English Learning

Test on active and passive voice

April 13, 2024

Active and passive voice are two different ways of constructing sentences based on the relationship between the subject, verb, and object.

In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. It typically follows the order of Subject-Verb-Object (SVO).

e.g.

Active: “The cat chased the mouse.”

Subject: The cat

Verb: chased

Object: the mouse

In passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb. The passive voice often uses a form of the verb “to be” (such as “is,” “was,” “were,” etc.) along with the past participle of the main verb. The order of elements in a passive sentence can vary, but it generally follows a pattern where the object or the action itself becomes the subject of the sentence.

e.g.

Passive: “The mouse was chased by the cat.”

Here, the focus is on the mouse (the object), and the action (chased) is emphasized. The cat, the original subject, becomes less important and is placed at the end of the sentence or omitted entirely.

While both active and passive voice can be used effectively, active voice tends to be more direct, concise, and engaging. Passive voice is often used when the focus is on the action or when the doer of the action is unknown or less important.

However, excessive use of passive voice can make writing sound dull or indirect. Therefore, it’s essential to use both types of voice appropriately depending on the context and emphasis you want to convey.

Test-

The police caught the thief.”

A) The thief was caught by the police.

B) The thief caught the police.

C) The thief was catching by the police.

D) The police were caught by the thief.

Answer-

A) The thief was caught by the police.

2) Pick the sentence having active voice-

A) The bridge was building by the engineers.

B) The engineers were building the bridge.

C) The bridge builds the engineers.