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AFCAT Active & Passive Voice

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This page covers AFCAT Active & Passive Voice with complete concept notes, 52 graded practice MCQs, key points and exam-specific tips. Free to study.

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Concept Notes

Active & Passive Voice— Rules & Concept

Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
CORE CONCEPT

Active Voice: The subject performs the action

Example

'Ram writes a letter.' Passive Voice: The action is performed on the subject

Example

'A letter is written by Ram.' The key difference is WHO is doing the action versus WHO is receiving the action

KEY TRANSFORMATION RULES

Object of active voice becomes subject of passive voice 2. Subject of active voice becomes object with 'by' in passive voice 3. Verb changes to 'be + past participle' form 4. Tense remains the same in both voices

Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper

Active to Passive Transformation:

Subject + Verb + Object → Object + be/is/am/are/was/were + Past Participle + by + Subject

Tense-wise Formula:

Present Simple: do/does → is/am/are + Past Participle
Past Simple: did → was/were + Past Participle
Present Perfect: has/have + Past Participle → has/have been + Past Participle
Future Simple: will + base verb → will be + Past Participle
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
1

Direct conversion (Active to Passive or vice versa)

2

Identifying correct passive form from options

3

Error detection in voice usage

4

Fill in the blanks with correct voice form

ShortcutsUse these to save 30–60 seconds per question

#1 - THE 'BY' TEST: If you can add 'by someone' at the end of the sentence meaningfully, it's likely passive voice. If it sounds odd, it's active voice. SHORTCUT TRICK #2 - TENSE PRESERVATION: The tense never changes during voice conversion. If active is present tense, passive will also be present tense.

Only the verb form changes.

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1

Identify Subject (teacher), Verb (explains), Object (lesson)

2
Step 2

Make object the new subject → 'The lesson'

3
Step 3

Convert verb to passive form → 'is explained' (present simple)

4
Step 4

Add 'by' + original subject → 'by the teacher' Passive: 'The lesson is explained by the teacher.' WORKED EXAMPLE 2: Passive: 'The book was written by Shakespeare.'

1
Step 1

Identify passive structure (was written = past simple passive)

2
Step 2

Make 'by' phrase the new subject → 'Shakespeare'

3
Step 3

Convert to active verb → 'wrote' (past simple)

4
Step 4

Make original subject the object → 'the book' Active: 'Shakespeare wrote the book.' SHORTCUT TRICK #3 - MODAL VERB FORMULA: With modals (can, may, must, should): Active: Subject + Modal + Base Verb + Object Passive: Object + Modal + be + Past Participle + by + Subject Example: 'You must complete the work' → 'The work must be completed by you' THE #1 MOST COMMON TRAP: Students often change the tense while converting voice. Remember: TENSE STAYS THE SAME, only verb form changes. If the active sentence is in past tense, the passive will also be in past tense. Don't convert 'He wrote a letter' to 'A letter is written by him.' The correct answer is 'A letter was written by him.' Another major mistake is forgetting that some verbs cannot be made passive. Intransitive verbs (verbs without objects) like 'sleep', 'die', 'arrive' cannot be converted to passive voice. EXAM TIP: In SSC CGL, always read the entire sentence carefully. Look for time indicators (yesterday, tomorrow, always) to confirm the tense. This prevents the common error of wrong tense usage in voice conversion.

Key Points to Remember

  • Active voice: subject performs action; Passive voice: action performed on subject
  • Formula: Subject + Verb + Object → Object + be + Past Participle + by + Subject
  • Tense never changes during voice conversion, only verb form changes
  • Shortcut: Use 'by someone' test to identify passive voice sentences
  • Modal formula: Modal + be + Past Participle for passive voice
  • Intransitive verbs (sleep, die, arrive) cannot be made passive
  • Object of active voice becomes subject of passive voice
  • Present simple: do/does → is/am/are + Past Participle
  • Past simple: did → was/were + Past Participle
  • Future simple: will + base verb → will be + Past Participle

Exam-Specific Tips

  • Voice questions appear 2-3 times in every SSC CGL English paper
  • Intransitive verbs like sleep, die, arrive, happen cannot be converted to passive voice
  • Modal passive formula: Modal + be + Past Participle (can write → can be written)
  • Present perfect passive uses 'has/have been + Past Participle' structure
  • Interrogative passive starts with auxiliary verb: 'Is the work done by him?'
  • Imperative active voice converts to 'Let + object + be + past participle'
  • Future perfect passive uses 'will have been + past participle' structure
  • Continuous passive uses 'being' with past participle: 'is being written'
Practice MCQs

Active & Passive Voice — Practice Questions

52graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis · showing 20 of 52

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Practice 1easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The award (A) / will be given (B) / to the winner (C) / at the ceremony next month. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 2easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The letter (A) / was written (B) / by John (C) / last month (D). No error (E)

Practice 3easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The report (A) / was prepared by (B) / the committee members (C) / last week. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 4easy

Change the following sentence into Passive Voice: 'She writes a letter every day.'

Practice 5easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The proposal (A) / has been rejected (B) / by the board (C) / because of its poor quality. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 6easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The documents (A) / was signed (B) / by both parties (C) / yesterday morning. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 7easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The project (A) / have been completed (B) / by the team (C) / on schedule (D). No error (E)

Practice 8easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The new policy (A) / will be implemented (B) / by the management (C) / next week (D). No error (E)

Practice 9easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The documents (A) / has been signed (B) / by all the stakeholders (C) / yesterday (D). No error (E)

Practice 10easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The report (A) / was prepared by the team (B) / with great care and (C) / submitted on time (D). No error (E)

Practice 11easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The report (A) / was prepared by the team (B) / and it has been (C) / submitted yesterday. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 12easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The award (A) was given to the student (B) who have scored (C) the highest marks in the examination. (D) No error (E)

Practice 13easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The report (A) was prepared by the team (B) and submitted to the manager (C) last week. (D) No error (E)

Practice 14easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The documents (A) was being reviewed (B) by the committee (C) when the meeting was adjourned. (D) No error (E)

Practice 15easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The proposal (A) was rejected by the board (B) because it was considered (C) impractical and not feasible. (D) No error (E)

Practice 16easy

Identify the error in the following sentence: The documents (A) / have been signed by (B) / the director and (C) / the manager yesterday. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 17medium

The new software (A) is being developed / (B) by a team of experts / (C) who has extensive experience / (D) in the field. / No error

Practice 18medium

Identify the error in the following sentence: The documents (A) / should have been submitted (B) / by the applicants (C) / before three days. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 19medium

The proposal (A) should have been considered / (B) more carefully / (C) by the committee / (D) before taking a decision. / No error

Practice 20medium

Identify the error in the following sentence: The report (A) / was prepared by (B) / the committee members (C) / last week. (D) / No error (E)

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60-Second Revision — Active & Passive Voice

  • Remember: Tense stays same, only verb form changes in voice conversion
  • Formula: Active Object becomes Passive Subject, add 'by' before active subject
  • Trap: Don't change tense while converting - most common error in exams
  • Shortcut: Add 'by someone' to test if sentence can be passive
  • Quick check: Modal + be + Past Participle for modal passive sentences
  • Alert: Intransitive verbs cannot be made passive
  • Exam tip: Look for time indicators to identify correct tense before conversion
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