Verbs in Active and Passive Voice (Grade 12 NSC Matric English FAL): Revision Notes
Verbs in Active and Passive Voice
What is active and passive voice?
Understanding the difference between active and passive voice is essential for effective English communication. The main difference lies in how the sentence focuses on who performs the action versus who receives it.
Active voice
In active voice, the subject performs the action described by the verb. This creates clear, direct sentences where it's easy to identify who is doing what.
Structure: Subject + Verb + Object
Active voice makes your writing more direct and engaging because the reader immediately knows who is responsible for the action.
Example: Active Voice Structure
"The striker scored a goal."
- Subject: The striker (performs the action)
- Verb: scored (the action)
- Object: a goal (receives the action)
Passive voice
In passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb. The focus shifts from who performs the action to what happens to the subject.
Structure: Subject + auxiliary verb ('be' or 'got') + past participle + (optional doer)
Example: Passive Voice Structure
"The goal was scored by the striker."
- Subject: The goal (receives the action)
- Verb: was scored (action performed on the subject)
- Optional doer: by the striker (who performed the action)
In passive voice, you can choose to leave out the doer of the action entirely. For example: "The goal was scored." This is useful when the doer is unknown or unimportant.
Converting active voice to passive voice
Follow these four clear steps to change any active sentence into passive voice:
Step 1: Identify the verb
Find the main action word in the sentence. This will help you understand what needs to be changed.
Step 2: Divide the sentence into parts
Break down the sentence into: Subject – Verb – Object. This makes it easier to rearrange the elements.
Step 3: Start with the object
The object from the active sentence becomes the new subject in the passive sentence.
Step 4: Change the verb form
- Use the past participle of the main verb
- Add the correct form of 'to be' or sometimes 'got' before the past participle
- The form of 'to be' must match the tense of the original sentence
Alternative with 'got':
- Active: "A bee stung me"
- Passive: "I got stung by a bee"
This shows how 'got' can sometimes replace 'was' in more informal contexts.
Examples in different tenses
Understanding how passive voice works across different tenses helps you apply this knowledge confidently:
| Tense | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Present Continuous | The striker is scoring a goal | A goal is being scored by the striker |
| Perfect Tense | The striker has scored a goal | A goal has been scored by the striker |
| Simple Future | The striker will score a goal | A goal will be scored by the striker |
Notice how the auxiliary verbs change depending on the tense, but the past participle of the main verb stays the same.
Worked examples
Changing active to passive voice
Example 1: Simple Present
Active: "Money provides financial freedom."
- Step 1: Identify verb = provides
- Step 2: Subject (Money) – Verb (provides) – Object (financial freedom)
- Step 3: Start with object = Financial freedom
- Step 4: Change verb = is provided by
- Answer: "Financial freedom is provided by money."
Example 2: Present Continuous
Active: "Robert is training someone every week."
- This is present continuous tense
- Subject (Robert) – Verb (is training) – Object (someone)
- Answer: "Someone is being trained by Robert every week."
Example 3: Past Perfect
Active: "The 18-year-old had developed an illness causing paralysis."
- This is past perfect tense
- Subject (The 18-year-old) – Verb (had developed) – Object (an illness)
- Answer: "An illness causing paralysis had been developed by the 18-year-old."
Changing passive to active voice
To convert from passive to active, simply reverse the process:
Example: Passive to Active Conversion
Passive: "Graça Machel is admired greatly by the people of Mozambique."
- Identify the doer: "the people of Mozambique"
- Make the doer the new subject
- Change the verb back to active form
- Answer: "The people of Mozambique greatly admire Graça Machel."
Exam tips and strategies
When tackling voice conversion questions in exams, these strategies will help you achieve accurate results:
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Always identify the subject, verb, and object before attempting to change voice. This prevents confusion and errors.
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Ensure the tense remains the same when converting sentences. The timing of the action shouldn't change, only the focus.
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Passive voice often sounds more formal and is commonly used in reports, academic writing, and official documents. Recognise when this tone is appropriate.
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Active voice creates clearer and more direct communication. Use it when you want to emphasise who performs the action.
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Practice with different tenses to become comfortable with the various auxiliary verb forms required.
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't change the tense when converting between voices. If the original sentence is in past tense, your converted sentence must also be in past tense.
Key Points to Remember:
- Active voice: The subject performs the action (direct and clear)
- Passive voice: The subject receives the action (formal, focuses on the result)
- Conversion steps: Identify verb → Divide sentence → Start with object → Change verb form
- Tense consistency: Always maintain the same tense when converting
- Exam strategy: Identify sentence parts first, then apply the conversion rules systematically