CBSE Class 8 English Active and Passive Voice Concepts and Exercise

To change an active voice sentence to a passive voice sentence:

Make the object of the active voice sentence into the subject of the passive voice sentence and the subject of the active voice sentence into the object.

The lion killed the deer.

The deer was killed by the lion.

Use the verb “to be” in the same tense as the main verb of the active sentence.

Use the past participle of the main verb of the active sentence.

Use the preposition ‘ by’ before the subject in the passive voice.

Simple Present tense

An Active sentence in the simple present tense has the following structure:
Subject + first form of the verb + object

A passive sentence in the simple present tense has the following structure:
Object of the active sentence + is/am/are + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the active sentence

Changing an assertive sentence into the passive

Active: I write a letter. Passive: A letter is written by me.
Active: I helpyou. Passive: You are helped by me.

Changing a negative sentence into the passive

Active: I do not write a letter. Passive: A letter is not written by me.
Active: He does not help her. Passive: She is not helped by him.

Changing an interrogative sentence into the passive

Structure: Is/are/am + object of the active verb + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the passive verb

Active: Do you write a letter? Passive: Is a letter written by you?
Active: Do you write stories? Passive: Are stories written by you?
Active: Does she make candles? Passive: Are candles made by her?
Active: Who does not obey you? Passive: By whom are you not obeyed?
Active: Which newspaper do you read? Passive: Which newspaper is read by you?
Active: Does she do her duty? Passive: Is her duty done by her?

Please note:

The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb. Therefore, sentences which do not have an object cannot be changed into the passive. The following sentences, for instance, cannot be changed into the passive because they do not have objects.

The old man sat in a corner.

The child sleeps.

The wind blows.

The dog barks.

Exercise -1

Change the following active voice sentences into passive voice:

She made a third attempt to climb the cliff.

_______________________________________________________________.

The boy asked a difficult question.

_______________________________________________________________.

She wrote an award-winning novel.

______________________________________________________________.

The terrorists blew up the bridge.

_______________________________________________________________.

The boy killed the spider.

_______________________________________________________________.

Help the poor.

_______________________________________________________________.

Farmers sow maize in the rainy season.

______________________________________________________________.

Are you writing a letter?

_______________________________________________________________.

The workers were digging a canal.

_______________________________________________________________.

I will finish the job by the end of this week.

________________________________________________________________.

Have you finished your job?

________________________________________________________________.

They have informed him of his mother’s death.

_______________________________________________________________.

Has the police caught the thief?

________________________________________________________________.

Grief overwhelmed her.

_________________________________________________________________.

The poachers were hunting the animals.

_________________________________________________________________.

Exercise -2

Change the following active voice sentences into passive voice:

Mary is reading a novel by JK Rowling.

____________________________________________________________________.

The kid threw a stone on the passer by.

_________________________________________________________________.

He has bought a car.

_________________________________________________________________.

Someone had knocked the door.

__________________________________________________________________.

People eat chappatis in my country.

__________________________________________________________________.

She has won the jackpot.

 _________________________________________________________________.

She will teach him her mother tongue.

_________________________________________________________________.

The cat spilled the milk on the table.

_________________________________________________________________.

She offered them a book.

_________________________________________________________________.

I wrote a letter to my father.

_________________________________________________________________.

The dog barked at the stranger.

_________________________________________________________________.

My brother beat me in the match yesterday.

_________________________________________________________________.

He had come to visit me last week.

________________________________________________________________.