Table of Contents
Introduction
Grammar sections in competitive exams are not designed to reward memorization. They are designed to test your ability to apply rules under pressure — quickly, accurately, and without second-guessing yourself. Among those rules, voice change exercises for competitive exams consistently appear in SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, IBPS PO, UPSC, Railways RRB, NDA, CDS, and nearly every state-level government exam.
The reason is simple. Voice transformation tests multiple grammar skills at once — tense recognition, subject-object inversion, correct auxiliary use, and pronoun case — all inside a single question. Examiners know this. That is why it appears year after year.
This article gives you 100 carefully designed, timed-exam-level exercises organised by difficulty and sentence type, each with a full answer. You will also find a quick rule recap before the exercises, common errors to watch for, and a glossary of terms you should know cold before sitting any English grammar paper.
Key Takeaways
✅ The passive formula is: Object → Subject + be-verb (correct tense) + V3 + by + original subject
✅ The auxiliary be-verb must always match the tense of the original active sentence.
✅ Pronouns must shift from subject case to object case (and vice versa).
✅ Imperative sentences use Let + object + be + V3 in the passive.
✅ Intransitive verbs (no object) cannot be made passive.
✅ Drop the by-phrase when the agent is unknown, obvious, or irrelevant.
✅ Interrogatives in passive use By whom + auxiliary + subject + V3?
Quick View
What is voice change in English grammar? Voice change is the process of converting a sentence from active voice (where the subject performs the action) to passive voice (where the subject receives the action), or vice versa. It involves rearranging the subject and object, changing the verb form, and adjusting pronouns and auxiliary verbs according to the tense.
What Is Voice Change? A Quick Recap
In English grammar, voice refers to the relationship between the subject of a sentence and the action expressed by the verb.
- Active voice: The subject performs the action. → The teacher explains the lesson.
- Passive voice: The subject receives the action. → The lesson is explained by the teacher.
The key structural change: the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. The original subject either moves to a by-phrase or disappears if unimportant.
📌 Related Guide: Voice Change in English Grammar: Active and Passive Voice Explained — Lingua Litera
Essential Rules Before You Start
Mastering these four rules handles approximately 80% of all competitive exam voice change questions.
Rule 1 — The Basic Formula
Passive Subject + Auxiliary (be-verb in correct tense) + Past Participle (V3) + by + Active Subject
Rule 2 — Pronoun Conversion When the subject or object is a pronoun, it must change case. See the Pronoun Conversion Table below.
Rule 3 — Tense of the Auxiliary The be-verb must match the original tense. A present simple active verb needs is/are. A past continuous active verb needs was/were being. Get this wrong and you lose the mark.
Rule 4 — When to Drop “by + agent” Omit the by-phrase when the agent (doer) is obvious, unknown, or unimportant. “The thief was caught” is cleaner than “The thief was caught by someone.”
Tense-Wise Auxiliary Chart
| Tense | Active Form | Passive Form |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | V1 / V1+s | is/am/are + V3 |
| Present Continuous | is/am/are + V1+ing | is/am/are + being + V3 |
| Present Perfect | has/have + V3 | has/have + been + V3 |
| Past Simple | V2 | was/were + V3 |
| Past Continuous | was/were + V1+ing | was/were + being + V3 |
| Past Perfect | had + V3 | had + been + V3 |
| Future Simple | will + V1 | will + be + V3 |
| Future Perfect | will have + V3 | will have + been + V3 |
| Modal (can/may/must etc.) | modal + V1 | modal + be + V3 |
Pronoun Conversion Table
| Active (Subject) | Passive (Object) | Active (Object) | Passive (Subject) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | by me | me | I |
| We | by us | us | We |
| You | by you | you | You |
| He | by him | him | He |
| She | by her | her | She |
| They | by them | them | They |
| It | by it | it | It |
Voice Change Exercises Set 1 — Simple Tenses (Q1–Q25)
Change the following sentences from Active to Passive Voice unless stated otherwise.
Q1. The farmer grows rice. Answer: Rice is grown by the farmer.
Q2. She writes a letter every day. Answer: A letter is written by her every day.
Q3. They do not clean the room. Answer: The room is not cleaned by them.
Q4. Does he repair the car? Answer: Is the car repaired by him?
Q5. The students submit the assignments on time. Answer: The assignments are submitted by the students on time.
Q6. My mother cooks delicious food. Answer: Delicious food is cooked by my mother.
Q7. He broke the window. Answer: The window was broken by him.
Q8. The police arrested the criminal. Answer: The criminal was arrested by the police.
Q9. Did they finish the project? Answer: Was the project finished by them?
Q10. She did not invite me. Answer: I was not invited by her.
Q11. The government announced a new policy. Answer: A new policy was announced by the government.
Q12. They built this bridge in 1990. Answer: This bridge was built in 1990.
Q13. Who wrote this novel? Answer: By whom was this novel written?
Q14. He loves her deeply. Answer: She is deeply loved by him.
Q15. The manager rejected the proposal. Answer: The proposal was rejected by the manager.
Q16. She teaches English at school. Answer: English is taught by her at school.
Q17. The dog bit the boy. Answer: The boy was bitten by the dog.
Q18. They have not repaired the road. Answer: The road has not been repaired by them.
Q19. Did the principal sign the certificate? Answer: Was the certificate signed by the principal?
Q20. Someone stole my wallet. Answer: My wallet was stolen.
Q21. We respect our elders. Answer: Our elders are respected by us.
Q22. The fire destroyed the building. Answer: The building was destroyed by the fire.
Q23. He reads the newspaper every morning. Answer: The newspaper is read by him every morning.
Q24. They elected him president. Answer: He was elected president by them.
Q25. Who broke this vase? Answer: By whom was this vase broken?
Exercises Set 2 — Continuous and Perfect Tenses (Q26–Q50)
Q26. She is writing a report. Answer: A report is being written by her.
Q27. They are building a new hospital. Answer: A new hospital is being built by them.
Q28. He is not reading the instructions. Answer: The instructions are not being read by him.
Q29. Is the teacher checking the papers? Answer: Are the papers being checked by the teacher?
Q30. The workers are repairing the road. Answer: The road is being repaired by the workers.
Q31. She was preparing dinner. Answer: Dinner was being prepared by her.
Q32. They were discussing the matter. Answer: The matter was being discussed by them.
Q33. Was he writing the report? Answer: Was the report being written by him?
Q34. The players were practising the drill. Answer: The drill was being practised by the players.
Q35. She was not teaching the class. Answer: The class was not being taught by her.
Q36. He has completed the task. Answer: The task has been completed by him.
Q37. They have submitted their forms. Answer: Their forms have been submitted by them.
Q38. Has she finished the work? Answer: Has the work been finished by her?
Q39. We have not received his reply. Answer: His reply has not been received by us.
Q40. The committee has approved the budget. Answer: The budget has been approved by the committee.
Q41. He had already eaten the food. Answer: The food had already been eaten by him.
Q42. They had not informed the manager. Answer: The manager had not been informed by them.
Q43. Had she completed the assignment before the deadline? Answer: Had the assignment been completed by her before the deadline?
Q44. The teacher had corrected all the papers. Answer: All the papers had been corrected by the teacher.
Q45. She had written three novels before retiring. Answer: Three novels had been written by her before retiring.
Q46. Will she write the letter? Answer: Will the letter be written by her?
Q47. They will not accept this offer. Answer: This offer will not be accepted by them.
Q48. Will the company announce the results tomorrow? Answer: Will the results be announced by the company tomorrow?
Q49. She will have finished the project by Monday. Answer: The project will have been finished by her by Monday.
Q50. They will have completed the survey by next week. Answer: The survey will have been completed by them by next week.
Exercises Set 3 — Modal Verbs (Q51–Q65)
Modal verbs follow the pattern: modal + be + V3 in passive.
Q51. You must follow the rules. Answer: The rules must be followed by you.
Q52. She can solve this problem. Answer: This problem can be solved by her.
Q53. They should submit the report today. Answer: The report should be submitted by them today.
Q54. He may attend the meeting. Answer: The meeting may be attended by him.
Q55. You ought to respect your teachers. Answer: Your teachers ought to be respected by you.
Q56. The doctor must examine the patient. Answer: The patient must be examined by the doctor.
Q57. She could finish the work in an hour. Answer: The work could be finished by her in an hour.
Q58. We should help the needy. Answer: The needy should be helped by us.
Q59. They might cancel the event. Answer: The event might be cancelled by them.
Q60. Can you solve this equation? Answer: Can this equation be solved by you?
Q61. You need not do this work. Answer: This work need not be done by you.
Q62. He dare not speak the truth. Answer: The truth dare not be spoken by him.
Q63. She would complete the assignment. Answer: The assignment would be completed by her.
Q64. They must not waste water. Answer: Water must not be wasted by them.
Q65. You should maintain silence in the library. Answer: Silence should be maintained by you in the library.
Exercises Set 4 — Interrogative Sentences (Q66–Q80)
Questions follow a specific passive structure. Watch the auxiliary placement.
Q66. Who teaches you English? Answer: By whom are you taught English?
Q67. When did he call you? Answer: When were you called by him?
Q68. Why did they punish the boy? Answer: Why was the boy punished by them?
Q69. How did she solve the problem? Answer: How was the problem solved by her?
Q70. Who will lead the team? Answer: By whom will the team be led?
Q71. Does she know the answer? Answer: Is the answer known to her?
Q72. Whom did the principal call? Answer: Who was called by the principal?
Q73. What are they planning? Answer: What is being planned by them?
Q74. Who wrote the Ramayana? Answer: By whom was the Ramayana written?
Q75. Will he finish the work? Answer: Will the work be finished by him?
Q76. Which book has she selected? Answer: Which book has been selected by her?
Q77. Why are they ignoring the complaint? Answer: Why is the complaint being ignored by them?
Q78. Who is managing the office? Answer: By whom is the office being managed?
Q79. Did you invite all your friends? Answer: Were all your friends invited by you?
Q80. Can they repair this machine? Answer: Can this machine be repaired by them?
Exercises Set 5 — Imperative and Miscellaneous (Q81–Q100)
Imperative sentences in passive use: Let + object + be + V3. Some sentences here include tricky or exam-favourite patterns.
Q81. Open the door. Answer: Let the door be opened.
Q82. Do not touch the wire. Answer: Let the wire not be touched.
Q83. Please help the old man. Answer: Let the old man be helped.
Q84. Never tell a lie. Answer: Let a lie never be told.
Q85. Post this letter immediately. Answer: Let this letter be posted immediately.
Q86. They say that he is honest. Answer: It is said that he is honest. / He is said to be honest.
Q87. People know that she is a great singer. Answer: It is known that she is a great singer. / She is known to be a great singer.
Q88. Everyone loves a brave soldier. Answer: A brave soldier is loved by everyone.
Q89. The news surprised everyone. Answer: Everyone was surprised by the news.
Q90. Nobody saw him leave. Answer: He was not seen to leave by anybody.
Q91. It is time to start the meeting. Answer: It is time for the meeting to be started.
Q92. I saw the children playing in the park. Answer: The children were seen playing in the park by me.
Q93. She heard him singing a song. Answer: He was heard singing a song by her.
Q94. They let him go free. Answer: He was let go free by them.
Q95. People believe that the earth is round. Answer: It is believed that the earth is round. / The earth is believed to be round.
Q96. The principal asked the students to maintain silence. Answer: The students were asked by the principal to maintain silence.
Q97. He made her cry. Answer: She was made to cry by him.
Q98. She saw him steal the money. Answer: He was seen stealing the money by her. / He was seen to steal the money by her.
Q99. We should love our country. Answer: Our country should be loved by us.
Q100. Wash your hands before eating. Answer: Let your hands be washed before eating.
Common Mistakes in Voice Change
These are the errors that cost students marks in actual exams. Learn them, avoid them.
Mistake 1: Forgetting to change the pronoun case ✗ He was punished by I. ✔ He was punished by me.
Mistake 2: Using wrong auxiliary for the tense ✗ The letter was being written by her. (for Present Perfect) ✔ The letter has been written by her.
Mistake 3: Keeping the active subject in its original position ✗ The book has been read by students they. ✔ The book has been read by students.
Mistake 4: Adding “by” even when the agent is unknown ✗ My wallet was stolen by someone. ✔ My wallet was stolen.
Mistake 5: Applying passive to intransitive verbs Verbs like sleep, arrive, die, go, laugh have no object and cannot be made passive. ✗ The boy is slept. ← This is wrong. “Sleep” is intransitive.
Mistake 6: Wrong structure for imperative passive ✗ The door should be opened. (for “Open the door.”) ✔ Let the door be opened.
Mistake 7: Confusion with “who” in interrogative passive ✗ Who was the letter written? ✔ By whom was the letter written?
Expert Tips for Exam Day
Tip 1 — Always identify the tense first Before you even think about conversion, ask: What tense is this? The auxiliary in the passive form is entirely determined by the tense. Get the tense right, and the rest follows.
Tip 2 — Find the object before you start rewriting If there is no object, there is no passive. Check for a transitive verb and its object first.
Tip 3 — Use the three-step method Step 1: Identify object → make it the new subject. Step 2: Write the correct be-verb in the correct tense. Step 3: Write the past participle (V3) of the main verb.
Tip 4 — Know your irregular past participles Many errors happen not in the voice structure but in the wrong V3. Write → written, not wrote. Break → broken, not broke.
Tip 5 — Read the MCQ options phonetically In multiple-choice exams, one option often sounds almost right but has the wrong auxiliary tense. Read each option while mentally assigning it a tense. The one that matches the original tense is almost always correct.
Internal Link Recomendations
- After “What Is Voice Change” section → Voice Change in English Grammar: Active and Passive Voice Explained
- After the Pronoun Conversion Table → Types of Nouns in English: Complete Classification Guide
- After “Common Mistakes” section → Change of Narration: Complete Rules for Direct and Indirect Speech
- After “Expert Tips” section → Articles in English: The Complete Guide to A, An, and The
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