Active-Passive Voice and Direct-Indirect Speech Notes

Active-passive voice and direct-indirect speech are two of the most frequently asked grammar topics in SSC, banking, railways, defence and other competitive examinations. Questions on these topics appear in sentence transformation, error spotting and sentence improvement. The rules are fixed and easy, and once you learn the patterns, you can answer such questions in seconds. This note explains both topics in simple language, with rules, tables and solved examples.

Part 1: Active and Passive Voice

Voice shows whether the subject of a sentence does the action or receives it. In the active voice, the subject performs the action: "Ravi writes a letter." In the passive voice, the subject receives the action: "A letter is written by Ravi." The passive voice is used when the doer is unknown, unimportant or obvious, or when the focus is on the action or the object. Only sentences with a transitive verb, which has an object, can be changed into the passive voice.

Basic Steps to Change Active into Passive

1. Move the object of the active sentence to the subject position.
2. Use the correct form of the "be" verb (is, am, are, was, were, been, being, be) according to the tense and the new subject.
3. Change the main verb into its past participle (V3).
4. Add "by" and the original subject at the end (in the object form: me, him, her, us, them), if needed.

Passive Voice Formulas for All Tenses

Remember that the continuous tenses use "being", the perfect tenses use "been", and the future and modal verbs use "be". The future continuous and the perfect continuous tenses are generally not used in the passive voice.

Special Cases of Passive Voice

• Imperative sentences: "Open the door." becomes "Let the door be opened." Requests like "Please help me" become "You are requested to help me."
• Interrogative sentences: "Who wrote this book?" becomes "By whom was this book written?" and "Did Ram break the glass?" becomes "Was the glass broken by Ram?"
• Two objects: "He gave me a pen." becomes "I was given a pen by him." or "A pen was given to me by him."
• Intransitive verbs: Sentences like "She sleeps" cannot be changed because there is no object.
• Modal "need" and "ought to": "You ought to obey the law" becomes "The law ought to be obeyed."
• Verbs that take fixed prepositions: "The news surprised me" becomes "I was surprised at the news." Similarly, "interested in", "pleased with", "known to" and "filled with" are common.
• Let and Let's: "Let him do it" becomes "Let it be done by him." "Let us go" becomes "We are advised to go."

Part 2: Direct and Indirect Speech

When we repeat what someone said, we can use the exact words in inverted commas (direct speech) or report the meaning in our own words (indirect or reported speech). Example: Direct: He said, "I am happy." Indirect: He said that he was happy. In the reported sentence, the part with the speaker's words is called the reported speech, and the part with "said" is the reporting verb.

General Rules for Changing Direct into Indirect

1. Remove the inverted commas and use a conjunction such as that for statements.
2. Change the pronouns according to the rule of SON: the first person in the reported speech follows the Subject of the reporting verb, the second person follows the Object of the reporting verb, and the third person has No change.
3. Change the tense if the reporting verb is in the past tense (said, told, asked); if the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, there is no change in tense.
4. Change the words of time and place.

Tense Changes in Indirect Speech

Changes in Time and Place Words

Different Types of Sentences in Indirect Speech

• Statements: Use "that". Direct: She said, "I like mangoes." Indirect: She said that she liked mangoes.
• Questions with a helping verb (yes/no): Use "if" or "whether". Direct: He asked, "Do you know her?" Indirect: He asked if I knew her.
• Wh-questions: Keep the question word and change the order to a statement. Direct: She asked, "Where do you live?" Indirect: She asked where I lived.
• Commands and requests: Use "to" with the verb. Direct: The teacher said to him, "Sit down." Indirect: The teacher ordered him to sit down.
• Requests: Direct: He said to me, "Please help me." Indirect: He requested me to help him.
• Exclamations: Use "exclaimed with joy/sorrow/surprise". Direct: She said, "Hurrah! We won." Indirect: She exclaimed with joy that they had won.
• Wishes: Direct: He said, "May you live long!" Indirect: He prayed that I might live long.

Exceptions: When the Tense Does Not Change

The tense is not changed if the reported speech is a universal truth, a habitual fact or a scientific law. Direct: The teacher said, "The earth moves around the sun." Indirect: The teacher said that the earth moves around the sun. The tense also does not change if the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, if the reported speech is about something still true at the time of speaking, or when words such as "should", "ought to", "must" (for duty) and "would" are used in the reported speech.

Tips for the Exam

For voice, first identify the tense, then use the formula table. Always check the subject-verb agreement of the new subject. For speech, first check the reporting verb: if it is in the past tense, shift the tense back by one step. Then apply the pronoun rule and the time words. In sentence improvement questions, check whether the given option has the correct "be" form and V3. Do not forget "by" is not used if the doer is not important. In passive questions on questions and commands, learn the fixed patterns by heart. Practise at least 15 transformations daily.

Practice Questions With Answers

(1) Change into passive: The boys are playing cricket. Answer: Cricket is being played by the boys. (2) Change into passive: Who has broken the window? Answer: By whom has the window been broken? (3) Change into passive: Do your duty. Answer: Let your duty be done. (4) Change into indirect: He said, "I will come tomorrow." Answer: He said that he would come the next day. (5) Change into indirect: She said to me, "Where are you going?" Answer: She asked me where I was going. (6) Change into indirect: The captain said to the players, "Work hard." Answer: The captain advised the players to work hard.

Common Errors to Avoid

In passive voice, students often forget to change the verb into V3 or use the wrong form of "be" for the new subject, for example writing "The letters is written" instead of "The letters are written". Another common error is using the passive voice with an intransitive verb. In indirect speech, the most common errors are keeping the question order in a reported question ("He asked where was I going" is wrong; "He asked where I was going" is correct), forgetting to change the pronoun, and using "that" for commands. Also remember that the reporting verb should match the meaning of the sentence: use "advised" for advice, "ordered" for commands, "requested" for polite requests, "exclaimed" for sudden feelings and "asked" for questions. In sentence improvement and error spotting, an option that keeps "will" or "can" in a past-tense report is almost always wrong, because they should become "would" and "could". When you practise, write your answers on paper, check them against these rules and keep a list of the mistakes that you repeat, so that you can revise them before the exam.

Quick Revision

• Passive = object as subject + be form + V3 (+ by agent).
• Continuous uses "being", perfect uses "been", future and modals use "be".
• Indirect speech: remove quotes, add that/if/to, change pronoun, tense and time words.
• Universal truths do not change the tense.

Master the two tables of formulas, and these two topics will become the safest marks in your English paper.

Related Notes to Read Next

Continue your preparation with these related notes from the same subject:

• Articles, Prepositions and Sentence Improvement Notes
• One Word Substitution Notes for Competitive Exams
• Commonly Misspelt Words Notes for Competitive Exams
• All English notes

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between active and passive voice?

In active voice the subject does the action, and in passive voice the subject receives the action, as in "Ravi writes a letter" and "A letter is written by Ravi".

What is the formula of passive voice?

The passive is formed with the object as subject, the correct form of the be verb according to the tense, and the past participle of the main verb.

Which tenses use being and been in the passive voice?

Continuous tenses use "being" and perfect tenses use "been" in the passive voice.

Can intransitive verbs be changed into the passive voice?

No, a sentence needs an object to be changed into passive voice, so intransitive verbs cannot normally be changed.

How do I change an imperative sentence into the passive voice?

Use "Let" with the object and "be" plus V3, for example "Open the door" becomes "Let the door be opened".

What is direct and indirect speech?

Direct speech gives the exact words of the speaker in inverted commas, and indirect speech reports the meaning without quoting the exact words.

What is the SON rule?

In the SON rule, the first person in the reported speech follows the subject of the reporting verb, the second person follows the object, and the third person has no change.

When does the tense not change in indirect speech?

The tense does not change when the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, or when the reported speech is a universal truth or habitual fact.

How do I report a yes or no question?

Use "if" or "whether" after the reporting verb and change the question into the normal statement order.

How do I change a command into indirect speech?

Use a reporting verb such as ordered, advised or requested and then "to" with the verb, for example "He ordered me to sit down".

What are the changes in time words in indirect speech?

Now becomes then, today becomes that day, tomorrow becomes the next day, yesterday becomes the previous day, and here becomes there.

How can I practise voice and narration for exams?

Learn the two formula tables, solve 15 transformations every day and check your answers carefully for tense and pronoun errors.