Active & Passive Voice10 Rules — Transformations, Traps & Auxiliaries
Voice transformation is one of the most direct question types in SSC CGL, CHSL, and UPSC — you are given a sentence and asked to convert it. Master the auxiliary selection for every tense, the causative passive, and the 'is being vs. has been' distinction.
📌 Why This Topic Is Tested
Voice transformation questions are among the most reliable marks available in competitive English papers — the rules are finite, learnable, and consistently applied. Yet candidates lose marks here because of subtle errors: 'was happened' (intransitive), 'is been' (impossible form), 'was made do' (missing 'to'), or wrong auxiliary selection. The ten rules in this chapter address every type of passive formation error that appears in competitive exams, including the advanced impersonal passive and the stative verb limitation.
⚠️ High-Yield Exam Facts
- ▸ SSC CGL and CHSL have 2–3 direct voice transformation questions in every paper.
- ▸ The 'is being vs. has been' distinction is tested in sentence improvement — both options look correct to an untrained eye.
- ▸ Intransitive verb passive errors ('was happened', 'was occurred', 'was arrived') appear in error-spotting in every major exam.
- ▸ The 'made to do' causative passive is a top-five passive error in SSC CGL Tier-I.
- ▸ IELTS Academic Writing uses passive voice extensively — understanding when to drop the 'by' agent is critical for scoring Band 7+.
🎯 10 Core Rules — Active & Passive Voice
The Auxiliary Selection Rule (Tense-by-Tense)
The passive auxiliary must exactly mirror the tense of the original active verb. Present Simple: is/are + past participle. Past Simple: was/were + p.p. Present Continuous: is/are being + p.p. Past Continuous: was/were being + p.p. Present Perfect: has/have been + p.p. Past Perfect: had been + p.p. Future Simple: will be + p.p. Modal: modal + be + p.p.
❌ Incorrect
“The letter is wrote by the secretary every morning. (Present Simple passive)”
✅ Correct
“The letter is written by the secretary every morning.”
Exam Trap Tip
The most common exam error is using the wrong auxiliary (e.g., 'is wrote' instead of 'is written', or 'was being wrote'). Identify the tense of the active verb first — then apply the correct passive auxiliary formula. Exams often change only the auxiliary to create the error.
The Object-to-Subject Conversion
In converting active to passive, the object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive sentence. The subject of the active verb becomes the 'by-agent' (or is dropped). The past participle form of the main verb is always used regardless of original tense — tense is carried by the auxiliary alone.
❌ Incorrect
“The police arrested the thief. → The thief was arrest by the police.”
✅ Correct
“The thief was arrested by the police.”
Exam Trap Tip
Two frequent errors: (1) using base form instead of past participle after 'was/were' ('was arrest' instead of 'was arrested'), and (2) confusing which noun becomes the subject. Always identify the direct object of the active verb — that is the passive subject.
Intransitive Verbs Have No Passive
Intransitive verbs — verbs that take no object — cannot be converted to passive: sleep, die, arrive, come, go, laugh, cry, exist, happen, occur, consist, appear, rise. Attempting to passivize these is a grammatical impossibility. A sentence like 'The accident was happened' is simply not English.
❌ Incorrect
“The accident was happened near the school yesterday.”
✅ Correct
“The accident happened near the school yesterday.”
Exam Trap Tip
Test any verb: can you ask 'What?' or 'Whom?' after it and get a meaningful answer from the sentence? If not, it is intransitive and cannot be made passive. Exams insert passive forms of 'happen', 'occur', 'arrive', and 'consist' as error options — always reject them.
The 'By' Agent — When to Keep, When to Drop
The 'by-phrase' naming the agent is included only when the agent is important, surprising, or specific. It must be dropped when: (1) the agent is unknown ('My wallet was stolen'), (2) the agent is obvious from context ('The law was passed' — by parliament is understood), (3) the agent is general/impersonal ('Mistakes are often made'). Keeping an unnecessary 'by' phrase creates wordiness penalised in sentence improvement.
❌ Incorrect
“Mistakes are often made by people in a hurry, so care must be taken by everyone.”
✅ Correct
“Mistakes are often made in a hurry, so care must be taken.”
Exam Trap Tip
In sentence improvement questions, options that drop an unnecessary 'by' phrase are typically correct. Ask: does the reader specifically NEED to know the agent? If the agent is obvious, generic, or unknown, remove the 'by' phrase.
The Modal Passive (Can/Should/Must + Be + P.P.)
When a modal verb appears in the active sentence, the passive form is: modal + be + past participle (present/future reference) OR modal + have been + past participle (past reference — modal perfect passive). Inserting 'been' in a present modal passive or omitting it in a modal perfect passive are both errors.
❌ Incorrect
“The project should been completed before the deadline last month.”
✅ Correct
“The project should have been completed before the deadline last month.”
Exam Trap Tip
Formula: present modal passive = must/can/should + BE + p.p. Past modal passive = must/could/should + HAVE BEEN + p.p. The distinction is tested in sentence improvement: 'should be completed' (future reference) vs. 'should have been completed' (past unfulfilled obligation). Never use 'should been' — the auxiliary 'have' cannot be omitted.
The Impersonal Passive (It Is Said That / Subject + Is Said To)
Sentences like 'People say that…' or 'Everyone believes that…' are converted to impersonal passives in two ways: (1) 'It + passive + that-clause': 'It is said that he is wealthy.' (2) 'Subject + passive + to-infinitive': 'He is said to be wealthy.' Both are correct formal structures heavily used in formal writing and tested in error-spotting.
❌ Incorrect
“It is said that he was coming to the event tomorrow.”
✅ Correct
“It is said that he will come to the event tomorrow. / He is said to be coming to the event tomorrow.”
Exam Trap Tip
Tense harmony inside the that-clause is the trap. If the reporting is in present ('it is said'), the embedded clause uses present or future as the logic demands. Also test the two structures: 'It is reported that prices have risen' = 'Prices are reported to have risen'. Exams swap between the two to test whether you recognise them as equivalent.
The Passive Interrogative — Inversion Rule
When converting an active question to passive, the subject-auxiliary inversion that applies in all questions must be preserved. 'Who wrote this letter?' becomes 'By whom was this letter written?' — NOT 'By whom this letter was written.' The auxiliary (was/were/has been) always precedes the subject in passive questions, exactly as in active questions.
❌ Incorrect
“By whom this project was completed before the submission deadline?”
✅ Correct
“By whom was this project completed before the submission deadline?”
Exam Trap Tip
'Who' becomes 'By whom' in formal passive questions. The inversion rule (auxiliary-subject) applies to all questions including passive ones. Exams present un-inverted passive questions as error options — always restore the inversion. Additionally, 'Who + active' → 'By whom + passive' is tested as a direct transformation question.
The 'Make' Causative Passive — 'To' Reappears
'Make + object + base verb' (active) becomes 'object + was made + to + infinitive' (passive). Crucially, the 'to' that is absent in the active construction MUST appear in the passive. Similarly, 'Let + object + verb' becomes 'object + was allowed + to + verb' in passive, or in formal commands: 'Let + object + be + past participle' (e.g., 'Let the work be done').
❌ Incorrect
“He was made do the entire assignment again by the strict teacher.”
✅ Correct
“He was made to do the entire assignment again by the strict teacher.”
Exam Trap Tip
Active 'make him do' → Passive 'he was made TO do'. The 'to' insertion is mandatory in passive and its omission is a top-five passive voice error in SSC CGL. Memorise the pair: active (no to) / passive (to required). Also: 'They let him go' → 'He was allowed to go' (not 'He was let go' — though this form exists colloquially, formal exam answers require 'allowed to').
Stative Verbs That Cannot Be Passivised
Certain stative verbs describing states of possession, resemblance, or mental state cannot form passive constructions: have (= possess), resemble, suit, lack, fit, contain, become, consist of. 'He has a car' cannot become 'A car is had by him.' 'She resembles her mother' cannot become 'Her mother is resembled by her.' These restrictions are tested in sentence improvement and error-spotting.
❌ Incorrect
“A large playing field is had by the school near the main building.”
✅ Correct
“The school has a large playing field near the main building.”
Exam Trap Tip
If the verb describes a static state rather than a deliberate action, passive is likely impossible. The possessive 'have' is the most tested: 'is had by' is always wrong. In multiple-choice questions that ask you to choose the passive form, reject any option using 'is had', 'is resembled', 'is consisted', or 'is lacked'.
Is Being vs. Has Been — Continuous vs. Perfect Passive
'Is being + p.p.' = Present Continuous Passive (action happening right now). 'Has been + p.p.' = Present Perfect Passive (action completed at some unspecified point with present relevance). 'Is been' is NEVER correct in standard English. Confusing these two forms — especially using 'is been' — is one of the most tested passive errors in sentence improvement sections.
❌ Incorrect
“The new bridge is been constructed over the river for the past three years.”
✅ Correct
“The new bridge has been constructed over the river for the past three years. / The new bridge is being constructed over the river.”
Exam Trap Tip
'Is been' → ALWAYS wrong. Choose between 'is being' (happening now, continuous) and 'has been' (completed, perfect). The clue is in the time expression: 'for the past three years' signals duration → present perfect 'has been constructed'. 'Right now / at present / currently' signals ongoing → 'is being constructed'. Exams substitute 'is been' for one of these to create the error.
⚠️ Examiner Traps & Elimination Hacks
🚨 Trap Type 1 — 'Is Been' (Never Correct)
One of the most common passive errors is 'is been + p.p.' — a form that simply does not exist in standard English. Choose between 'is being' (continuous passive — action happening right now) and 'has been' (perfect passive — action completed with present relevance). The time expression in the sentence tells you which.
❌ Wrong: “The project is been reviewed by the senior team currently.”
✅ Correct: “The project is being reviewed by the senior team currently.”
⚡ Trap Type 2 — Intransitive Verbs Cannot Be Passivised
Intransitive verbs (happen, occur, arrive, die, sleep, laugh, rise, consist) take no object — there is nothing to convert into a passive subject. 'Was happened', 'was occurred', 'was arrived', 'was slept' are all impossible forms. Exams insert these in error-spotting, relying on candidates to overlook the passive construction.
❌ Wrong: “The tragedy was happened at the intersection of two major highways.”
✅ Correct: “The tragedy happened at the intersection of two major highways.”
🎯 Passive Auxiliary Quick Reference
Present Simple: is/are + p.p. | Past Simple: was/were + p.p. | Present Continuous: is/are being + p.p. | Past Continuous: was/were being + p.p. | Present Perfect: has/have been + p.p. | Past Perfect: had been + p.p. | Future: will be + p.p. | Modal: modal + be + p.p. | Modal Perfect: modal + have been + p.p.
📋 Quick Reference — Exam Cheat Sheet
Present Simple passive: is/are + p.p.
e.g. The report is submitted daily.
Past Simple passive: was/were + p.p.
e.g. The thief was caught.
Present Continuous passive: is/are being + p.p.
e.g. The road is being repaired.
Present Perfect passive: has/have been + p.p.
e.g. The letter has been sent.
Modal passive: modal + be + p.p.
e.g. Rules must be followed.
Modal perfect passive: modal + have been + p.p.
e.g. It should have been done.
Intransitive verbs (happen, occur, arrive) → NO passive
e.g. The accident happened. (not: was happened)
Active 'make him do' → Passive 'he was made to do'
e.g. He was made to redo the work.
Who → By whom in passive questions with inversion
e.g. By whom was this written?
Stative 'have' (possess) cannot be passivised
e.g. The school has a field. (not: a field is had)
| Rule / Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Present Simple passive: is/are + p.p. | The report is submitted daily. |
| Past Simple passive: was/were + p.p. | The thief was caught. |
| Present Continuous passive: is/are being + p.p. | The road is being repaired. |
| Present Perfect passive: has/have been + p.p. | The letter has been sent. |
| Modal passive: modal + be + p.p. | Rules must be followed. |
| Modal perfect passive: modal + have been + p.p. | It should have been done. |
| Intransitive verbs (happen, occur, arrive) → NO passive | The accident happened. (not: was happened) |
| Active 'make him do' → Passive 'he was made to do' | He was made to redo the work. |
| Who → By whom in passive questions with inversion | By whom was this written? |
| Stative 'have' (possess) cannot be passivised | The school has a field. (not: a field is had) |
📝 Practice MCQs
10 questions — exam-style traps
The results ___ announced by the board tomorrow.
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