Active and Passive Voice Exercises with Answers – Practice All Tenses (2025)

If you’ve ever stared at a grammar question and thought “Wait – is the subject doing the action or receiving it?” – you’re already halfway to understanding active and passive voice.

Most students treat this topic as a set of rules to memorize. But here’s the truth: active and passive voice is just about who matters more in a sentence – the doer or the action itself.

This guide gives you a clear one-formula understanding, exercises organized by tense, and full answers – so you can practice, check, and actually learn, not just memorize.

What Is the Difference Between Active and Passive Voice?

In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. In passive voice, the subject receives the action.

Notice what changed: the object (lesson) moved to the front, and the verb changed from explains → is explained. The doer (teacher) is now optional and comes after “by.”

The One Formula That Works for Every Tense

This is what most websites don’t show you clearly. Every passive voice sentence follows this structure:

Object + [correct form of “be”] + Past Participle (V3) + (by + Subject)

The only thing that changes across tenses is the form of “be.” Everything else stays the same. Learn this, and every tense becomes easy.

Exercise 1 – Present Simple Tense

Formula: Object + is/are + V3 + (by + Subject)

Active → Passive: Convert the following sentences.

1. She writes a letter.
2. The students clean the classroom.
3. The company makes quality products.
4. He does not repair the car.
5. Do they sell vegetables here?

Answers:

1. A letter is written by her.
2. The classroom is cleaned by the students.
3. Quality products are made by the company.
4. The car is not repaired by him.
5. Are vegetables sold here (by them)?

Exercise 2 – Present Continuous Tense

Formula: Object + is/are + being + V3 + (by + Subject)

Active → Passive: Convert the following sentences.

1. The chef is preparing the meal.
2. They are painting the walls.
3. She is teaching the children.
4. Workers are building a new bridge.
5. He is not reading the newspaper.

Answers:

1. The meal is being prepared by the chef.
2. The walls are being painted by them.
3. The children are being taught by her.
4. A new bridge is being built by the workers.
5. The newspaper is not being read by him.

Exercise 3 – Present Perfect Tense

Formula: Object + has/have + been + V3 + (by + Subject)

Active → Passive: Convert the following sentences.

1. She has written a novel.
2. The police have caught the thief.
3. They have completed the project.
4. He has broken the window.
5. Have you finished the report?

Answers:

1. A novel has been written by her.
2. The thief has been caught by the police.
3. The project has been completed by them.
4. The window has been broken by him.
5. Has the report been finished by you?

Exercise 4 – Past Simple Tense

Formula: Object + was/were + V3 + (by + Subject)

Active → Passive: Convert the following sentences.

1. She sang a beautiful song.
2. The boy teased the girl.
3. Mother made a cake yesterday.
4. I did not beat her.
5. Did they inform you about the meeting?

Answers:

1. A beautiful song was sung by her.
2. The girl was teased by the boy.
3. A cake was made by mother yesterday.
4. She was not beaten by me.
5. Were you informed about the meeting (by them)?

Exercise 5 – Past Continuous Tense

Formula: Object + was/were + being + V3 + (by + Subject)

Active → Passive: Convert the following sentences.

1. The tiger was chasing the deer.
2. She was cooking dinner.
3. They were discussing the plan.
4. He was teaching mathematics.
5. The workers were repairing the road.

Answers:

1. The deer was being chased by the tiger.
2. Dinner was being cooked by her.
3. The plan was being discussed by them.
4. Mathematics was being taught by him.
5. The road was being repaired by the workers.

Exercise 6 – Future Simple Tense

Formula: Object + will + be + V3 + (by + Subject)

Active → Passive: Convert the following sentences.

1. She will write a report.
2. They will announce the results.
3. He will never forget this experience.
4. The committee will select the winner.
5. Will you complete the task by Monday?

Answers:

1. A report will be written by her.
2. The results will be announced by them.
3. This experience will never be forgotten by him.
4. The winner will be selected by the committee.
5. Will the task be completed by Monday (by you)?

Mixed Exercise – Identify + Convert

Instructions: First identify whether the sentence is Active or Passive. Then convert it to the other voice.

1. The book was read by the student.
2. The gardener waters the plants.
3. A new product has been launched by the company.
4. The children are flying kites.
5. The match will be won by our team.

Answers:

1. Passive → Active: The student read the book.
2. Active → Passive: The plants are watered by the gardener.
3. Passive → Active: The company has launched a new product.
4. Active → Passive: Kites are being flown by the children.
5. Passive → Active: Our team will win the match.

5 Common Mistakes Students Make (And How to Avoid Them)

• Mistake 1: Using the wrong form of “be” Every tense needs a specific form of “be.” Don’t use is in a past tense sentence. ✗ The cake is made by mother yesterday. ✓ The cake was made by mother yesterday.
• Mistake 2: Forgetting the past participle (V3) The main verb must always change to its past participle form in passive voice. ✗ The car was repair by him. ✓ The car was repaired by him.
• Mistake 3: Keeping the subject in subject position In passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the new subject. ✗ He is written a letter by him. ✓ A letter is written by him.
• Mistake 4: Adding “by” when it’s not needed You only mention the doer when it adds meaningful information. When the doer is obvious or unknown, drop “by + agent.” ✓ The thief was arrested. (No need to add “by the police” – it’s obvious)
• Mistake 5: Trying to make intransitive verbs passive Intransitive verbs (sleep, arrive, go, come) have no object, so they cannot be made passive. ✗ The boy is arrived. (Incorrect — “arrive” has no object)

When Should You Use Passive Voice?

This is something most exercises don’t explain. Passive voice is the right choice when:

• The doer is unknown: The wallet was stolen.
• The doer is obvious: He was arrested last night. (clearly by the police)
• The action is more important than who did it: The results will be announced tomorrow.
• You want a formal or impersonal tone: Mistakes were made. (often used in official writing)

In everyday writing and speaking, active voice is usually cleaner and clearer.

Quick Reference: Passive Voice Formula by Tense

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Conclusion

Active and passive voice becomes easy the moment you stop treating it as a set of disconnected rules and start seeing it as one formula with different “be” forms for each tense.

The exercises in this article cover every major tense – from present simple all the way to future simple. Practice each set, check your answers, understand your mistakes, and move on. That’s the fastest way to master this topic.

Bookmark this page, come back to it before exams, and try each exercise set again without looking at the answers. Consistent practice, not passive reading – is what builds real grammar confidence.

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