Verbs in Active and Passive Voice (Grade 10 NSC Matric English FAL): Revision Notes
Verbs in Active and Passive Voice
Understanding active and passive voice
Voice is a grammatical feature that shows whether the subject of a sentence performs or receives the action. In English, we use two main voices: active and passive. Understanding the difference between these voices is essential for effective writing and communication.
What is active voice?
In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. This means the person or thing doing the action comes first in the sentence. Active voice creates clear, direct sentences that are easy to understand.
Structure: Subject + Verb + Object
Example: "The striker scored a goal."
Let's break this down:
- Subject: The striker (the person doing the action)
- Verb: scored (the action being performed)
- Object: a goal (what receives the action)
In this sentence, we can clearly see who is doing what. The striker is performing the action of scoring.
What is passive voice?
In passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action rather than performing it. The person or thing that was the object in an active sentence now becomes the subject. Passive voice is often used when we want to focus on the action itself or the recipient of the action, rather than who performed it.
Structure: Subject (receiver) + Verb (form of "to be" + past participle) + (Optional) by + Doer
Example: "The goal was scored by the striker."
Let's break this down:
- Subject: The goal (receives the action)
- Verb: was scored (passive form of the verb)
- (Optional) Doer: by the striker (who performed the action)
An important feature of passive voice is that the doer of the action can be left out entirely. For instance, we could simply say "The goal was scored" without mentioning the striker at all. This is useful when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context.
How to change active voice to passive voice
Converting sentences between active and passive voice follows a systematic process. Here are the four key steps:
Step 1: Identify the verb in the sentence
First, locate the main action word in your sentence. This is crucial because you'll need to change its form later.
Example: In "Money provides financial freedom," the verb is "provides".
Step 2: Divide the sentence into subject – verb – object
Break down your sentence into its three main parts. This helps you see which elements need to switch positions.
Example:
- Subject: Money
- Verb: provides
- Object: financial freedom
Step 3: Start the new sentence with the object
Take what was the object in the active sentence and make it the subject of your new passive sentence. This shifts the focus from the doer to the receiver of the action.
Example: "Financial freedom..." (this begins your passive sentence)
Step 4: Change the verb
Transform the verb into its passive form by:
- Using the past participle of the main verb (e.g., scored becomes scored, provided becomes provided, trained becomes trained)
- Adding the correct form of "to be" or sometimes "got" before the past participle
The form of "to be" must match the tense and number of your original sentence.
Example: "provides" becomes "is provided by"
Complete transformation: "Money provides financial freedom" → "Financial freedom is provided by money."
Examples in different tenses
The process of converting between active and passive voice works across all tenses, but the form of "to be" changes. Here's how it looks in different tenses:
Present continuous tense
- Active voice: "The striker is scoring a goal."
- Passive voice: "A goal is being scored by the striker."
Notice how "is scoring" becomes "is being scored". The continuous aspect is maintained through "being."
Perfect tense
- Active voice: "The striker has scored a goal."
- Passive voice: "A goal has been scored by the striker."
Here, "has scored" transforms into "has been scored", keeping the perfect tense structure.
Simple future tense
- Active voice: "The striker will score a goal."
- Passive voice: "A goal will be scored by the striker."
In future tense, "will score" becomes "will be scored", maintaining the future time reference.
Worked examples
Worked Example 1: Changing active to passive voice
Sentence: "Money provides financial freedom."
Answer: "Financial freedom is provided by money."
Explanation: The object "financial freedom" becomes the subject. The verb "provides" changes to "is provided." The original subject "money" becomes the optional doer introduced with "by."
Worked Example 2: Changing active to passive voice (continuous tense)
Sentence: "Robert is training someone every week."
Answer: "Someone is being trained by Robert every week."
Explanation: The object "someone" becomes the subject. The present continuous verb "is training" becomes "is being trained." The time phrase "every week" stays at the end.
Worked Example 3: Changing active to passive voice (perfect tense)
Sentence: "The 18-year-old had developed an illness causing paralysis."
Answer: "An illness causing paralysis had been developed by the 18-year-old."
Explanation: The object "an illness causing paralysis" becomes the subject. The past perfect verb "had developed" becomes "had been developed."
Worked Example 4: Changing passive to active voice
Sentence: "Graça Machel is admired greatly by the people of Mozambique."
Answer: "The people of Mozambique greatly admire Graça Machel."
Explanation: To convert from passive to active, the doer "the people of Mozambique" becomes the subject. The passive verb "is admired" becomes the active form "admire." The original subject "Graça Machel" becomes the object. Note how the adverb "greatly" can move in the sentence.
Exam tips
Key strategies for success
Always identify the subject, verb, and object before changing voice. Breaking down the sentence first prevents confusion and ensures you transform it correctly. Take a moment to mark these elements before you start converting.
Ensure the tense remains the same when converting sentences. A common mistake is changing the tense accidentally. If your original sentence is in past tense, your converted sentence must also be in past tense. Check the auxiliary verb carefully.
Passive voice often sounds more formal and is frequently used in reports, academic writing, and scientific texts. In exams, you might see passive voice in formal texts or be asked to use it when writing formally.
In active voice, the subject is clearer and more direct. This makes active voice better for most everyday writing. It's more engaging and easier to understand. However, knowing when to use passive voice shows sophisticated language skills.
Watch out for the agent (doer). In passive voice, the agent is introduced with "by" and is optional. You can leave it out when it's obvious, unknown, or unimportant.
Practice with different tenses. The conversion process is the same, but the auxiliary verb form changes. Make sure you're comfortable with present, past, future, and perfect tenses in both voices.
Key Points to Remember:
- Active voice means the subject performs the action (Subject does → Object)
- Passive voice means the subject receives the action (Subject receives ← Action by doer)
- To convert active to passive: Object becomes subject, verb changes to "to be" + past participle, original subject becomes optional doer with "by"
- The tense must stay the same when converting between voices
- Passive voice is more formal; active voice is clearer and more direct