Voice – Introduction
by Voice
Two types of voice
- Active voice: active voice expresses a sentence as a subject that acts upon its verb.
Sub + transitive verb + obj. (A verb that has an object is called a transitive verb).
He reads a novel.
Read is a transitive verb because an object is used after a verb.
Sub + intransitive verb. (A verb that doesn’t have an object is called an intransitive verb.)
He reads.
Read is an intransitive verb in this sentence which is used without an object. Passive cannot be made from an intransitive verb.
- Passive voice: passive voice is a form of a verb that expresses object gets affected by the verb. In passive voice; priority is given to the object.
Passive is only made of a transitive verb.
For examples:
I have been sent to Dubai.
You were told.
He has been selected.
Rachel has been beaten by his friend.
Note: I, You, he and Rachit are objects in the above sentences. Actions are performed on objects. Objects get affected here. That’s why passive sentences are very important to express the statements.
Let’s see how to make passive voice:
Transitive verb and form of “to be” are very required to make passive sentences.
Object + to be + past participle/action III form (m.v.3) + by subject.
The verb ‘to be’
| Tenses | Forms of ‘to be’ |
| Modals- (can, could, may, might, should, ought to, must would etc) infinitive (is to/am to/are to/was to/were to, has to/have to/had to/ will have to etc future indefinite (will/shall) | Be Object + can/could/may/might/should/ought to/must/would/is to/am to/are to/was to/were to/has to/have to/ had to/ will have to + be + past participle etc. |
| Present indefinite (do/does) | Is, are, am Object + is/are/am + action III form + by subject |
| Past indefinite(did) | Was, were Object + was/were + action III + by subject |
| Perfect(present- has/have, past- had & future-will have/shall have | Been Object + has/have/ had/ will have/ shall have + been + past participle + by subject |
| Present continuous (is/are/am) past continuous(was/were), participle and gerund | Being Object + is/are/am/was/were + being + past participle Participle: being + past participle |
The objective case will be changed into a subjective case.
| Subjective case | Objective case |
| He | Him |
| She | Her |
| It | It |
| You | You |
| We | Us |
| They | Them |
| I | Me |
Write the answers of the following questions
- Write the definition of active and passive voice.
- What are transitive and intransitive verbs?
- Write the formulae of present and past indefinite.
- Write the formulas of present and past continuous tenses.
- Write the objective case of he, she, it, they, you, and we.
- Write the formulae of present, past and future perfect tense.