While changing a sentence from active voice to passive voice, the subject of the active voice becomes the object in passive voice where as the object becomes the subject. When the verb is active, the subject of the verb is doing the action, and when the verb is passive, the subject undergoes the action rather than doing it, as in these examples:
Active: Australia beat New Zealand in the final.
Passive: New Zealand was beaten in the final.
Active: James made the arrangements.
Passive: The arrangements were made by James.
In everyday writing, the active voice is much more common than the passive. The passive tends to be used in formal documents such as official reports or scientific papers, often where an action or situation is regarded as more significant than who or what did or caused it.
For example: The results were published in the Medical Journal.
Active and Passive Voice with respect to Tenses:
Simple Present Tense:
Active: Eric cleans the house.
Passive: The house is cleaned by Eric.
Simple Past Tense:
Active: I cooked the meal.
Passive: The meal was cooked by me.
Simple Future Tense:
Active: Reena will finish the work by 5 PM.
Passive: The work will be finished by 5 PM by Reena.
Doubts on this article
