Grade 10 and 11
Objective:
• Understand the structure
and use of the passive voice.
• Identify and transform
sentences from active to
passive voice.
• Use passive voice in real
contexts.
Grammar: Passive
Voice
What Is the Passive Voice?
Definition:
In the passive voice, the subject receives the action
of the verb.
Structure:
Object + form of “to be” + past participle + (by +
agent)
Example:
Active: The chef cooks the meal.
Passive: The meal is cooked (by the chef).
Why Use the Passive Voice?
Use passive voice when:
• The doer is unknown or unimportant.
• You want to emphasize the action or the object.
• It sounds more formal or impersonal.
Example:
• Active: They built this school in 1990.
• Passive: This school was built in 1990.
Tense | Active Voice | Passive Voice
Present Simple | He cleans the room. |
The room is cleaned.
Past Simple | She painted the wall. |
The wall was painted.
Present Continuous | They are fixing
the car. | The car is being fixed.
Present Perfect | We have finished the
test. | The test has been finished.
Future | They will deliver the package. |
The package will be delivered.
Passive Voice: Verb
Tenses
How to Form Passive Sentences
Step 1: Identify the object of the active sentence.
Step 2: Use the correct form of to be + past
participle.
Step 3: Use 'by + agent' (optional).
Example:
Active: The teacher explains the lesson.
Passive: The lesson is explained (by the teacher).
Active | Passive
The police arrested the thief. | The
thief was arrested (by the police).
Someone stole my bike. | My bike
was stolen.
They are watching a movie. | A
movie is being watched.
He has completed the project. |
The project has been completed.
Passive Voice –
Examples
Rewrite the following sentences:
1. The dog bit the man.
Activity 1 2. She writes a letter.
– Rewrite
in Passive 3. They are building a new mall.
Voice 4. People speak English worldwide.
5. The students have finished the
homework.
Activity 2 – Fill in the blanks
Complete the sentences:
1. The house ___ (build) in 1995.
2. A new road ___ (construct) near the school.
3. The documents ___ (send) yesterday.
4. The car ___ (wash) now.
5. The project ___ (complete) by next week.
Activity 3 – Choose Active or Passive
Choose active or passive:
1. The cake was baked by my mom.
2. They will announce the results tomorrow.
3. A new phone was launched last month.
4. The engineer designs the bridge.
5. The bridge was designed by the engineer.
Recap
✅ Passive voice focuses on the action, not the
doer.
✅ Use to be + past participle.
✅ Not always necessary to include the agent
(by...).
Homework (Optional)
• Write 5 sentences in the active voice and
transform them into the passive voice.
Activity Answers
Activity 1:
1. The man was bitten by the dog.
2. A letter is written by her.
3. A new mall is being built.
4. English is spoken worldwide.
5. The homework has been finished by the students.
Activity 2:
1. was built
2. is being constructed
3. were sent
4. is being washed
5. will be completed
Activity 3:
1. Passive
2. Active
3. Passive
4. Active
5. Passive