Original EnglishLamp lesson with a visual learning surface.
VISUAL EXPLAINER · ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
Keep the action. Change the focus.
Active and passive voice can describe the same event while giving different prominence to the doer or the receiver of the action.
01 · ACTIVE FOCUS
Begin with who does the action.
In an active sentence, the subject typically performs the action. This is often the most direct way to describe an event.
EXAMPLERiya writes the letter.
02 · FIND THE OBJECT
Identify what receives the action.
When the verb takes an object, that object can often become the subject of a passive sentence.
EXAMPLEThe letter …
03 · BUILD THE PASSIVE
Use be plus the past participle.
Choose the form of be that matches the tense and the new subject, then use the past participle of the main verb.
EXAMPLEThe letter is written.
04 · KEEP THE AGENT IF NEEDED
Add the doer only when useful.
A by-phrase can name the agent, but it is often omitted when the doer is unknown, obvious or less important than the result.
EXAMPLEThe letter is written by Riya.
05 · CHECK THE MEANING
Preserve the tense and the event.
The focus changes, but the event should remain the same. Check the form of be, the participle and agreement with the new subject.
EXAMPLEActive: Riya wrote the letter. Passive: The letter was written by Riya.
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Original EnglishLamp lesson•Reference learning mode
Passive voice is a grammatical structure of a sentence. We can explain anything in active or passive voice. The meaning of the sentence is the same in both forms. But in the passive voice, the verb shows that an action is done to the subject.
