Class 9 English Grammar: Active and Passive Voice

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Class 9 English Grammar: Active and Passive Voice

Voice refers to the form of a verb that indicates whether the subject of the sentence performs the action or receives the action.

  • Active Voice: The subject is the “doer” of the action. (e.g., Rahul reads a book.)
  • Passive Voice: The subject is the “receiver” of the action. (e.g., A book is read by Rahul.)

Understanding how to convert sentences between Active and Passive voice is essential for the Editing/Omission and Sentence Transformation sections of your exams.

The 5 Golden Rules of Conversion

When changing a sentence from Active to Passive Voice, follow these fundamental rules:

  1. Swap Subject and Object: The Object of the active sentence becomes the Subject of the passive sentence. The Subject of the active sentence becomes the Object of the passive sentence.
  2. Add “By”: The new object in the passive sentence is usually preceded by the preposition “by”.
  3. Always Use V3: The main verb of the active sentence MUST be changed into its 3rd form (Past Participle / V3) in the passive sentence. (e.g., write ➔ written, play ➔ played).
  4. Change the Helping Verb: You must add or change the helping verb (is, am, are, was, were, been, being, be) according to the tense of the active sentence.
  5. Change the Pronouns: * I ➔ me
    • We ➔ us
    • He ➔ him
    • She ➔ her
    • They ➔ them
    • You ➔ you (No change)
    • It ➔ it (No change)

Tense-Wise Rules and Examples

(Note: 4 tenses cannot be changed into passive voice: Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Continuous, and Future Perfect Continuous).

1. Simple Present Tense

  • Active: Subject + V1(s/es) + Object
  • Passive Rule: Object + is/am/are + V3 + by + Subject
  • Examples:
    • Active: She writes a letter.
    • Passive: A letter is written by her.
    • Active: They do not play cricket.
    • Passive: Cricket is not played by them.

2. Present Continuous Tense

  • Active: Subject + is/am/are + V1+ing + Object
  • Passive Rule: Object + is/am/are + being + V3 + by + Subject
  • Examples:
    • Active: He is painting the wall.
    • Passive: The wall is being painted by him.

3. Present Perfect Tense

  • Active: Subject + has/have + V3 + Object
  • Passive Rule: Object + has/have + been + V3 + by + Subject
  • Examples:
    • Active: I have finished the project.
    • Passive: The project has been finished by me.

4. Simple Past Tense

  • Active: Subject + V2 + Object
  • Passive Rule: Object + was/were + V3 + by + Subject
  • Examples:
    • Active: He stole my pen.
    • Passive: My pen was stolen by him.
    • Active: Did you finish the work?
    • Passive: Was the work finished by you?

5. Past Continuous Tense

  • Active: Subject + was/were + V1+ing + Object
  • Passive Rule: Object + was/were + being + V3 + by + Subject
  • Examples:
    • Active: The boys were eating apples.
    • Passive: Apples were being eaten by the boys.

6. Past Perfect Tense

  • Active: Subject + had + V3 + Object
  • Passive Rule: Object + had + been + V3 + by + Subject
  • Examples:
    • Active: She had won the match.
    • Passive: The match had been won by her.

7. Simple Future Tense

  • Active: Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object
  • Passive Rule: Object + will/shall + be + V3 + by + Subject
  • Examples:
    • Active: I will buy a car.
    • Passive: A car will be bought by me.

Special Cases

A. Modals (can, could, should, must, etc.)

  • Rule: Modal + be + V3
  • Examples:
    • Active: You can lift this box.
    • Passive: This box can be lifted by you.
    • Active: We must obey the rules.
    • Passive: The rules must be obeyed (by us).

B. Imperative Sentences (Commands/Orders)

Sentences starting with a verb (e.g., “Open the door”).

  • Rule: Let + Object + be + V3
  • Examples:
    • Active: Shut the window.
    • Passive: Let the window be shut.
    • Active: Do not touch the wire.
    • Passive: Let the wire not be touched.

💡 Quick Pro-Tips for CBSE Exams:

  1. The “Unimportant Doer”: Sometimes, the subject is obvious or unimportant (e.g., someone, people, the police). In the passive voice, you can skip the “by + subject” part.
    • Active: The police arrested the thief.
    • Passive: The thief was arrested. (No need to say “by the police”)
  2. Double Object Sentences: If a sentence has two objects (e.g., “He gave me a pen“), you can make either one the subject of the passive sentence.
    • Passive 1: I was given a pen by him. (Usually preferred)
    • Passive 2: A pen was given to me by him.
  3. Always Check the Verb Form: The most common mistake is forgetting to use the V3 (Past Participle). Always double-check this when reviewing your answers!
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