Q&A for How to Change a Sentence from Active Voice to Passive Voice

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Question

How do you write in passive voice?

Richard Perkins
Writing Coach
Richard Perkins is a Writing Coach, Academic English Coordinator, and the Founder of PLC Learning Center. With over 24 years of education experience, he gives teachers tools to teach writing to students and works with elementary to university level students to become proficient, confident writers. Richard is a fellow at the National Writing Project. As a teacher leader and consultant at California State University Long Beach's Global Education Project, Mr. Perkins creates and presents teacher workshops that integrate the U.N.'s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the K-12 curriculum. He holds a BA in Communications and TV from The University of Southern California and an MEd from California State University Dominguez Hills.

Richard Perkins

Writing Coach

Expert Answer

Well, word choices are everything! Try to describe actions with more powerful synonyms whenever possible. For example, "The boy heard a loud sound and became scared" is an okay sentence, but "The explosion rocketed the room and the boy hid under his bed" sounds better. Why? Because the word explosion makes it loud and tells me it is dangerous.

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Question

What is the passive voice of; "Mark changes the flat tire?"

Community Answer

"The flat tire is changed by Mark" would be the passive version of that sentence.

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Question

How do I change, "The teacher will correct the papers"?

Community Answer

"The papers will be corrected by the teacher" is the passive voice of this sentence.

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How do I put this sentence in the passive voice: "He said he is a good man"?

Community Answer

Are both of the pronouns in the sentence referring to the same person? If so, to change the sentence to the passive voice, you should write "He was said to be a good man by himself." If not, and the sentence refers to two different people, to change it to the passive voice, you would write "He was said to be a good man by him." If you want to leave the phrase "he is a good man" as a direct quote from the subject, you would write "'He is a good man' was said by him(self)."

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Question

How do I write the passive voice version of "Rama killed Ravana"?

Community Answer

You would write "Ravana was killed by Rama." This shifts the focus of the sentence. Instead of Rama, the subject, acting upon Ravana, Rama is now being acted upon.

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Question

How do I transform this sentence into passive voice: "Farmers often raise several crops at the same time."

Community Answer

In passive voice, the subject (the farmer, in this example) does not directly do the action (raise crops). In passive voice, the sentence becomes "Several crops are often raised by the farmer."

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Question

How do I change the sentence "the sum you have been insured for" from passive to active?

Donagan

Top Answerer

That's not a sentence. It's a clause and therefore has no voice. In other words, there is no main verb.

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Question

How do I change "I'm going for a bath" into passive voice?

Community Answer

The transition would sound a little awkward because of the verb "going." An easier way to write this sentence in active voice would be "I'm going to take a bath," which in passive voice becomes, "A bath is going to be taken by me."

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Question

How do I change this sentence, "The sea water has damaged some of the cargo", to the passive voice?

Community Answer

"Some of the cargo has been damaged by the sea water."

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Question

Is the sentence "Don't go in the sun" written in an active or passive voice?

Community Answer

It's active voice because of an implied subject (you).

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Question

How can I change the voice in this sentence? "There was a wave of reaction in favor of the story."

Donagan

Top Answerer

The sentence has no voice, because the verb "was" is a form of "to be."

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Question

What is the passive form of the sentence "Who has stolen my purse?"

Community Answer

My purse has been stolen by whom?

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Question

How can I change this sentence to passive voice? "Social capital brings about benefits to society as a whole."

Donagan

Top Answerer

Benefits to society as a whole are brought about by social capital.

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Question

What would be the passive voice of the sentence 'He is dancing'?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Dancing is done by him.

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Question

How can I change the voice of the sentence "pray for me"?

Donagan

Top Answerer

An imperative sentence (a command) cannot be converted to passive voice. If the sentence were restated as "You pray for me," it could be changed to "I am prayed for by you."

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Question

How would I change "Do you understand me?"

Donagan

Top Answerer

Am I understood by you?

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Question

How would I change "You should look for the girl with the broken smile"?

Donagan

Top Answerer

The girl with the broken smile should be looked for by you.

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Question

How do I change "he was not given the information he needed"?

Donagan

Top Answerer

The information he needed was not given to him.

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Question

How do I change the sentence "You could train your brain that this time in the classroom was for learning'' from active voice to passive voice?

Donagan

Top Answerer

That sentence is too syntactically convoluted to be converted to passive voice. (If the sentence were "You could train your brain," it could be converted to "Your brain could be trained by you.")

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Question

How do I change, "Will you convey my regards to all?"

Donagan

Top Answerer

As either a command or a question, the sentence has no voice. If restated as the active "you will convey my regards to all", it can be changed to the passive "my regards to all will be conveyed by you."

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Question

How can I change "I am sure the board will have revised this syllabus before the next session" into the passive voice?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Because the main verb "am" is a form of "to be," it has no direct object, so the sentence is not in active voice and cannot be changed to passive voice.

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Question

What is the passive voice for "she went out"?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Because the verb "went" does not have a direct object, that sentence cannot be changed to passive voice.

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Question

How do I rewrite "Children make a loud noise" to an active voice?

Donagan

Top Answerer

It's already in active voice.

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Question

What is the passive voice of the sentence, "You may remember receiving a letter from us"?

Donagan

Top Answerer

It's an awkward usage, but the passive voice is "receiving a letter from us may be remembered by you."

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Question

How would I change "The men are building the house"?

Donagan

Top Answerer

The house is being built by the men.

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Question

Pakistan expected to win the match. How do I change this into passive voice?

Community Answer

The match was expected to be won by Pakistan.

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Question

How can I change "Singh was awarded Padma Vibhushan for his astute leadership of the Air Force"?

Donagan

Top Answerer

That sentence is expressed in passive voice, but the awarder is not identified, and so the sentence cannot be changed to active voice.

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Question

How would I change, "What did he do with money?"

Donagan

Top Answerer

What was done by him with money?

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Question

Can you show me how to convert the following sentence to present perfect passive voice? "He has blamed me."

Donagan

Top Answerer

It is already in the present perfect tense. To convert to passive voice, it would be "I have been blamed by him."

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Question

How do I change "What are you doing?" into passive voice?

Donagan

Top Answerer

What is being done by you?

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