘subject’ is at the end.
Hence here ‘object’ is given more importance and ‘the subject’ is ‘passive’, .
e.g.

1. Noorjahan is loved by Saleem.

2. The wounded woman were being helped by some
girls. –

The ‘verb’ should be in accordance with ‘object’ in passive voice.

Change of Tense in Active and Passive Voice

Changing of Active Voice into Passive Voice

Present Tense
Simple Present Tense
Active
Passive
e.g.

1. She plucks flowers from the plant. (Active Voice)

Flowers are plucked from the plant by her. Passive Voice )
2. Madhur offers her a flower. Active Voice)
She is offered a flower by Madhur. (Passive Voice)
 3. Do they perform fine arts? (Active Voice)
Are fine arts performed by them? (Passive Voice)
4. What does she ask? (Active Voice)
What is asked by her? (Passive Voice)
5. Where does Ankit search the book? (Active Voice)
Where is the book searched by Ankit? (Passive Voice)

Present Continuous Tense

Active + + + +
Passive + + + + +

1. Vaibhav is making a loud noise. (Active Voice)

A loud noise is being made by Vaibhav. (Passive Voice)
2. The jury are announcing the results in a few minutes. (Active Voice)
The results are being announced by the jury in a few minutes. (Passive
Voice)
3. She is not heeding his instructions. (Active Voice)
His instructions are not being heeded by her.(Passive Voice)
4. What is Tanvi doing? (Active Voice)
What is being done by Tanvi(Passive Voice)
5. When are Mr and Mrs Desai inaugurating their new factory? (Active
Voice)
When is their new factory being inaugurated by Mr and Mrs Desai?
(Passive Voice)

Present Perfect Tense

Active S + have/has + V3 + O
Passive O + have/has + been + V3 + by + S

1. Arpita has forgotten’his name. (Active Voice)

His name has been forgotten by Arpita. (Passive Voice)
2. The editor has strongly criticised his opinions. (Active Voice)
His opinions have been strongly criticised by the editor. (Passive Voice)
3. Have they won the match? (Active Voice)
Has the match been won by them? (Passive Voice)
4. Where has Sagarika studied law? (Active Voice)
Where has law been studied by Sagarika? (Passive Voice)
5. How many marks has Shaily scored? (Active Voice)
How many marks have been scored by Shaily? (Passive Voice)

Past Tense
Simple Past Tense
Active S + V2 + O
Passive O + was/were + V3 + by + S

1. Too many cooks spoiled the broth. (Active Voice)

The broth was spoilt / spoiled by too many cooks. (Passive Voice)
2. The detectives concotted a plan in order to unveil the clues.
(Active Voice)
 A plan was connected in order to unveil the clues by the
detectives (Passive Voice)
3. Nobody believed their fake stories. (Active Voice)
Their fake stories were believed by nobody. (Passive Voice)
4. Did you see my watch some where? (Active Voice)
Was my watch seen somewhere by you? (Passive Voice)
5. Which diary did Manpreet give you? (Active Voice)
Which diary was given you by Manpreet? (Passive Voice)

Past Continuous Tense

Active S + was/were + V1 + ing + O
Passive O + was/were + being + V3 + by + S

1. The strife torn Sri Lanka was facing a great trouble at that time. (Active
Voice)
A great trouble was being faced at that time by the strife torn Sri
Lanka. (Passive Voice)
2. She was reading a novel of Kate Thompson (Active Voice)
A novel of Kate Thompson was being read by her.(Passive Voice)
3. Kunal was attending the guests at the party last night.(Active Voice)
The guests were being attended at the party last night by Kunal.
Or
The guests were being attended by Kunal at the party last night.
(Passive Voice)
4. What were they discussing? (Active Voice)
What was being discussed by them? (Passive Voice)
5. Where was the road leading you? (Active Voice)
Where were your being led by the road? (Passive Voice)

Past Perfect Tense

Active S + had + V3 + O
Passive O + had been + V3 +by + S

1. I had watched the movie earlier.(Active Voice)

The movie had been watched earlier by me. (Passive Voice)
2. Sofia had informed the police of the incident.(Active Voice)
The police had been informed of the incident by Sofia.(Passive Voice)
3. The prince had never seen the princess earlier.(Active Voice)
The princess had never been seen earlier by the prince.
(Passive Voice)
4. She had sorted all the documents before uncle asked her to do
so. (Active Voice)
All the documents had been sorted by her before uncle asked her to do
so. (Passive Voice)
5. Who had guided them to that place?(Active Voice)
By whom had they been guided to that place?(Passive Voice)

Future Tense
Simple Future Tense
Active S + shall/will + V1 + O
Passive O + shall/will + be + V3 + by + S

1. God will shower his blessings on us one day. (Active Voice)

His blessing will be showered on us one day by God. (Passive Voice)
2. I think, they will compel him to surrender. (Active Voice)
I think, he will be compelled to surrender by them. (Passive Voice)
3. Who will win the 2015 World Cup?(Active Voice)
By whom will the 2015 World Cup be won? (Passive Voice)
4. Arjit will never forgive Rinnie for her blunder. (Active Voice)
Rinnie will never be forgiven for her blunder by Arjit. (Passive Voice)
5. Why will they allow you to enter? (Active Voice)
Why will you be allowed to enter by them? (Passive Voice)

Future Perfect Tense

Active S + shall/will + have + V3 + O
Passive 0+ shall/will + have + been + V3 + by +S

1. By this afternoon, you will have realised my importance. (Active Voice)

My importance will have been realised by you, by this afternoon.
(Passive Voice)
2. I will have owned my Audi one day. (Active Voice)
My Audi will have been owned one day by me. (Passive Voice)
3. Our scientists will have invented a device for artificial sleep in
future. (Active Voice)
A device for artificial sleep will have been invented in future by our
scientists (Passive Voice)
4. What will Saket have achieved in coming ten years? (Active Voice)
What will have been achieved by Saket in coming ten
years? (Passive Voice)
5. Who will have received him at the station? (Active Voice)
By whom will be have been received at the station? (Passive Voice)

Changing Active into Passive Voice of Imperative Sentences

Imperative sentences are of three types
Orders/Commands
e.g.

1. Open the door.

2. Follow my instructions.
3. Stop the car, at once.

In such sentences ‘let’ is used to change into passive voice. It is followed by ‘object’
and ‘be + V3’ as follows

1. Let the door be opened.

2. Let my instructions be followed.
3. Let the car be stopped, at once.
Requests
If, in above sentences, ‘please’ is added, they become ‘requests’.
The passive voice of such sentences is begun with ‘You are requested to
e.g.

1. Please, open the door. (Active Voice)

You are requested to open the door. (Passive Voice)
2. Please, help me in my work. (Active Voice)
You are requested to help me in my work. (Passive Voice)
3. Please, stand in a queue. (Active Voice)
Your are requested to stand in a queue. (Passive Voice)

Advices
e.g.

1. Help the poor.

2. Love children.
3. Respect your elders.

These sentences actually mean,

‘You should help the poor’, ……. etc. Hence, their passive voice is done.

1. The poor should be helped, (by you)

2. Children should be loved.
3. Your elders should be respected.

Note: the verbs which are used ‘transitively’ can only be changed into passive voice.
Intransitive verbs can not be changed into passive voice as they do not contain any
object.
In passive voice, since ‘object’ is more important and the sentence starts with it, the
verb must be in accordance with it.
e.g.

1. Naina likes movies.

2. Naina and Riya like movies.

In the first sentence, ‘subject’ is singular and in the second sentence, ‘subject’ is
plural. But irrespective of that the passive voice of both the sentences will be Movies
are liked by

Chapter Practice

Question 1:
Change the following sentences to passive voice.

1. She sings a song.

2. Help Suhani.
 3. Are you writing a letter?
4. I will finish the task before the evening.
5. The boy killed the ant.
6. They took all the necessary precautions.
7. They have informed him of his mother’s death,
8. The students did some research on the topic.
9. The car hit the dog.
10. The dolphins have learned many tricks.

Answer:

1. A song is sung by her.

2. Let Suhani be helped.
3. Is a letter being written by you?
4. The task will be finished before the evening.
5. The ant was killed by the boy.
6. All the necessary precautions were taken by them.
7. He has been informed of his mother’s death,
8. Some research on the topic has been done by the students.
9. The dog was hit by the car.
10. Many tricks have been learnt by the dolphins.

Question 2:
Change the following sentences to active voice.

1. The guitar was played by Lisa.

2. The book is being read by Mary.
3. The rat is eaten by the cat.
4. A washing machine has been bought by him.
5. The lucky draw will be won by him.
6. A stone was being thrown by the man.
7. The door had been locked by someone.
8. A seat was offered to them by her.
9. Some trees have been planted by the gardener.
10. Some advice will be given to you by the doctor.

Answer:

1. Lisa played the guitar.

2. Mary is reading the book.
3. The cat eats the rat.
4. He has bought a washing machine.
5. He will win the lucky draw.
6. The man was throwing a stone.
7. Someone had locked the door.
8. She offered them a seat.
9. The gardener has planted some trees.
10. Doctor will give you some advice.
Question 3:
Decide whether the sentences are written in active voice or passive voice.

1. I love Kane. (Active/Passive)

2. The game had been won by the blue team. (Active/Passive)
3. The letter was written by Marshall. (Active/Passive)
4. Thomas feeds the dog. (Active/Passive)
5. Julie answered the question. (Active/Passive)
6. Someone is repairing that instrument. (Active/Passive)
7. The assignment has been finished by me. (Active/Passive)
8. They will advertise the product on television. (Active/Passive)
9. I have sold my bicycle. (Active/Passive)
10. I was not given the keys. (Active/Passive)

Answer:

1. Active
2. Passive
3. Passive
4. Active
5. Active
6. Active
7. Passive
8. Active
9. Active
10. Passive

Question 4:
Choose the correct option from the given set of options.

1. “The guitar is played by Lisa.” The sentence is in

(a) Simple Present (Active)
(b) Simple Present (Passive)
(c) Simple Present (Passive)
(d) Simple Past (Passive)
2. “The book is being……by me”.
(a) read
(b) reading
(c) reads
(d) do read
3. Passive voice of the sentence“The cat eats the rat” is
(a) The rat was eaten by the cat
(b) The rat was being eaten by the cat
(c) The rat is being eaten by the cat
(d) The rat is eaten by the cat
4. “A washing machine has been bought by me.” The sentence is in
(a) Present Perfect Continuous (Active)
(b) Present Perfect (Active)
 (c) Present Perfect (Passive)
(d) Present Perfect Continuous (Passive)
5. Lucky draw………. be won by him.
(a) shall
(b) will
(c) shall
(d) will have
6. A stone……… being thrown by him last day.
(a) was
(b) is
(c) is
(d) were
7. “The door had been locked by them”. The sentence is in
(a) Past Perfect (Active)
(b) Past Perfect Continuous (Active)
(c) Past Perfect Continuous (Passive)
(d) Past Perfect (Passive)
8. Passive voice of the sentence. “She offered thepi a seat” is
(a) They are offered, a seat by she
(b) They are offered a seat by her
(c) A seat is offered to them by her
(d) A seat was offered to them by her
9. Passive voice of the sentence “Thomas feeds the dog” is
(a) The dog was fed by him
(b) The dog is fed by him
(c) The dog was fed by Thomas
(d) The dog is fed by Thomas
10. Which tense not have Passive voice
(a) Simple Present
(b) Simple Future
(c) Past Continuous
(d) Past Perfect Continuous
11. The gardener has planted some trees. (Active)
Some trees……… planted by the gardener. (Passive)
(a) has been
(b) have been
(c) had been
(d) were
12. “Some advice will be given to you by the doctor”. The sentence is in
(a) Simple Present (Active)
(b) Simple Future (Active)
(c) Simple Future (Passive)
(d) Simple Present (Passive)
13. “The match has…….. abandoned due to rain”.
(a) be
(b) been
(c) being
(d) None of these
14. “A mango is……. eaten by the boys”.
(a) be
 (b) been
(c) being
(d) None of these
15. “The ground will.’…..ready in two days”.
(a) be
(b) been
(c) being
(d) None of these
16. Active voice of the sentence “Some advice will be given to you by the
doctor”.
(a) Doctor will give you some advice
(b) Doctor shall give you some advice
(c) Doctor has to give you some advice
(d) Doctor had to give you some advice
17. I love apples (Active)
Apples is loved by me. (Passive)
The change of voice is
(a) correct
(b) incorrect
(c) voice can’t say
(d) Can’t say
18. The team had won the game. (Active)
The game had been won by the team. (Passive)
The change of voice is
(a) correct
(b) Incorrect
(c) voice can’t be changed
(d) can’t say
19. Julie answered the questions. (Active)
The questions…. answered by Julie.(Passive)
(a) are
(b) have been
(c) were
(d) None of these
20. Someone is repairing the instrument. (Active)
The instrument is being repaired by someone.(Passive)
The change of voice is
(a) correct
(b) incorrect
(c) voice can’t be changed
(d) can’t say

Answer:

1. (b) Simple Present-Passive

2. (a) read
3. (d) The rat is eaten by the cat
4. (c) Present Perfect-Passive
5. (b) will
6. (a) was
7. (d) Past Perfect-Passive
8. (d) A seat was offered to them by her
9. (d) The dog is fed by Thomas
10. (d) Past Perfect Continuous
11. (b) have been
12. (c) Simple Future-Passive
13. (b) been
14. (c) being
15. (a) be
16. (a) Doctor will give you some advice
17. (b) Incorrect
18. (a) correct
19. (c) were
20. (a) correct