Active and Passive Voice

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Active: Subject does the action: 'Ravi wrote the letter.'
Passive: Subject receives the action: 'The letter was written by Ravi.' Formula: be + past participle (V3).
Tense table: Each tense has a passive equivalent. Continuous perfect tenses are rarely used in passive.

Active-to-passive transformation is a guaranteed CDS Sentence Improvement question type. The trickiest cases are imperatives, infinitives, and modal verbs. The full transformation table below covers every CDS pattern.

Active to Passive - The Formula

Active: Subject + Verb + Object

Passive: Object + appropriate form of 'be' + V3 + (by + Subject)

Step	Action
1	Find the object of the active sentence - it becomes the subject of the passive.
2	Convert the verb: keep its tense, but use 'be' (in that tense) + V3.
3	The original subject moves to the end with 'by' (or is dropped if obvious/unimportant).
4	Change pronouns appropriately (I → me, he → him, etc.).

Active: He writes a letter. Passive: A letter is written by him.
Active: She wrote a letter. Passive: A letter was written by her.
Active: He has written a letter. Passive: A letter has been written by him.

Tense Conversion Table

Tense	Active	Passive
Simple Present	writes	is/are/am written
Present Continuous	is writing	is/are being written
Present Perfect	has written	has/have been written
Simple Past	wrote	was/were written
Past Continuous	was writing	was/were being written
Past Perfect	had written	had been written
Simple Future	will write	will be written
Future Perfect	will have written	will have been written
Modals (can, may, must, should)	can write	can be written
have to / has to	has to write	has to be written

Note: Perfect Continuous and Future Continuous have no passive forms.

Special Cases

1. Imperative sentences (commands/requests):

Active: Open the door. Passive: Let the door be opened. / You are requested to open the door.
Active: Don't waste time. Passive: Let time not be wasted.
Active: Please help me. Passive: You are requested to help me.

2. Two objects (verbs like give, send, tell, teach, show): Either object can become the subject.

Active: He gave me a book. Passive: I was given a book. (preferred) OR A book was given to me.

3. Interrogative sentences:

Active: Did he write the letter? Passive: Was the letter written by him?
Active: Who broke the glass? Passive: By whom was the glass broken?
Active: What are you doing? Passive: What is being done by you?

4. Infinitive constructions:

Active: It is time to do the work. Passive: It is time for the work to be done.
Active: People say he is honest. Passive: He is said to be honest. / It is said that he is honest.

5. 'By' is often dropped when the agent is unknown, obvious, or general:

The thief was caught (by the police). / English is spoken everywhere.

When to Use the Passive

When the doer is unknown or unimportant: The window has been broken.
When the doer is obvious or general: English is spoken here. The new road is being built.
To emphasise the action or receiver more than the doer: The Nobel Prize was awarded to him.
In scientific writing, news, and formal reports: The sample was heated to 100°C.

Common CDS Errors

Wrong: The book is being read by me yesterday. Correct: The book was being read by me yesterday. (past time → past form)
Wrong: He has wrote the letter. Correct active: He has written. Correct passive: The letter has been written.
Wrong: The bell rang at 9. → The bell was rung at 9. ('rang' is intransitive here; passive change applies only to transitive verbs)
Wrong: Open the door. → The door is opened. Correct: Let the door be opened.

CDS/OTA PYQ Examples

Q: Choose the passive of: The mason is building the wall.

(a) The wall was built by the mason (b) The wall is being built by the mason (c) The wall has been built by the mason (d) The wall is built by the mason

Answer: (b) Present Continuous active → 'is/are being + V3' passive.

Q: Choose the passive of: Who taught you French?

(a) By whom were you taught French? (b) Who were you taught French by? (c) By whom you were taught French? (d) Whom you were taught by French?

Answer: (a) Interrogative passive begins with 'By whom' and inverts subject-verb.

Q: Choose the active of: The letter is being typed by the clerk.

(a) The clerk types the letter (b) The clerk is typing the letter (c) The clerk has typed the letter (d) The clerk had typed the letter

Answer: (b) 'is being + V3' (passive) corresponds to 'is + V-ing' (active continuous).

Q: Choose the passive of: Open the window.

(a) The window must be opened (b) Let the window be opened (c) The window is opened (d) The window has been opened

Answer: (b) Imperative passive uses 'Let + object + be + V3'.

Q: Choose the passive of: People say that honesty is the best policy.

(a) Honesty is said to be the best policy (b) It is said that honesty is the best policy (c) Both (a) and (b) (d) Neither (a) nor (b)

Answer: (c) Both transformations are acceptable for reporting-verb passives.

Q: Choose the active of: A new road will be built next year.

(a) They will build a new road next year (b) They built a new road next year (c) They are building a new road next year (d) They have built a new road next year

Answer: (a) 'will be + V3' → 'will + V1' with general subject 'they/the government/the company'.

Drill Active and Passive Voice for CDS/OTA

CDS/OTA-pattern items on Active and Passive Voice with answer keys and explanations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can every verb be made passive?

No - only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object). Intransitive verbs (sleep, die, arrive, come, go, fall) have no passive form. 'He slept' has no passive.

Why is the agent ('by ...') often dropped?

When the doer is unknown ('My bag has been stolen'), obvious from context ('The thief was caught' - by police, obviously), general ('English is spoken here' - by everyone), or unimportant ('A new bridge is being built'). About 80% of passive sentences omit the agent.

Is passive voice wordy and bad?

Style guides recommend active for clarity, but passive is essential in scientific writing, news reporting, and when the receiver of the action matters more than the doer. CDS just tests transformation accuracy, not style.

How to handle 'born'?

'Born' is always passive in form. 'I was born in 1995.' Never 'I born' or 'I am born'. The active equivalent would be 'My mother bore me in 1995' (rarely used).

What about 'It is said that...'?

Reporting-verb constructions (say, believe, think, know, report) have two passive forms: (1) 'It is said that he is honest.' (2) 'He is said to be honest.' Both are accepted in CDS.