Converting Active to Passive Voice: The Case of “They Speak English”
Converting Active to Passive Voice: The Case of “They Speak English”
Do you ever find yourself pondering the intricacies of grammatical transformations, specifically how to shift from active to passive voice? This article delves into the nuances of converting the sentence “They speak English” into its passive form. We will explore the rules and examples to help you master this skill.
The Basics of Active and Passive Voice
Before we dive into the conversion, it's important to understand the basic concepts of active and passive voice.
Active Voice: In active voice, the subject performs the action. For example, “They speak English”.
Passive Voice: In passive voice, the subject receives the action. For example, “English is spoken by them”.
Conversion Process
Let’s break down the conversion process step by step:
1. Identify the Subject, Verb, and Object
In the active sentence, “They speak English”:
Subject: They Verb: Speak Object: English2. Formulate the Passive Structure
To convert to passive voice, we follow the structure: Object (active) is/am/are past participle of the verb (e.g., -ed form) by subject (active).
3. Apply the Rules
Following the rules:
Replace the subject with the object of the active sentence, placing “English is” at the beginning. Add the past participle form of the verb (spoken). Insert the preposition “by”. End with the subject of the active sentence in objective form (them).Result: “English is spoken by them.”
Practical Examples and Exercises
Now let's look at a few more examples to solidify our understanding:
Example 1: “She writes a report every month” –> “A report is written by her every month”
Example 2: “We build a bridge” –> “A bridge is built by us”
Frequent Queries and Answers
Many people have questions about converting active to passive voice. Here are a few common queries and their answers:
Why use passive voice?Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or the object rather than the subject. It's also used when the subject is unknown or not important.
Can we convert every sentence to passive voice?Not always. Some sentences are easier to interpret in the active voice, especially when the subject is performing the action.
Rules for Interrogative Sentences
To convert an interrogative sentence from active to passive voice, follow these rules:
If the subject is singular and third person, the helper verb changes to is. For plural subjects, use are instead of do. Formulate the past participle of the verb and add “by” and the subject of the active sentence in objective form.Example: Active Voice: Do they speak English?
Passive Voice: Is English spoken by them?
Conclusion
Mastery of active and passive voice transformations is a valuable skill in writing and will enhance your communication skills. Understanding these grammatical rules will help you construct more effective sentences and adapt your writing style to suit your audience.