Active and Passive Voice Sentences: Meaning, Formation, Examples, Types and Functions in English

 

Active and Passive Voice Sentences: Meaning, Formation, Examples, Types and Functions in English

• Active and Passive Voice Sentences Background:

The difference between Active and Passive Voice sentences in English grammar is the way in which the head word (subject) of a sentence is linked to the action expressed by the verb. In any Active Voice sentence, the head word performs the action described by the main verb. For instance, "Mathew threw the stone." In this sentence:

• Mathew is the subject.
• He is performing the action of throwing the stone.

In a Passive voice sentence, the head word of the sentence is being acted upon by the main verb.

For Example: The stone was thrown by Mathew.

In this sentence:

The stone is the (subject) and it is being acted upon by the action of being thrown. The agent of the action, Mathew is often included in a passive voice sentence using the preposition "by."

choosing between Active and Passive voice can affect the emphasis of a sentence and the information that is most disclosed. In an Active voice sentence, the focus is on the subject and the action that it is performing. While in Passive voice, the focus is on the object and the action being done to it. Passive voice sentences can be useful for making a sentence less direct like shifting the focus from the agent of the action to the recipient of the action.

• Meaning and Formation of Active Voice Sentence:

An Active voice sentence is the one, where the Subject of the sentence is performing the action expressed by the verb. In any Active voice sentence, the Subject is commonly the "Doer" of the action. Hence, the sentence is formed so that the Subject is placed before the verb, and the verb is typically in its basic form.

For Instance consider the following sentence:

• The dog chased the passer by.
• Here, "dog" is the Subject of the sentence and "chased" is the verb. So in this sentence, the Subject is performing the action of chasing the passer by.

Moreover, Active voice sentences are thought to be more direct than the sentences written in Passive voice. They are also tend to be more concise and easier to understand which makes them a good choice for clear and concise conversation.

• Meaning and Formation of Passive Voice Sentences:

In Passive voice sentences, the Subject is always the (receiver) of the action Rather than the (doer).

The sentence is formulated so that the head word follows the verb and the verb is in its passive form.

For example:

Analyze this sentence: "The dog was chased by the lion".

• The [cat] is the subject of the sentence
• And [was chased] is the passive verb form. Here, the Subject is being acted upon by the action of being 'chased', rather than performing the action.

Moreover, the formation of Passive voice sentences usually entertains the use of the helping verbs "to be" followed by the Past Participle form of the main verb.

For example:

• "The cup was thrown", is a Passive voice sentence which was formed from the Active voice sentence "Someone threw the cup."

For emphasizing on the recipient of the action, Passive voice sentences are important. Also, for avoiding direct attribution of responsibility for the action. However, Passive voice sentences also make more complex and less-concise so it is important to use them intelligently.

• Examples of Active and Passive Voice Sentences in English

Here is a list of Active voice sentences being converted into Passive voice sentences with their explanation of transformation:

Active Voice:

• The doctor cooked the meal.

Passive Voice:

• The meal was cooked by the doctor.

Explanation:

In the first Active voice sentence, the subject "doctor" is performing the action "cooked." While converting this sentence into Passive voice, the subject "meal" is placed before the helping verb "was". The verb "cooked" is changed into the Past Participle form "cooked." The agent of the action, the doctor, is included using the preposition "by."

Active Voice:

• The teacher bought the papers.

Passive Voice:

• The papers were bought by the teacher.

Explanation:

As in the Active voice sentence, the subject "teacher" is performing the action "bought." To convert this sentence into Passive voice, the subject "papers" is placed before the auxiliary verb "were" and the verb "bought" is changed to the Past Participle form "bought." The agent of the action, the teacher, is included using the preposition "by."

Active Voice:

• The boy broke the mirror.

Passive Voice:

• The mirror was broken by the boy.

Explanation:

The subject "boy" is performing the action "broke." So to convert this sentence into passive voice, the subject "mirror" is placed before the helping verb "was" and the verb "broke" is changed to the Past Participle form "broken." The agent of the action, the boy, is included using the preposition "by."

Active Voice:

• The company hired a new peon.

Passive Voice:

• A new peon was hired by the company.

Explanation:

In the first sentence, the subject "company" is performing the action "hired." So to convert this sentence into Passive voice, the object "a new peon" is placed before the helping verb "was" and the verb "hired" is changed to the Past Participle form "hired." The agent of the action, the company, is included using the preposition "by."

• More Functions of Active and Passive Voice According to English Tenses

Simple Present Tense:

• Active:
• The sun sets in the West.
• Passive:
• In the West, the sun is set.

Simple Past Tense:

• Active:
• The cat chased the hen.
• Passive:
• The hen was chased by the cat.

Present Continuous Tense:

• Active:
• They are playing cricket.
• Passive:
• Cricket is being played by them.

Simple Future Tense:

• Active:
• The boy will call You.
• Passive:
• You will be called tomorrow.

Past Continuous Tense:

• Active:
• The cat was chasing the bird.
• Passive:
• The bird was being chased by the cat.

Notes are available in pdf form