Active & Passive Voice
🔒 Log in to trackExam strategy: the 20-second conversion protocol
🔒 Log in to trackA voice question takes under 30 seconds. Use the same five steps every time: tag the voice, fix the tense, move the parts, re-agree the verb, and remove the options that break a rule. Each wrong option usually breaks exactly one rule.
Why this topic is quick marks
Every voice question is one row of one table. There is no vocabulary and no guessing. Learn the rows and the marks are easy.
The five-step protocol
- Tag the voice. Active stem means build a passive. Passive stem means build an active.
- Fix the tense. Read the first helping verb. Say the row aloud: was writing becomes was being + V3.
- Move the parts. Object and subject swap places. The old subject goes behind by, or becomes they if missing. Pronouns change case.
- Re-agree the verb. Match is/are, was/were, has/have to the new subject.
- Remove faulty options. Name each fault.
Tip: Build the correct sentence yourself before you read the options.
The four fault classes
| Fault | What it looks like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong V-form after be | V1 or V2 where V3 belongs | is wrote, must obeyed, is ringed |
| Broken being/been slot | been after a continuous be, being after have | is been built, has being taken |
| Tense change | the row is from another tense | was written for writes |
| Case or agreement | wrong pronoun form, or wrong verb number | by he, The returns has been filed |
A fifth, rarer fault is a role reversal. The judge was acquitted by the accused is the wrong passive of The judge acquitted the accused.
Where the marks come from
Most papers set about one active-to-passive and one passive-to-active question. Voice items also appear inside error spotting and sentence improvement.
The tenses used most are simple present, simple past, present perfect, present continuous and modals. Master these five rows first. Then add past perfect and future perfect.
Orders (Let) and By-whom questions appear less often.
When two options both look right
Compare them on one point at a time, in this order.
- Tense row.
- Being or been.
- Agreement with the new subject.
- Pronoun case.
- Doer kept or dropped.
One of the two options will break a point. Never choose by which one sounds smoother. Wrong options are built to sound right. Is been sounds like is being when you read fast.
Watch: A clean-sounding option can still have the wrong tense row. Sound is not the test. The row is.
Daily practice
Write ten conversions a day: five plain statements, two modals, two orders and one question. Alternate directions. Write them by hand.
After a week, say the eight rows from memory before you start. Aim for full accuracy in about 25 seconds per question.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
One clean option: fault elimination
There are four passive options. Each wrong one breaks a different rule (V-form, being/been, tense) and one is clean.
Build the correct passive yourself before reading the options.
Scan each option for the four faults.
Name each option's fault.
The option with no fault is the answer.
Questions have one clean option and three single-fault options.
Select the passive form: They are constructing a new library.
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Are constructing is present continuous.
The row is is/are being + V3.
Is been constructed has a broken slot; was being constructed changes the tense.
A new library is being constructed by them.
Tense trap among near-identical options
All four options use the same words. They differ only in the helping verb chain (is cooked / was cooked / has been cooked / is being cooked).
Fix the active tense first and say its row aloud.
Pick the option that reproduces that row exactly.
Reject rows from other tenses, even if they are grammatical.
The setter builds correct-looking rows from neighbouring tenses. Only the row separates them.
Select the passive form: The peon was ringing the bell.
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Was ringing is past continuous.
The row is was/were being + V3.
Was rung is simple past; is being rung is present continuous.
The bell was being rung by the peon.
Identify the voice of a sentence
The question asks which sentence is passive (or active). The four options describe the same event.
Look for be/been + V3 with the receiver as subject.
V-ing after be is still active.
A by-phrase helps, but it is not required.
The decoy is the continuous active, which looks like a passive.
Which sentence is in the passive voice? (a) The window was broken by the cricketer. (b) The cricketer broke the window. (c) The cricketer was breaking the window. (d) The cricketer has broken the window.
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Option (a) has the receiver the window as subject.
Its verb is was + V3.
In the other options the cricketer is the doer.
The window was broken by the cricketer.
Combined skeletons
The sentence stacks two features, such as will have written or a question with a perfect tense.
Peel the outer frame first.
Modal stays. Perfect adds been. A question adds inversion.
Apply pronoun and agreement checks last.
A stacked item is two rows at once. Solving the outer frame first keeps you calm.
Select the passive form: They will have published the magazine by March.
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Will have published is future perfect.
The row is will have been + V3.
The new subject is the magazine.
The magazine will have been published by March.
Role-reversal decoy
The options use the same words but swap who does what. One option says the receiver did the action.
Find the doer and the receiver in the stem.
The doer goes behind by in the passive.
Reject the option that makes the receiver the doer.
A role reversal keeps the grammar clean, so only the meaning exposes it.
Select the passive form: The judge acquitted the accused.
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The doer is the judge. The receiver is the accused.
Acquitted is simple past: was acquitted.
The judge was acquitted by the accused reverses the roles.
The accused was acquitted by the judge.
Shortcuts that save time
Every wrong option breaks one rule: V-form, being/been, tense, agreement or pronoun. Name the fault and the option is out.
Select the passive form: They are constructing a new library.
Show solutionHide solution
Are constructing is present continuous.
The row is is/are being + V3.
The new subject a new library is singular.
A new library is being constructed by them.
Learn simple present, simple past, present perfect, present continuous and modals first. They cover most of the questions.
Voice errors hide on paper. Convert sentences in writing every day. The hand learns the pattern faster than the ear.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Skipping the re-agreement check after conversion.
Always match is/are, was/were, has/have to the new subject.
Learning conversions word by word.
Learn them as tense rows.
Ignoring the pronoun at the end of the sentence.
Check the case of every pronoun. It is the fastest way to remove an option.
Accepting is been because it sounds like is being.
Continuous means being. Perfect means been.
Choosing the smoothest-sounding option.
Compare tense row first, then being/been, then agreement, then case.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Protocol: tag the voice, fix the tense row, move the parts, re-agree, remove faulty options.
Fault classes: wrong V-form, being/been slot, tense change, case or agreement, role reversal.
Five rows first: simple present, simple past, present perfect, present continuous, modals.
Two clean options? Test one point at a time, starting with tense.
Build your own answer before you read the options.
Write conversions daily. Voice is a hand skill.
Practice: 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 8 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.