150 Active to Passive Voice Sentences with Rules, Formulas and Examples
150 Active to Passive Voice Sentences with Easy Rules and Formulas
Learning Active Voice and Passive Voice is an important part of English grammar. Students often understand the basic idea but become confused when they have to change an active sentence into a passive sentence.
Do not worry. In this lesson, we will learn 150 Active Voice to Passive Voice sentences in a very easy way.
You will learn the basic rules, important formulas, and examples of different tenses. The examples are simple and useful for school examinations, spoken English, grammar practice, and competitive examinations.
What Is Active Voice?
In an Active Voice sentence, the subject does the action.
Example:
Active: Rina writes a letter.
Here:
Rina = Subject
writes = Verb
a letter = Object
The subject is doing the action, so the sentence is in Active Voice.
What Is Passive Voice?
In a Passive Voice sentence, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
Example:
Active: Rina writes a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by Rina.
The object “a letter” comes to the beginning of the passive sentence.
Basic Rule of Active to Passive Voice
The easiest basic pattern is:
Active Voice:
Subject + Verb + Object
Passive Voice:
Object + Helping Verb + Past Participle (V3) + by + Subject
Example:
Active: Ram helps Sita.
Passive: Sita is helped by Ram.
Remember one important point:
The main verb in a passive sentence is normally used in its third form (V3).
For example:
write → written
eat → eaten
make → made
do → done
see → seen
take → taken
teach → taught
Important Formulas for Passive Voice
1. Simple Present Tense
Formula:
Active: Subject + V1/V5 + Object
Passive: Object + is/am/are + V3 + by + Subject
Example:
She writes a letter.
A letter is written by her.
2. Present Continuous Tense
Formula:
Active: Subject + is/am/are + V-ing + Object
Passive: Object + is/am/are + being + V3 + by + Subject
Example:
She is writing a letter.
A letter is being written by her.
3. Present Perfect Tense
Formula:
Active: Subject + has/have + V3 + Object
Passive: Object + has/have + been + V3 + by + Subject
Example:
She has written a letter.
A letter has been written by her.
4. Simple Past Tense
Formula:
Active: Subject + V2 + Object
Passive: Object + was/were + V3 + by + Subject
Example:
She wrote a letter.
A letter was written by her.
5. Past Continuous Tense
Formula:
Active: Subject + was/were + V-ing + Object
Passive: Object + was/were + being + V3 + by + Subject
Example:
She was writing a letter.
A letter was being written by her.
6. Past Perfect Tense
Formula:
Active: Subject + had + V3 + Object
Passive: Object + had + been + V3 + by + Subject
Example:
She had written a letter.
A letter had been written by her.
7. Simple Future Tense
Formula:
Active: Subject + will + V1 + Object
Passive: Object + will + be + V3 + by + Subject
Example:
She will write a letter.
A letter will be written by her.
8. Future Perfect Tense
Formula:
Active: Subject + will have + V3 + Object
Passive: Object + will have been + V3 + by + Subject
Example:
She will have written a letter.
A letter will have been written by her.
150 Active to Passive Voice Sentences
Now let us practise 150 useful sentences.
A. Simple Present Tense
Formula:
Object + is/am/are + V3 + by + Subject
1.
Active: Ram writes a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by Ram.
2.
Active: Sita reads a book.
Passive: A book is read by Sita.
3.
Active: The teacher teaches English.
Passive: English is taught by the teacher.
4.
Active: The boy opens the door.
Passive: The door is opened by the boy.
5.
Active: She cooks rice.
Passive: Rice is cooked by her.
6.
Active: They play football.
Passive: Football is played by them.
7.
Active: We clean the classroom.
Passive: The classroom is cleaned by us.
8.
Active: He drives a car.
Passive: A car is driven by him.
9.
Active: The farmer grows vegetables.
Passive: Vegetables are grown by the farmer.
10.
Active: My mother washes the clothes.
Passive: The clothes are washed by my mother.
11.
Active: The students solve the problems.
Passive: The problems are solved by the students.
12.
Active: She sings a song.
Passive: A song is sung by her.
13.
Active: The postman delivers the letters.
Passive: The letters are delivered by the postman.
14.
Active: He buys vegetables.
Passive: Vegetables are bought by him.
15.
Active: The gardener waters the plants.
Passive: The plants are watered by the gardener.
16.
Active: We respect our teachers.
Passive: Our teachers are respected by us.
17.
Active: The police catch criminals.
Passive: Criminals are caught by the police.
18.
Active: She makes tea.
Passive: Tea is made by her.
19.
Active: The child breaks the toy.
Passive: The toy is broken by the child.
20.
Active: They build houses.
Passive: Houses are built by them.
B. Present Continuous Tense
Formula:
Object + is/am/are + being + V3 + by + Subject
21.
Active: Ram is writing a letter.
Passive: A letter is being written by Ram.
22.
Active: She is reading a book.
Passive: A book is being read by her.
23.
Active: The teacher is teaching English.
Passive: English is being taught by the teacher.
24.
Active: They are cleaning the room.
Passive: The room is being cleaned by them.
25.
Active: He is repairing the bicycle.
Passive: The bicycle is being repaired by him.
26.
Active: The workers are building a bridge.
Passive: A bridge is being built by the workers.
27.
Active: She is cooking dinner.
Passive: Dinner is being cooked by her.
28.
Active: The students are writing an examination.
Passive: An examination is being written by the students.
29.
Active: The gardener is watering the plants.
Passive: The plants are being watered by the gardener.
30.
Active: They are painting the house.
Passive: The house is being painted by them.
31.
Active: He is washing the car.
Passive: The car is being washed by him.
32.
Active: The boy is opening the window.
Passive: The window is being opened by the boy.
33.
Active: She is preparing lunch.
Passive: Lunch is being prepared by her.
34.
Active: The mechanic is repairing the machine.
Passive: The machine is being repaired by the mechanic.
35.
Active: We are decorating the classroom.
Passive: The classroom is being decorated by us.
C. Present Perfect Tense
Formula:
Object + has/have + been + V3 + by + Subject
36.
Active: Ram has written a letter.
Passive: A letter has been written by Ram.
37.
Active: She has completed the work.
Passive: The work has been completed by her.
38.
Active: They have cleaned the room.
Passive: The room has been cleaned by them.
39.
Active: He has opened the door.
Passive: The door has been opened by him.
40.
Active: We have finished the project.
Passive: The project has been finished by us.
41.
Active: The teacher has checked the notebooks.
Passive: The notebooks have been checked by the teacher.
42.
Active: She has cooked the food.
Passive: The food has been cooked by her.
43.
Active: They have built a new school.
Passive: A new school has been built by them.
44.
Active: He has repaired the bicycle.
Passive: The bicycle has been repaired by him.
45.
Active: The students have solved the questions.
Passive: The questions have been solved by the students.
D. Simple Past Tense
Formula:
Object + was/were + V3 + by + Subject
46.
Active: Ram wrote a letter.
Passive: A letter was written by Ram.
47.
Active: Sita read a book.
Passive: A book was read by Sita.
48.
Active: The teacher taught English.
Passive: English was taught by the teacher.
49.
Active: He opened the door.
Passive: The door was opened by him.
50.
Active: She cooked dinner.
Passive: Dinner was cooked by her.
51.
Active: They played football.
Passive: Football was played by them.
52.
Active: We cleaned the classroom.
Passive: The classroom was cleaned by us.
53.
Active: The boy broke the window.
Passive: The window was broken by the boy.
54.
Active: The police caught the thief.
Passive: The thief was caught by the police.
55.
Active: The farmer grew rice.
Passive: Rice was grown by the farmer.
56.
Active: She bought a new dress.
Passive: A new dress was bought by her.
57.
Active: He repaired the machine.
Passive: The machine was repaired by him.
58.
Active: The students answered the questions.
Passive: The questions were answered by the students.
59.
Active: The gardener planted trees.
Passive: Trees were planted by the gardener.
60.
Active: My mother washed the clothes.
Passive: The clothes were washed by my mother.
E. Past Continuous Tense
Formula:
Object + was/were + being + V3 + by + Subject
61.
Active: Ram was writing a letter.
Passive: A letter was being written by Ram.
62.
Active: She was reading a book.
Passive: A book was being read by her.
63.
Active: They were cleaning the room.
Passive: The room was being cleaned by them.
64.
Active: He was repairing the bicycle.
Passive: The bicycle was being repaired by him.
65.
Active: The teacher was teaching English.
Passive: English was being taught by the teacher.
66.
Active: The workers were building a house.
Passive: A house was being built by the workers.
67.
Active: She was cooking food.
Passive: Food was being cooked by her.
68.
Active: They were painting the wall.
Passive: The wall was being painted by them.
69.
Active: He was washing the car.
Passive: The car was being washed by him.
70.
Active: We were decorating the hall.
Passive: The hall was being decorated by us.
F. Past Perfect Tense
Formula:
Object + had + been + V3 + by + Subject
71.
Active: Ram had written a letter.
Passive: A letter had been written by Ram.
72.
Active: She had completed the work.
Passive: The work had been completed by her.
73.
Active: They had cleaned the room.
Passive: The room had been cleaned by them.
74.
Active: He had opened the door.
Passive: The door had been opened by him.
75.
Active: We had finished the project.
Passive: The project had been finished by us.
76.
Active: The teacher had checked the notebooks.
Passive: The notebooks had been checked by the teacher.
77.
Active: She had cooked the food.
Passive: The food had been cooked by her.
78.
Active: They had built the house.
Passive: The house had been built by them.
79.
Active: He had repaired the machine.
Passive: The machine had been repaired by him.
80.
Active: The students had solved the questions.
Passive: The questions had been solved by the students.
G. Simple Future Tense
Formula:
Object + will + be + V3 + by + Subject
81.
Active: Ram will write a letter.
Passive: A letter will be written by Ram.
82.
Active: She will read the book.
Passive: The book will be read by her.
83.
Active: They will clean the room.
Passive: The room will be cleaned by them.
84.
Active: He will repair the bicycle.
Passive: The bicycle will be repaired by him.
85.
Active: The teacher will teach English.
Passive: English will be taught by the teacher.
86.
Active: We will complete the project.
Passive: The project will be completed by us.
87.
Active: She will cook dinner.
Passive: Dinner will be cooked by her.
88.
Active: They will build a new school.
Passive: A new school will be built by them.
89.
Active: He will open the door.
Passive: The door will be opened by him.
90.
Active: The workers will paint the house.
Passive: The house will be painted by the workers.
H. Future Perfect Tense
Formula:
Object + will have been + V3 + by + Subject
91.
Active: Ram will have written the letter.
Passive: The letter will have been written by Ram.
92.
Active: She will have completed the work.
Passive: The work will have been completed by her.
93.
Active: They will have cleaned the room.
Passive: The room will have been cleaned by them.
94.
Active: He will have repaired the machine.
Passive: The machine will have been repaired by him.
95.
Active: We will have finished the project.
Passive: The project will have been finished by us.
96.
Active: The teacher will have checked the papers.
Passive: The papers will have been checked by the teacher.
97.
Active: She will have cooked the food.
Passive: The food will have been cooked by her.
98.
Active: They will have built the bridge.
Passive: The bridge will have been built by them.
99.
Active: He will have opened the shop.
Passive: The shop will have been opened by him.
100.
Active: The students will have completed the assignment.
Passive: The assignment will have been completed by the students.
- Must Read This: 200 Common English Questions and Answers.
I. Modal Verbs
Modal verbs include:
can, could, may, might, must, should, would, ought to
Formula:
Object + modal + be + V3 + by + Subject
101.
Active: Ram can solve the problem.
Passive: The problem can be solved by Ram.
102.
Active: She can speak English.
Passive: English can be spoken by her.
103.
Active: They can complete the work.
Passive: The work can be completed by them.
104.
Active: You should obey the rules.
Passive: The rules should be obeyed by you.
105.
Active: We should respect our parents.
Passive: Our parents should be respected by us.
106.
Active: Students must follow the instructions.
Passive: The instructions must be followed by students.
107.
Active: He may open the door.
Passive: The door may be opened by him.
108.
Active: She could solve the problem.
Passive: The problem could be solved by her.
109.
Active: They must finish the work.
Passive: The work must be finished by them.
110.
Active: We can change the plan.
Passive: The plan can be changed by us.
J. Imperative Sentences
Imperative sentences are used for orders, requests, advice, and instructions.
Common Formula:
Let + object + be + V3
111.
Active: Open the door.
Passive: Let the door be opened.
112.
Active: Close the window.
Passive: Let the window be closed.
113.
Active: Clean the room.
Passive: Let the room be cleaned.
114.
Active: Read the book.
Passive: Let the book be read.
115.
Active: Write the answer.
Passive: Let the answer be written.
116.
Active: Do the work.
Passive: Let the work be done.
117.
Active: Switch off the fan.
Passive: Let the fan be switched off.
118.
Active: Open the box.
Passive: Let the box be opened.
119.
Active: Plant the trees.
Passive: Let the trees be planted.
120.
Active: Follow the rules.
Passive: Let the rules be followed.
K. Interrogative Sentences
Questions can also be changed from Active Voice to Passive Voice.
The helping verb usually comes before the new subject.
121.
Active: Does Ram write a letter?
Passive: Is a letter written by Ram?
122.
Active: Does she read the book?
Passive: Is the book read by her?
123.
Active: Do they clean the room?
Passive: Is the room cleaned by them?
124.
Active: Did he open the door?
Passive: Was the door opened by him?
125.
Active: Did she cook the food?
Passive: Was the food cooked by her?
126.
Active: Did they build the house?
Passive: Was the house built by them?
127.
Active: Has Ram completed the work?
Passive: Has the work been completed by Ram?
128.
Active: Have they finished the project?
Passive: Has the project been finished by them?
129.
Active: Will she write the letter?
Passive: Will the letter be written by her?
130.
Active: Can he solve the problem?
Passive: Can the problem be solved by him?
L. Wh-Question Sentences
Questions beginning with what, why, when, how, who, whom can also be changed into passive voice.
131.
Active: Who wrote this letter?
Passive: By whom was this letter written?
132.
Active: Who opened the door?
Passive: By whom was the door opened?
133.
Active: Who broke the window?
Passive: By whom was the window broken?
134.
Active: Who teaches you English?
Passive: By whom are you taught English?
135.
Active: When did he write the letter?
Passive: When was the letter written by him?
136.
Active: Why did she open the box?
Passive: Why was the box opened by her?
137.
Active: How did they solve the problem?
Passive: How was the problem solved by them?
138.
Active: When will they complete the work?
Passive: When will the work be completed by them?
139.
Active: Why did the police arrest the man?
Passive: Why was the man arrested by the police?
140.
Active: How can we solve this problem?
Passive: How can this problem be solved by us?
M. More Useful Mixed Sentences
Here are ten more sentences for additional practice.
141.
Active: The teacher praised the student.
Passive: The student was praised by the teacher.
142.
Active: The doctor examined the patient.
Passive: The patient was examined by the doctor.
143.
Active: The police arrested the thief.
Passive: The thief was arrested by the police.
144.
Active: My father bought a new bicycle.
Passive: A new bicycle was bought by my father.
145.
Active: The children enjoyed the movie.
Passive: The movie was enjoyed by the children.
146.
Active: She invited her friends.
Passive: Her friends were invited by her.
147.
Active: The manager approved the application.
Passive: The application was approved by the manager.
148.
Active: The students decorated the classroom.
Passive: The classroom was decorated by the students.
149.
Active: Someone stole my bag.
Passive: My bag was stolen.
150.
Active: People speak English all over the world.
Passive: English is spoken all over the world.
Important Rules to Remember
Changing Active Voice into Passive Voice becomes easy if you remember a few important rules.
Rule 1: Find the Object
First find the object of the active sentence.
Example:
Ravi reads a book.
Here, “a book” is the object.
So, the passive sentence begins with:
A book...
Rule 2: Use the Third Form of the Verb
The main verb in a passive sentence is generally used in its past participle form (V3).
Examples:
| V1 | V2 | V3 |
|---|---|---|
| write | wrote | written |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| do | did | done |
| make | made | made |
| take | took | taken |
| see | saw | seen |
| give | gave | given |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| break | broke | broken |
Rule 3: Change the Helping Verb According to the Tense
The helping verb is very important.
For example:
Simple Present: is/am/are + V3
Simple Past: was/were + V3
Present Continuous: is/am/are + being + V3
Past Continuous: was/were + being + V3
Present Perfect: has/have + been + V3
Past Perfect: had + been + V3
Future: will + be + V3
Pronoun Changes in Passive Voice
When the active subject comes after by, its pronoun changes.
| Active Subject | Passive Form |
|---|---|
| I | me |
| We | us |
| You | you |
| He | him |
| She | her |
| They | them |
| It | it |
| Who | whom |
Example:
Active: I write a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by me.
Another example:
Active: She helps me.
Passive: I am helped by her.
When Do We Use Passive Voice?
Passive Voice is useful when the action is more important than the person who performs it.
For example:
Active: The police arrested the thief.
Passive: The thief was arrested by the police.
In some situations, we do not know who performed the action.
Example:
My bicycle was stolen.
We do not know who stole it.
We can also leave out “by + subject” when the person doing the action is not important.
Example:
Active: Someone cleaned the room.
Passive: The room was cleaned.
We do not need to say “by someone.”
Active and Passive Voice: A Quick Comparison
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| Ram writes a letter. | A letter is written by Ram. |
| She cooks food. | Food is cooked by her. |
| He opened the door. | The door was opened by him. |
| They cleaned the room. | The room was cleaned by them. |
| She is reading a book. | A book is being read by her. |
| They have completed the work. | The work has been completed by them. |
| He will repair the car. | The car will be repaired by him. |
| You should follow the rules. | The rules should be followed by you. |
A Simple Trick to Change Active into Passive
Whenever you see an Active Voice sentence, follow these five steps:
Step 1: Find the subject.
Who is doing the action?
Step 2: Find the object.
What is receiving the action?
Step 3: Bring the object to the beginning.
The object becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
Step 4: Change the verb.
Use the correct helping verb + V3.
Step 5: Add “by + subject”.
Add the original subject after by when it is necessary or useful.
Example:
Active: The teacher teaches English.
Step 1: Subject = the teacher
Step 2: Object = English
Step 3: English comes first.
Step 4: Simple present passive = is + V3
teach → taught
Step 5: Add by the teacher.
Passive:
English is taught by the teacher.
Practice Activity for Students
Try to change these sentences into Passive Voice without looking at the answers.
She writes a story.
He opens the door.
They clean the classroom.
The teacher teaches mathematics.
Ram bought a bicycle.
The police arrested the thief.
She is cooking dinner.
They are painting the house.
He has completed the work.
We will finish the project.
Answers:
A story is written by her.
The door is opened by him.
The classroom is cleaned by them.
Mathematics is taught by the teacher.
A bicycle was bought by Ram.
The thief was arrested by the police.
Dinner is being cooked by her.
The house is being painted by them.
The work has been completed by him.
The project will be finished by us.
Frequently Asked Questions About Active and Passive Voice
1. What is Active Voice?
Active Voice is a sentence in which the subject performs the action.
Example: Rina writes a letter.
2. What is Passive Voice?
Passive Voice is a sentence in which the subject receives the action.
Example: A letter is written by Rina.
3. What is the main rule for Passive Voice?
The basic pattern is:
Object + Helping Verb + V3 + by + Subject
4. Which form of the main verb is used in Passive Voice?
The third form (V3) of the main verb is generally used.
For example:
write → written
eat → eaten
make → made
5. Can every sentence be changed into Passive Voice?
No. Normally, a sentence needs an object that can become the subject of the passive sentence.
For example:
He sleeps.
There is no direct object, so it cannot normally be changed into a passive sentence.
6. Is “by” always necessary?
No. If the doer is unknown, obvious, or unimportant, by + subject can often be omitted.
Active: Someone stole my bag.
Passive: My bag was stolen.
Final Message for English Learners
Active Voice and Passive Voice may look difficult at first, but they become much easier with regular practice.
The most important things to remember are:
1. Find the object.
2. Bring the object to the beginning.
3. Choose the correct helping verb according to the tense.
4. Use V3 of the main verb.
5. Add “by + subject” when necessary.
For example:
Active: The teacher teaches English.
Passive: English is taught by the teacher.
If you practise a few sentences every day, you will gradually become confident in changing Active Voice into Passive Voice.
Keep practising, keep learning, and remember that English grammar becomes easier when you use it regularly.
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