Change the voice: ‘Nobody trust a traitor’

Lesson 1 : An Introduction

Read the following question and the answer :

Read the sentences in column A and compare each of them with column B. Discuss in pairs what differences you can see in the two sentences of the same row.

Although the two sentences in the same row express the same meaning, their structures are different. Have you noticed that once the doer is focused and once the action? There are two types of voice in English active and passive. When the doer is focused, we use active voice and when the action is focused, we use passive voice.

There are some rules for active and passive voices. Look at them :

1. The subject (e.g. I, he, Bashir, we, the mother in the previous activity) of the verbs in column A become the objects (me, him, Bashir, us, the mother) in column B.

2. The main verbs (e.g. compose, eat, help, know, feed) become past participle (composed, eaten, helped, known, fed)

3. Auxiliary verb 'be' (am, is, are, was, were) is used before the past participles in each sentence according to the tense of the verbs. You will see later that auxiliary verbs such as have, has, had, has been, have been, had been, is being, am being, are being, was being, were being, will be, can be, will be being, etc. are used before the past participle.

4. Usually 'by' is used before the object of the passive sentences.

Read the text and underline the passive sentences.
Bangla is our mother tongue. We take pride in it. On 21st February, 1952, our valiant sons laid down their lives for the cause of establishing our mother tongue as state language. To commemorate their sacrifice, the day was declared as international Mother Language Day in 1999 by UNESCO. International Mother Language Day is celebrated worldwide every year of 21st February. The main purpose of celebrating this day is to promote the awareness of language and cultural diversity all over the world.
International Mother Language Day is celebrated to remember the martyrs who were killed for our mother language. The day is also celebrated to convey the message of their sacrifice to the next generation.

Now, compare your underlined sentences and discuss their uses with your partner.

Change the following sentences to passive. Follow the structure: Subject + be verb + past participle + by + object. One is done for you.

1. I did the work (The work was done by me)
2. The girl is singing a song.
3. We ate our meal.
4. The boys are playing tennis.
5. They draw pictures.

Read the following sentences and think if the sentences can be transformed into passives. Discuss with your friend why it is possible or not possible to change them into passive:

1. He is a student.
2. I have a pencil.
3. Sonargaon is an old city.

Note : Only sentences with 'action verbs' (verbs which indicate some work or action) can be changed to passives. But sentences with stative verbs which indicate some condition like be, have, cannot be changed into passive form.

Lesson 2 : Voice of Present Tenses

Active: I write an application. 

Passive: An application is written by me.

Structure: Subject + be verbs (am, is, are)+ past participle of the main verb + by + object

Now, change the following sentences into passive :

1. We read novels.
2. Najibur pulls the cart.
3. My mother tells me a story.
4. We love our country.
5. The fisherman catches fish in the river.

Present indefinite questions & negatives

Look at the table below to understand the change of active to passive :

Work in pairs to change the following questions to passives. Follow the passive structure Do/does/what/why/ + auxiliary verb + not (if the sentence is negative) + past participle + by + object.

     a) Do you like tea?
     b) Doesn't mother cook rice pudding?
     c) Why do they like you?
     d) When does your father read newspaper?
     e) What do you say?
     f) Doesn't your sister teach you English?

Voice of Present Continuous

Active: I am eating an apple. Passive : 

An apple is being eaten by me.

Structure: Subject + be verb+ being + past participle + by + object

Present Continuous questions & negatives

Look at the table below to understand the change of active to passive :

Now, change the following questions to passives in pairs.

     a) Is she watching television?
     b) Are they playing chess?
     c) Is Mr Samir teaching you English?
     d) Is the mother feeding the baby?
     e) Is the head teacher calling me?

Present Perfect Tense

Active: I have eaten a banana.
Passive: A banana has been eaten by me.
Passive structure: Subject + have/has + been + past participle + by + object Change the following sentences into passive and compare your answers with those of your friend :

      a) Alim has opened the window.
      b) I have read the news.
      c) We have won the match.
      d) The hungry boy has eaten all the mangoes.
      e) Have they done the work?

Present Perfect Questions 

Structure: Have/has + subject + been + past participle + by + object 

Active : Have you made it? 

Passive : Has it been made by you?

Active : Has he not read the novel? (Hasn't he read the novel?)
Passive : Has the novel not been read by him? (Hasn't the novel been read by him?)

Lesson 3 : Voice of Past Indefinite

Active: I called you.
Passive: You were called by me.
Structure: Subject + be + past participle + by + object

Change the following sentences into passive :

Past Simple questions
Structure: Be + subject + past participle + by + object; if there are two objects, one becomes the subject and the other is put just after the past participle. See the example below
Active : Did you show me the picture? (Here the objects are: me, picture)
Passive : Was the picture shown me by you?/ Was I shown the picture by you?
Active : Didn't I give you the book?
Passive: Wasn't the book given you by me?/ Weren't you given the book by me?

Active: What did you say?
Passive: What was said by you?

Change the following sentences into passive :

a) Did the farmer grow onions?
b) When did you do that?
c) Which house did you buy?
d) What did he write?
e) Did she not eat mangoes?

Past Continuous
Read the following examples: 

Active : I was reading a novel 

Passive : A novel was being read by me. 

Active : Matin was calling me.

Passive : I was being called by Matin.

Now, change the following sentences to passives. Follow the structure to change into passive - subject + be verb (was/were) + being + past participle + by + object :

      a) They were pelting stones.
      b) My friend was waiting for me.
      c) The student was answering the questions.
      d) The farmers were harvesting paddy.
      e) The head master was giving advice.

Read the following actives and passives :

Active : Was she not teaching her son? 

Passive : Was her son not being taught by her? 

Active : Wasn't she listening to music? 

Passive : Wasn't music being listened by her?

Past Perfect

Read the following active and passive sentences: Active: You had done the work.
Passive : The work had been done by you.
Active : They had given me the dictionary.
Passive : The dictionary had been given to me by them/ I had been given the dictionary by them.

Now, change the following sentences to passives. Follow the structure Subject + had + been + past participle + (one of the two objects, if there are two) + by + object. Then get your answers checked by your friend.

      a) We had finished the work at 9.
      b) My father had built a house.
      c) Bashir had completed his studies.
      d) They had bought a house.
      e) He had dreamt a nice dream.

Read the examples first and then change the following sentences to passives. Follow the structure: Had + object + (not, if the sentence is negative) + been + past participle + by + object :

Active : Had you taken lunch?
Passive : Had lunch been taken by you?
Active : Had they not sung the national anthem?
Passive : Had the national anthem not been sung by them?/ Hadn't the national anthem been sung by them?

Change the following sentences into passive :

     a) She had prepared two cups of tea.
     b) Had you consulted the Longman dictionary?
     c) Hadn't you drunk coffee?
     d) The Head Teacher had invited the guardians.
     e) My daughter had drawn those pictures.

Lesson 4 : Future Simple

Read the following active and passive sentences:
Active : I will do the sums
Passive : The sums will be done by me.
Active : They will play the match.
Passive : The match will be played by them.

Now, change the following sentences to passives and compare your answers with those of your friends. Follow the structure : subject + will + be + past participle + by + object

     a) The boy will play football.
     b) We will welcome the chief guest.
     c) We will help the poor.
     d) Nasir will not eat bananas.
     e) They will run a race.

Future Simple questions

Read the following questions and their passive forms:
Active : Who will help me?
Passive : By whom will I be helped?
Active : What will he do?
Passive : What will be done by him?

Now, change the following sentences to passive :
     a) What will you make?
     b) Will you do me a favour?
     c) Who will collect the information?
     d) Will you bring the book?
     e) Will you tell me?

Future Continuous
Active : I will be eating apples.
Passive : Apples will be being eaten by me.
Active : We will be playing chess.
Passive : Chess will be being played by us.

Now, change the following sentences to passive :
a) He will be reading English.
b) My father will be buying a dress.
c) The farmers will be preparing the soil.
d) We will be practising badminton.
e) The students will be speaking English.

Lesson 5 : Passives with Modals

Have a look at the following active and passive sentences.
Active: I can do this.
Passive: This can be done by me.
Active: He would drive the car. Passive: The car would be driven by him.
Active: We should help the distressed.
Passive: The distressed should be helped by us.

Now, change the actives to passives following the structure: Subject + modal verb + be + past participle + by + object :
     a) I will teach him.
     b) We ought to practise English speaking.
     c) We should obey our parents.
     d) Karim could operate the machine.
     e) You may do the work.

Passives of imperative sentences

Read the following active and passive sentences and discuss with your partner.

Active : Do the work.
Passive : Let the work be done.
Active : Help the poor
Passive : Let the poor be helped.

Now, change the active to passive following the structure: Let + subject + be + past participle + by + object.

     a) Bring the book.
     b) Open the door.
     c) Let me drink coffee.
     d) Let him do the work.
     e) Do not phone me.

Exercise

A) Change the actives to passives and the passives to actives :

     1. I did not do it.
     2. They play cricket.
     3. We are known to them
     4. Was the boy playing chess?
     5. She has compiled the articles.

B) The following sentences are passive. Correct the sentences with appropriate forms of verbs and words :

     a) The flute is play by Ali.
     b) Your friend is know by me.
     c) The bridge is construct by the chairman.
     d) The mango is sell by the shopkeeper.
     e) The match has being won by the class eight students

 C) Change the active to passive :

     a) Babul broke the glass.
          The glass _ by Babul.
     b) Babul is breaking the wall. by Babul.
          The wall _ by babul
     c) We drink water.
          Water _  by _.
     d) Who has written the letter?
          _ has the letter _ written?
     e) Abonti was operating computer.
          Computer _ by Abonti.

D) Change the active sentences to passive :

     a) Is she drawing a picture?
     b) Was your brother reading newspaper?
     c) I was not playing games.
     d) I watch English cartoons.
     e) We will speak English.

E) Change the active to passive and vice versa :

     a) Is a car being driven by him?
     b) The cow eats grass.
     c) I take care of my parents.
     d) Did you sow the seeds?
     e) He will make me a call.

F) Change the actives to passives :

     a) Give me the pen.
     b) Do not call me.
     c) Who calls you?
     d) I do not eat sugar.
     e) Did you dig the hole?