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SSC CGL Active & Passive Voice

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This page covers SSC CGL 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
Example

Ram ate the mango. (Ram is doing the action.) In PASSIVE VOICE → the subject RECEIVES the action

Example

The mango was eaten by Ram. (The mango is receiving the action.) Simple rule: If the doer is important → use Active. If the action or receiver is important → use Passive. ───────────────────────────────────────── KEY RULES / PROPERTIES ───────────────────────────────────────── Rule 1 — Only TRANSITIVE verbs (verbs that take an object) can be changed to Passive Voice. Intransitive verbs (run, sleep, go) CANNOT be made passive. Rule 2 — The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Rule 3 — The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent, written after 'by'

Rule 4 — The main verb always changes to

Past Participle (V3) form in Passive Voice. Rule 5 — The tense information is carried by the helping verb (auxiliary), NOT the main verb. ─────────────────────────────────────────

Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper

─────────────────────────────────────────

Active: Subject + Helping Verb + V1/V2/V3 + Object

Passive: Object + Helping Verb (tense-based) + V3 + by + Subject

TENSE-WISE PASSIVE FORMULA TABLE:

Simple Present: is/am/are + V3

Simple Past: was/were + V3

Simple Future: will be + V3

Present Continuous: is/am/are + being + V3

Past Continuous: was/were + being + V3

Present Perfect: has/have + been + V3

Past Perfect: had + been + V3

Future Perfect: will have been + V3

MEMORY TRICK: 'Being' appears ONLY in continuous tenses. 'Been' appears ONLY in perfect tenses.

─────────────────────────────────────────

Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
Most questions test

Present Perfect, Past Perfect, and Modal verbs (can, should, must, may)

MODAL PASSIVES — Special Formula

Active: Subject + Modal + V1 + Object Passive: Object + Modal + be + V3 + by + Subject Example: You must submit the form. → The form must be submitted by you. ───────────────────────────────────────── SHORTCUTS & TRICKS ───────────────────────────────────────── SHORTCUT 1 — PRONOUN CHANGE RULE (Most tested!) Subject pronouns change when they move to agent position: I → me | We → us | He → him | She → her | They → them | You → you | It → it Trap Alert: Many students write 'by he' or 'by they' — WRONG! Always use object form. SHORTCUT 2 — DROP 'BY PHRASE' RULE If the agent is unknown, unimportant, or obvious, drop the 'by phrase' entirely

Example

Someone stole my wallet. → My wallet was stolen. (No 'by someone' needed.) SHORTCUT 3 — INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE PASSIVE FORMULA For questions starting with 'Who', convert to 'By whom' in passive. Who wrote this letter? → By whom was this letter written? For Wh-questions (What, When, Where), the Wh-word stays at the start. What did she buy? → What was bought by her? ─────────────────────────────────────────

Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on

— Simple Past ───────────────────────────────────────── Active: The teacher punished the student. Step 1 — Identify: Subject = The teacher | Verb = punished (V2, Simple Past) | Object = the student Step 2 — New subject = the student Step 3 — Tense formula for Simple Past Passive = was/were + V3 Step 4 — Student is singular → use 'was' Step 5 — V3 of punish = punished Step 6 — Agent = by the teacher Passive: The student was punished by the teacher. ───────────────────────────────────────── WORKED EXAMPLE 2 — Present Perfect ───────────────────────────────────────── Active: She has completed the project. Step 1 — Subject = She | Verb = has completed (Present Perfect) | Object = the project Step 2 — New subject = the project Step 3 — Tense formula for Present Perfect Passive = has/have + been + V3 Step 4 — 'The project' is singular third person → use 'has' Step 5 — V3 of complete = completed Step 6 — Agent = by her (pronoun changes: she → her) Passive: The project has been completed by her. ───────────────────────────────────────── NUMBER ONE

Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these

— TRAP ALERT ───────────────────────────────────────── Students confuse 'was/were + V3' (Passive) with 'was/were + V1-ing' (Past Continuous Active). Example of confusion: 'The cake was baking' = Past Continuous Active (someone was baking it) 'The cake was baked' = Simple Past Passive (it was baked by someone) Always check: Is it V3 (past participle)? Then it is Passive. Is it V-ing?

Then it is Active Continuous. In SSC CGL error spotting, this trap appears very frequently. Never confuse -ing form with V3.

Key Points to Remember

  • Active Voice: Subject does the action. Passive Voice: Subject receives the action.
  • FORMULA — Passive = Object + Helping Verb (tense-based) + V3 + by + Subject.
  • Only transitive verbs (verbs with objects) can be converted to Passive Voice.
  • SHORTCUT — Pronoun Rule: I→me, He→him, She→her, We→us, They→them after 'by'.
  • FORMULA — Continuous Passive uses 'being + V3'; Perfect Passive uses 'been + V3'.
  • FORMULA — Modal Passive = Object + Modal + be + V3 + by + Subject.
  • Drop the 'by phrase' when the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant.
  • SHORTCUT — 'Who' in active questions becomes 'By whom' in passive questions.
  • Tense of the sentence is shown by the helping verb, not the main verb (always V3 in passive).
  • TRAP — 'was baking' is Past Continuous Active; 'was baked' is Simple Past Passive — never confuse these.

Exam-Specific Tips

  • In Passive Voice, the main verb is ALWAYS in V3 (Past Participle) form, regardless of tense.
  • The helping verb 'being' appears ONLY in Passive forms of Continuous tenses (e.g., is being done, was being done).
  • The helping verb 'been' appears ONLY in Passive forms of Perfect tenses (e.g., has been done, had been done).
  • Intransitive verbs such as 'go', 'sleep', 'arrive', 'die' CANNOT be used in Passive Voice.
  • Modal Passive formula: Modal + be + V3 (e.g., can be done, should be submitted, must be followed).
  • Future Continuous (will be doing) and Future Perfect Continuous (will have been doing) do NOT have standard Passive Voice forms — rarely tested but good to know.
  • In interrogative passive sentences beginning with 'Who', 'Who' is replaced by 'By whom' and placed at the start.
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

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

Practice 2easy

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 3easy

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 4easy

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

Practice 5easy

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 6easy

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 7easy

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 8easy

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 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 documents (A) / have been signed by (B) / the director and (C) / the manager yesterday. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 11easy

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 12easy

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 13easy

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 14easy

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 15easy

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

Practice 16easy

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 17medium

Identify the error in the following sentence: The proposal (A) / was rejected (B) / by the committee (C) / because it did not meet the required standards. (D) / No error (E)

Practice 18medium

The documents (A) were being reviewed / (B) by the auditor / (C) when the power cut occurred / (D) yesterday evening. / No error

Practice 19medium

The report (A) was submitted by the team / (B) which have been working / (C) on the project / (D) for the last three months. / No error

Practice 20medium

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

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60-Second Revision — Active & Passive Voice

  • Remember: Passive Voice = Object becomes Subject + correct helping verb (tense-based) + V3 + by + original Subject.
  • Formula: Continuous Passive → is/am/are/was/were + BEING + V3. Perfect Passive → has/have/had + BEEN + V3.
  • Formula: Modal Passive → Modal + BE + V3 (must be done, can be seen, should be submitted).
  • Trap: NEVER write 'by he / by they / by she'. Always use: by him / by them / by her.
  • Trap: 'was baked' = Passive (V3). 'was baking' = Active Past Continuous (V-ing). Do NOT confuse these in error spotting.
  • Shortcut: Drop 'by + agent' when agent is unknown (someone, people, they in general sense).
  • Shortcut: 'Who did this?' → 'By whom was this done?' — Who becomes By whom in passive questions.
←ConjunctionsDirect & Indirect Speech→
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