# Active and Passive Voice: Rules and Examples | SwaVid

Active and passive voice: In the active voice the doer comes first: Riya wrote a letter. Rules, examples and a free quick check for Class 6 to 12.

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# Active and passive voice: rules and examples

## How to change active to passive

## Check yourself

## Common mistakes

## Frequently asked questions

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### Passive voice by tense

### What is the rule for active and passive voice?

### Can you give examples of active and passive voice?

### What mistakes do students make in active and passive voice?

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### More in The Verb

Short answer. In the active voice the doer comes first: Riya wrote a letter. In the passive voice the thing done comes first and the doer moves after by : A letter was written by Riya. The passive is always be in the same tense + the past participle (V3).

1 . Change into passive: The gardener waters the plants.

2 . Change into passive: They are building a bridge.

Perfect continuous tenses and intransitive verbs (sleep, arrive) have no passive form.

In the active voice the doer comes first: Riya wrote a letter. In the passive voice the thing done comes first and the doer moves after by: A letter was written by Riya. The passive is always be in the same tense + the past participle (V3).

Seema paints the wall. (active: Seema is the doer) The wall is painted by Seema. (passive: the doer comes after by) The floor is swept every day. (simple present)

Wrong: The work was did. Right: The work was done. (use V3, not V2) Wrong: The letters was posted. Right: The letters were posted. (agree with the new subject)

Changes the voice and shows each step.

Your child&#x27;s level and 3 topics to fix first.

All the topics in this chapter, one rule at a time.

- Find the object of the active sentence. It becomes the new subject.
- Keep the tense. Put be in that tense: is, was, has been, will be.
- Add the past participle of the main verb.
- Move the doer after by , or drop it if it does not matter.
- Make the verb agree with the new subject: The books were kept…
- Simple present is / am / are + V3
- Present continuous is / am / are being + V3
- Present perfect has / have been + V3
- Simple past was / were + V3
- Past continuous was / were being + V3
- Past perfect had been + V3
- Simple future will be + V3
- Modals can / must / should be + V3
- The work was did → The work was done use V3, not V2
- The letters was posted → The letters were posted agree with the new subject
- He was arrived → He arrived no passive for intransitive verbs

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- [English grammar](https://www.swavid.com/english-grammar)
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- [AP Active and passive voice converter Changes the voice and shows each step.](https://www.swavid.com/tools/active-passive-voice-converter)
- [15 Free English grammar test Your child&#x27;s level and 3 topics to fix first.](https://www.swavid.com/english-grammar/test)
- [More in The Verb All the topics in this chapter, one rule at a time.](https://www.swavid.com/english-grammar/the-verb)