Voice/passive voice/how to change active voice into passive/rules for changing voice

 

What is Voice?

Voice shows who does the action (subject) and who receives it (object).

• Active Voice: The subject does the action. It’s direct and lively.
• Passive Voice: The object receives the action, and the subject is less important or unknown. It’s formal or mysterious.

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Rules for Active Voice

Structure: Subject + Verb + Object (if there’s an object).
When to Use:

1. Focus on Doer: When who does it matters most.
2. Simple and Clear: For everyday talking or writing.
3. Actions Now: To show what’s happening directly.
4. Stories: To keep things exciting.
5. Instructions: To tell someone what to do.
6. Natural Flow: When it feels normal to say it this way.

Examples:

1. "I kick the ball." (Focus on me)
2. "She eats dal bhat." (Simple)
3. "He paints the house." (Action now)
4. "The dog chased the cat." (Story)
5. "You write your name." (Instruction)
6. "They play football." (Natural)

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Rules for Passive Voice

Structure: Object + Auxiliary Verb (am/is/are, was/were, be) + Past Participle + (by + Subject, optional).
When to Use:

1. Focus on Receiver: When what’s done matters more than who did it.
2. Unknown Doer: When we don’t know or care who did it.
3. Formal Writing: For official or polite sentences.
4. Hide the Doer: To avoid saying who’s responsible.
5. Scientific Tone: To sound objective or technical.
6. Emphasis on Action: To highlight the result, not the person.

Examples:

1. "The ball is kicked (by me)." (Focus on ball)
2. "The room was cleaned." (Unknown doer)
3. "The letter is written by her." (Formal)
4. "Mistakes were made." (Hides doer)
5. "The experiment was conducted." (Scientific)
6. "The song is sung beautifully." (Action emphasized)

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How to Change Active to Passive

Steps:

1. Move the object to the start (it becomes the new subject).
2. Add the right form of "to be" (am/is/are, was/were, etc.) based on tense.
3. Use the past participle of the main verb (e.g., eat → eaten).
4. Add "by + original subject" (optional, if needed).
5. Adjust tense to match the active sentence.

Examples by Tense:

• Present Simple: "I write a letter." → "A letter is written (by me)."
• Present Continuous: "She is cooking rice." → "Rice is being cooked (by her)."
• Present Perfect: "They have painted the wall." → "The wall has been painted (by them)."
• Past Simple: "He kicked the ball." → "The ball was kicked (by him)."
• Past Continuous: "We were singing songs." → "Songs were being sung (by us)."
• Future Simple: "I will finish the work." → "The work will be finished (by me)."

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How to Change Passive to Active

Steps:

1. Move the subject (if mentioned after "by") to the start. If no "by," guess the doer.
2. Remove "to be" and the past participle.
3. Use the base verb in the right tense.
4. Place the original object after the verb.
5. Match the tense from the passive sentence.

Examples by Tense:

• Present Simple: "The room is cleaned (by her)." → "She cleans the room."
• Present Continuous: "The cake is being baked." → "Someone is baking the cake."
• Present Perfect: "The homework has been done (by him)." → "He has done the homework."
• Past Simple: "The book was read (by them)." → "They read the book."
• Past Continuous: "The house was being painted." → "Someone was painting the house."
• Future Simple: "The game will be won (by us)." → "We will win the game."

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Key Differences

• Active: Doer first, action clear. (e.g., "Ravi kicks the ball.")
• Passive: Receiver first, doer optional. (e.g., "The ball is kicked by Ravi.")
• Word Order: Active is shorter; Passive adds "be" and "by."
• Focus: Active highlights who; Passive highlights what.

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Teaching Tips for Kids

1. Act It Out: Kids kick a ball and say, “I kick it” (active), then “It is kicked” (passive).
2. Nepali Examples: “I cook momo” → “Momo is cooked.” Relate to their food or chores.
3. Who’s the Star?: Ask, “Who matters—the person or the thing?” (e.g., "She writes a song" vs. "A song is written.")
4. Sentence Swap Game: Write active sentences (e.g., "He paints the house"), kids make them passive ("The house is painted").
5. Story Time: Tell a tale—“The king built a palace” (active) becomes “A palace was built” (passive).
6. Chart It: Draw two columns—Active: “I eat rice” | Passive: “Rice is eaten.”

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More Examples for Practice

• Active to Passive:
  • "The teacher explains the lesson." → "The lesson is explained (by the teacher)."
  • "They are building a bridge." → "A bridge is being built (by them)."
  • "We will plant trees." → "Trees will be planted (by us)."
• Passive to Active:
  • "The food was cooked (by her)." → "She cooked the food."
  • "The room has been cleaned." → "Someone has cleaned the room."
  • "The game was being played." → "They were playing the game."