Voice refers to the
form of a verb that indicates when a grammatical subject performs the action or
is the receiver of the action. When a sentence is written in the active voice,
the subject performs the action; in the passive voice, the subject receives the
action. In academic writing, it is generally preferred to choose an active verb
and pair it with a subject that names the person or thing doing or performing
the action. Active verbs are stronger and usually more emphatic than forms of
the verb “be” or verbs in the passive voice.
USING THE
AUXILIARY VERB “BE”
The passive voice is
formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb “be” (be, am, is, are, was, were,
being, been) followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Active Passive
He loves me. I
am loved.
We took our children to the
circus. The
children were taken to the circus.
A thief stole my money. My
money was stolen.
Notice how the “be”
auxiliaries change the meaning of the verbs from action to condition or from
“doing” to “being.”
He remembers his grandmother. (“he” is doing an action:
remembering)
His grandmother is remembered. (“she” is in a condition: being
remembered)
In this way, the
past participle functions very much like an adjective; it describes the
subject.
The woman is pretty. She
is a pretty woman
The woman is married. She
is a married woman.
VERB TENSES USED
IN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
The following is a
summary of active and passive forms of all verb tenses. Remember that in active
forms the subject of the sentence is the person or thing that does the action.
In passive constructions, the verb is performed by someone or something other
than the subject; often, the action is done to the subject by someone else.
Present Time
• Simple Present
Use the simple
present tense to make a generalization, to present a state of being, or to
indicate a habitual or repeated action.
Active Passive
base form or “-s/-es” form am/is/are
+ past participle
Professor Brown teaches at
Hunter. Sonia is
taught by Professor Brown.
All humans are equal. All
humans are created equal.
Maria eats in the cafeteria. The
cafeteria is cleaned
• Present
Progressive
Use the present
progressive to describe an ongoing activity or a temporary action.
Active Passive
am/is/are + -ing am/is/are
+ being + -ed/-en
The students are learning
Spanish. Classes
are being conducted in Spanish.
I am working at McDonald’s until
I finish He is being hired
to work at McDonald’s. school.
• Present Perfect
Use the present perfect to describe an action
occurring in the past but relevant to the present, or extending to the present.
Active Passive
has/have + -ed/-en has/have + been + -ed/-en
Hunter has opened a language
institute The
language institute has been opened to in
East Harlem. relocate
students off the main campus.
• Present Perfect
Progressive
Use the present
perfect progressive to describe an ongoing action beginning before now and is
still relevant to the present.
Active Passive
has/have + been + -ing has/have
+ been + being + -ed/-en
Hunter has been awarding BA and
MA
diplomas
for over one hundred years.
Note: Because of
awkward construction, the perfect progressive form is not used in the passive
voice. Instead, an adverb may be used to show continuing action: “We have been
repeatedly scolded for being late.”
Past Time
• Simple Past
Use the simple past to indicate a general or
habitual action occurring in the past or at a specific time in the past.
Active Passive
base + -ed or irregular form was/were
+ -ed/-en
Our family bought all our
clothes at Sears The clothes
were bought by my mother when
I was young.
On my fifteenth birthday, my
uncle gave The money was
given to me to buy new clothes me
one hundred dollars
In informal
conversation, speakers of English often express habitual behavior in the past
using the modal “would.”
Active Passive
would + base would
+ be + -ed/-en
We would usually eat burgers in
the Most of the
french fries would be eaten food
court. before
we got to the table.
• Past
Progressive
Use the past
progressive to indicate an ongoing action in the past or an action continuing
through a specific past time.
Active Passive
was/were + -ing was/were
+ being + -ed/-en
Mary and Paul were dating in
those days. One afternoon,
Mary was being kissed by when
her mother passed by
• Past Perfect
Use the past perfect
to indicate an action completed prior to a particular time or before another
action in the past.
Active Passive
had + -ed/-en had
+ been + -ed/-en
Completed:
Mary's mother was shocked
because Mary had been
kissed many times she
had forbidden her daughter to date. before that day.
• Past Perfect
Progressive Use the past perfect progressive to indicate a continuing action
that began before a past action or time.
Active Passive
had + been + -ing had
+ been + being + -ed/-en
Mary had been trying to tell her
mother about
Paul for a long time.
Future Time
• Simple Future
Use the future to
indicate an action that is expected to take place at a future time.
Active Passive
will + base will + be + -ed/-en
Paul and Mary will marry in
June. They
will be married by a priest and a rabbi.
or or
am/is/are going to + base am/is/are
+ going to be + -ed/-en
Mary is going to wear her
grandmother's The gown is going
to be adjusted to fit Mary gown.
• Future
Progressive
Use the future
progressive to indicate an action in future with emphasis on continuing action.
Active Passive
will + base + -ing will
+ be + being + -ed/en
Mary and Paul will be spending
lots Note: Not
used in the passive voice. of time on the beach.
• Future Perfect
Use the future
perfect to indicate a future action expected to be completed before another
future action or time.
Active Passive
will + have + -ed/-en will
+ have + been + -ed/en
By their wedding date, they will
have Note: Not used in
the passive voice. saved
enough money to buy a house.
• Future Perfect
Progressive
Use the future
perfect progressive to indicate an action projected to have been going on for a
while before a time in the future.
Active Passive
will + have + been + -ing will
+ have + been + being + -ed/-en
When they celebrate their first Note:
Not used in the passive voice. anniversary,
they will have been living
together for a full year.
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