In everyday conversations, we phrase sentences in very different ways. Sometimes we refer to an act in a direct speech where we quote the person’s statements in the same way it was said. Another way of phrasing a sentence might emphasise the main part of the sentence on the subject, while the other way of the sentence includes emphasising the object of the sentence. In English grammar, voice is used to determine the nature of the verb in a sentence. This voice is divided into main categories, Active Voice and Passive Voice, based on the emphasis on the subject or object.

What is Active Voice?

  • Active voice is a subpart of voice in which the focus is on the subject of the sentence. 
  • In this voice, the doer is active, and the subject performs the action expressed by the verb.
  • The structure of active voice is mostly: Subject+ Helping verb+ Object.
  • Some active voice examples are: 

She cooks food.

He plays football.

Rules for Changing Active Voice:

There are certain rules to be kept in mind while translating sentences from active voice into passive voice. The rules are listed below:

  • Rule1: The subject in Active Voice changes to the object of the Passive voice and vice versa. Example: 

Active voice: I write a message.

Passive voice: A message is written by me.

  • Rule2: The third form of the verb is used in passive voice with helping verbs like being, is, am, are, been in the sentence. Example:

Active voice: She is playing cricket.

Passive voice: Cricket is being played by her.

  • Rule3: ‘By’ is not used in the active voice; instead, it is used in the passive voice as an agent. Example: 

Active voice: I’m cooking food.

Passive voice: Food is being cooked by me.

  • Rule4: The active voice changes in the objective form in the passive voice like him, her, us, whom etc., in the sentence. Example:

Active voice: She is writing a book.

Passive voice: A book is being written by her.

  • Rule5: Tenses like Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous and future perfect continuous are not transformed from the active voice into the passive voice. Example:

Active voice: She has been playing the guitar since her childhood.

Various tenses and Active voice:

Present tense:

  • Present indefinite: The structure of active voice in case of present indefinite tense is: Subject + Verb (1st form) + Object. Example:

She writes a novel.

  • Present Continuous: The structure of active voice in the present continuous tense is: Subject + is/am/are + verb + ing + object. Example: 

She is playing football.

  • Present Perfect: The structure of active voice in the case of the present perfect tense is: Subject + have/has + Verb (3rd form) + object. Example: 

She has bought a new car.

Past tense:

  • Past indefinite: The structure of active voice in case of the past tense is: Subject + Verb (2nd form) + Object. Example: 

She won the match.

  • Past Continuous: The structure of active voice in case of past continuous is: Subject + was/were + verb (ing form) + object. Example: 

Erra was driving a car.

  • Past Perfect: The structure of active voice in the case of Past Perfect is: Subject + had + Verb (3rd form) + object. Example:

Abhishek had completed a project.

Future tense:

  •  Future indefinite: The structure of active voice in case of future indefinite is: Subject + shall/will + Verb (1st form) + Object. Example:

Ritika will give you a gift.

  • Future Perfect: The structure of active voice in case of future perfect is: Subject + shall/will have + Verb (3rd from) + object. Example:

Aqsa will have completed the project.

Active Voice Exercises:

The rules of formation and transformation of active voice should be complimentary with active voice exercises. Some questions are listed below as active voice exercises:

  • She is playing football – Active

Football is being played by her – Passive.

  • The match fascinates me – Active.

I am fascinated by the match – Passive. 

  • He is cooking dinner – Active.

Dinner is being cooked by him – Passive.

  • She won the match- Active.

The match was won by her – Passive.

  • He had submitted the project – Active.

He had submitted the project – Passive.

  • They will pay the rent – Active.

The rent will be paid by them – Passive.

Conclusion:

From the above explanations, it can be rightly concluded that the active voice is an integral part of English Grammar. They are regularly used in our everyday conversations, and we often use an active voice in these conversations largely. Deep knowledge of the context of active voice enables us to make our sentences more grammatically correct and enhances our interaction skills. We should keep in mind the rules for forming an active voice and transforming active voice sentences into passive voice sentences. One should also practice active voice examples to become habituated to the sentences.