The passive form of an active tense is formed by putting the verb "to be" in the same tense as the active verb and adding the past participle of the active verb.
Active and Passive Voice Examples
Active Voice
- My grandfather planted this tree.
- He delivers the letters.
- He delivered the letters.
- He will deliver the letters.
- He is delivering the letters.
- He was delivering the letters.
- He is going to deliver the letters.
- He has delivered the letters.
- He had delivered the letters.
- He has to deliver the letters.
- He must deliver the letters.
Passive Voice
- This tree was planted by my grandfather.
- The letters are delivered.
- The letters were delivered.
- The letters will be delivered.
- The letters are being delivered.
- The letters were being delivered.
- The letters are going to be delivered.
- The letters have been delivered.
- The letters had been delivered.
- The letters have to be delivered.
- The letters must be delivered.
Changing from Active to Passive Voice
To change a sentence from the active voice to the passive voice:
- The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- The main verb of the active sentence is changed into the passive form. The tense remains the same.
- The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent of the passive sentence. It is placed after the past participle and is preceded by the preposition "by."
Examples of Passive Voice
- Agatha Christie wrote this book.
- This book was written by Agatha Christie.
- Someone broke the window.
- The window was broken.
In the table below, you can see the transformation of active and passive voices in different tenses and moods.
Passive Voice in Different Tenses and Moods
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Present Simple | The letters are delivered. |
| Past Simple | The letters were delivered. |
| Future Simple | The letters will be delivered.|
| Present Continuous | The letters are being delivered. |
| Past Continuous | The letters were being delivered. |
| Going to | The letters are going to be delivered. |
| Present Perfect | The letters have been delivered. |
| Past Perfect | The letters had been delivered. |
| Infinitive | The letters have to be delivered. |
| Modals | The letters must be delivered. |
In summary, the passive voice in English is formed by using the appropriate form of the verb "to be" and adding the past participle of the main verb. It is important to understand how to transform sentences from the active voice to the passive voice in order to effectively communicate in English.
