How to Use Active and Passive Voice: 100 Examples, Tips & FAQs

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Introduction: How to Use Active and Passive Voice

Understanding how to use active and passive voice is one of the most important parts of English grammar. Whether you are a student, teacher, or candidate preparing for competitive exams, mastering active and passive voice helps in writing, speaking, and scoring well in English sections. This guide explains the concept with 100 examples, practical tips, and FAQs.

What is Active and Passive Voice?

  • Active Voice: The subject performs the action.
    Example: The teacher explains the lesson.
  • Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.
    Example: The lesson is explained by the teacher.

100 Examples of How to Use Active and Passive Voice

Simple Present Tense (1–20)

  1. Active: She writes a letter. → Passive: A letter is written by her. (Meaning: Habitual action)
  2. Active: They play cricket. → Passive: Cricket is played by them.
  3. Active: He teaches English. → Passive: English is taught by him.
  4. Active: We clean the room daily. → Passive: The room is cleaned by us daily.
  5. Active: The boy sings a song. → Passive: A song is sung by the boy.
  6. Active: The teacher checks the papers. → Passive: The papers are checked by the teacher.
  7. Active: The chef cooks tasty food. → Passive: Tasty food is cooked by the chef.
  8. Active: The company sells laptops. → Passive: Laptops are sold by the company.
  9. Active: The farmer grows vegetables. → Passive: Vegetables are grown by the farmer.
  10. Active: She speaks English fluently. → Passive: English is spoken by her fluently.
  11. Active: They make toys. → Passive: Toys are made by them.
  12. Active: The students answer the questions. → Passive: The questions are answered by the students.
  13. Active: The child breaks the toy. → Passive: The toy is broken by the child.
  14. Active: The police catch the thief. → Passive: The thief is caught by the police.
  15. Active: The dog guards the house. → Passive: The house is guarded by the dog.
  16. Active: He drives the car carefully. → Passive: The car is driven by him carefully.
  17. Active: They use mobile phones. → Passive: Mobile phones are used by them.
  18. Active: She reads novels. → Passive: Novels are read by her.
  19. Active: The shopkeeper sells fruits. → Passive: Fruits are sold by the shopkeeper.
  20. Active: He plays the guitar. → Passive: The guitar is played by him.

Present Continuous Tense (21–40)

  1. Active: She is cooking food. → Passive: Food is being cooked by her.
  2. Active: They are watching a movie. → Passive: A movie is being watched by them.
  3. Active: He is reading a book. → Passive: A book is being read by him.
  4. Active: The children are playing football. → Passive: Football is being played by the children.
  5. Active: She is writing a letter. → Passive: A letter is being written by her.
  6. Active: They are singing a song. → Passive: A song is being sung by them.
  7. Active: The man is repairing the car. → Passive: The car is being repaired by the man.
  8. Active: The teacher is teaching grammar. → Passive: Grammar is being taught by the teacher.
  9. Active: She is washing clothes. → Passive: Clothes are being washed by her.
  10. Active: He is painting the wall. → Passive: The wall is being painted by him.
  11. Active: They are constructing a house. → Passive: A house is being constructed by them.
  12. Active: The workers are making a road. → Passive: A road is being made by the workers.
  13. Active: She is learning English. → Passive: English is being learned by her.
  14. Active: He is driving the car fast. → Passive: The car is being driven fast by him.
  15. Active: The maid is cleaning the room. → Passive: The room is being cleaned by the maid.
  16. Active: They are playing chess. → Passive: Chess is being played by them.
  17. Active: The baby is drinking milk. → Passive: Milk is being drunk by the baby.
  18. Active: He is repairing his watch. → Passive: His watch is being repaired by him.
  19. Active: The singer is performing a song. → Passive: A song is being performed by the singer.
  20. Active: We are organizing a meeting. → Passive: A meeting is being organized by us.

Simple Past Tense (41–60)

  1. Active: He painted the wall. → Passive: The wall was painted by him.
  2. Active: She cleaned the kitchen. → Passive: The kitchen was cleaned by her.
  3. Active: They played cricket yesterday. → Passive: Cricket was played by them yesterday.
  4. Active: The teacher taught the lesson. → Passive: The lesson was taught by the teacher.
  5. Active: The boy sang a song. → Passive: A song was sung by the boy.
  6. Active: The doctor treated the patient. → Passive: The patient was treated by the doctor.
  7. Active: He sold his car. → Passive: His car was sold by him.
  8. Active: The police caught the thief. → Passive: The thief was caught by the police.
  9. Active: The farmer grew wheat. → Passive: Wheat was grown by the farmer.
  10. Active: She made a cake. → Passive: A cake was made by her.
  11. Active: He bought a new phone. → Passive: A new phone was bought by him.
  12. Active: They won the match. → Passive: The match was won by them.
  13. Active: She wrote a novel. → Passive: A novel was written by her.
  14. Active: He invented a machine. → Passive: A machine was invented by him.
  15. Active: The workers built a bridge. → Passive: A bridge was built by the workers.
  16. Active: She opened the door. → Passive: The door was opened by her.
  17. Active: The child broke the glass. → Passive: The glass was broken by the child.
  18. Active: He ate an apple. → Passive: An apple was eaten by him.
  19. Active: They celebrated the festival. → Passive: The festival was celebrated by them.
  20. Active: The postman delivered the letter. → Passive: The letter was delivered by the postman.

Past Continuous Tense (61–80)

  1. Active: He was writing a letter. → Passive: A letter was being written by him.
  2. Active: They were singing a song. → Passive: A song was being sung by them.
  3. Active: She was cleaning the house. → Passive: The house was being cleaned by her.
  4. Active: He was reading a novel. → Passive: A novel was being read by him.
  5. Active: The children were playing football. → Passive: Football was being played by the children.
  6. Active: She was cooking food. → Passive: Food was being cooked by her.
  7. Active: The mechanic was repairing the car. → Passive: The car was being repaired by the mechanic.
  8. Active: They were watching a movie. → Passive: A movie was being watched by them.
  9. Active: He was driving a truck. → Passive: A truck was being driven by him.
  10. Active: She was writing a poem. → Passive: A poem was being written by her.
  11. Active: The workers were building a house. → Passive: A house was being built by the workers.
  12. Active: The teacher was checking the answer sheets. → Passive: The answer sheets were being checked by the teacher.
  13. Active: He was watering the plants. → Passive: The plants were being watered by him.
  14. Active: She was washing the clothes. → Passive: The clothes were being washed by her.
  15. Active: They were repairing the road. → Passive: The road was being repaired by them.
  16. Active: The students were preparing for the exam. → Passive: The exam was being prepared for by the students.
  17. Active: He was telling a story. → Passive: A story was being told by him.
  18. Active: The chef was cooking biryani. → Passive: Biryani was being cooked by the chef.
  19. Active: She was painting a picture. → Passive: A picture was being painted by her.
  20. Active: They were playing chess. → Passive: Chess was being played by them.

Future Tense (81–100)

  1. Active: She will complete the work. → Passive: The work will be completed by her.
  2. Active: They will play football tomorrow. → Passive: Football will be played by them tomorrow.
  3. Active: He will read the book. → Passive: The book will be read by him.
  4. Active: The teacher will check the papers. → Passive: The papers will be checked by the teacher.
  5. Active: She will write a letter. → Passive: A letter will be written by her.
  6. Active: He will clean the room. → Passive: The room will be cleaned by him.
  7. Active: They will buy a new car. → Passive: A new car will be bought by them.
  8. Active: She will make tea. → Passive: Tea will be made by her.
  9. Active: The police will arrest the thief. → Passive: The thief will be arrested by the police.
  10. Active: He will build a house. → Passive: A house will be built by him.
  11. Active: The company will launch a new product. → Passive: A new product will be launched by the company.
  12. Active: She will open the shop. → Passive: The shop will be opened by her.
  13. Active: He will finish the project. → Passive: The project will be finished by him.
  14. Active: They will organize a function. → Passive: A function will be organized by them.
  15. Active: She will sing a song. → Passive: A song will be sung by her.
  16. Active: The doctor will treat the patient. → Passive: The patient will be treated by the doctor.
  17. Active: He will repair the watch. → Passive: The watch will be repaired by him.
  18. Active: The farmer will grow rice. → Passive: Rice will be grown by the farmer.
  19. Active: They will distribute sweets. → Passive: Sweets will be distributed by them.
  20. Active: I shall call you. → Passive: You will be called by me.

Important Tips for Students and Competitive Exams

  • Remember the formula:
    • Active → Subject + Verb + Object
    • Passive → Object + (Be verb) + Past Participle + by + Subject
  • Not all sentences can be changed into passive voice (e.g., intransitive verbs like sleep, go).
  • In exams, look for tense clues (is, was, will, etc.).
  • Passive voice is often used in formal writing, news reports, and scientific reports.
  • Active voice is direct and strong, suitable for essays and speeches.

FAQs on How to Use Active and Passive Voice

Q1: What is the difference between active and passive voice?
Active voice shows who is doing the action, while passive voice shows who receives the action.

Q2: Why is passive voice used in English?
Passive voice is used when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or when focus should be on the action itself.

Q3: How can I identify passive voice quickly in exams?
Look for “be verbs” (is, was, will be) followed by the past participle (e.g., is written, was played).

Conclusion on How to Use Active and Passive Voice

Learning how to use active and passive voice is essential for improving English skills. With the 100 examples, meanings, and tips shared above, students and exam candidates can practice and master this topic effectively.

Disclaimer on How to Use Active and Passive Voice

This article is for educational purposes. Examples are simplified for easy understanding. Always refer to official grammar books or exam guidelines for precise rules.

Also Read: Best Grammar Checker Online: Complete Guide for Students and Professionals

Free Grammar App for Competitive Exams: Master Grammar with Examples & Mistakes


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