Verbal Ability - Active & Passive Voice

Active Voice

In Active Voice, the one doing the action is mentioned as the subject and is given more importance, whereas the other one just participating in the action is mentioned as an object and given lesser importance.

For Example

Rajat spoke to Ramesh tonight. (Here, Rajat is doing the action of speaking, so he is the subject; Ramesh is only participating in the action, so he is an object.)

Passive Voice

Although most of the sentences are written in Active form, there are certain situations when people opt for passive sentences. Such cases happen when the doer of the action is either unidentified or doesn’t want to be identified. It also is used when the participant is more important than the doer of the action.

For Example

  • My car was stolen last night (You don’t know the identity of the thief)

  • He was fired from the job (The guy who fired him doesn’t want to be identified)

  • The Captain was praised for his performance (The ones praising are not as important here as the captain)

Present Tenses

  • When a sentence in present tense becomes passive, we use “am, is, are” with the object of the sentence. The action changes from simple present to past participle.

  • In present progressive, we use the be-form (am, are, is) that’s suitable to the object along with “being”. The action word is changed from progressive to past participle form.

  • In present perfect, we use “have, has” with “been” with the object. The action word remains in past participle form.

  • In present perfect progressive, we use “been being” with the object. The action word remains in past participle form.

Simple Present

  • He picks me up at 10.

    I am picked up at 10

Present Progressive

  • I am speaking with him.

    He is being spoken with.

Present Perfect

  • He has given her all the instructions.

    She has been given all the instructions.

Present Perfect Progressive

  • I have been meeting him for a long time.

    He has been being met for a long time.

Past Tenses

  • When a sentence in past tense becomes passive, we use “was, were” with the object of the sentence. The action word is changed from progressive to past participle form.

  • In past progressive, we use the be-form (was, were) that’s suitable to the object along with “being”. The action word is changed from progressive to past participle form.

  • In past perfect, we use “had” and “been” with the object. The action word remains in past participle form.

  • In past perfect progressive, we use “been” and “being” together. The action word remains in past participle form.

Simple Past

  • He gave me the right advice.

    I was given the right advice.

Past Progressive

  • I was talking to him

    He was being talked to.

Past Perfect

  • I had informed him about it earlier.

    He had been informed about it earlier.

Past Perfect Progressive

  • I had been meeting the children for twenty years.

    The children had been being met for twenty years.

Future Tense

  • When a sentence in future tense becomes passive, we use “will be” with the object of the sentence. The action will convert from simple present form to past participle form.

  • In future progressive, we use the be-form (was, were) that’s suitable to the object along with “being”. The action word is changed from progressive to past participle form.

  • In future perfect, we use “had” and “been” with the object. The action word remains in past participle form.

Simple Future

  • I will speak to him.

    He will be spoken to.

Future Progressive

  • He will be meeting Sarah next week.

    Sarah will be being met next week.

Future Perfect

  • He will have gifted Rajesh the watch by now.

    Rajesh will have had been gifted the watch by now.

Future Perfect Progressive

  • He will have been talking to the Principal.

    The Principal will have been being talked to.

verbal_ability_active_passive_voice.htm