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REET L1+L2 · English

Active & Passive Voice — REET English Notes

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In Active Voice, the subject performs the action; in Passive Voice, the subject receives it. REET 2024 asked this topic directly as tense-based transformation — from Simple Present all the way to Past Continuous. This page brings together the correct passive structure for every tense in one place.

  • 4 questions in REET 2024
  • Class 6–8 level / teaching-practice level
  • 9-minute read
Verified 17 September 2026

How REET asks this topic

All four REET 2024 questions gave an active sentence and asked for the correct passive form — Simple Present ('He draws a sketch'), Present Perfect ('has given'), Present Perfect Negative ('haven't stamped'), and Past Continuous ('were helping'). Every time, the wrong options shift the tense (such as a past form in place of a present one) — so identifying the original tense and building the passive in that exact same tense is the decisive skill.

The Basic Rule of Active and Passive Voice

In active voice, the sentence order is: Subject + Verb + Object — such as 'He draws a sketch'. In passive voice, the object becomes the subject and the original verb changes to 'be + the third form of the verb (V3)': 'A sketch is drawn (by him)'.

The original subject (the agent) is added with 'by', but if the agent is general/obvious/unnecessary (such as 'by him', 'by people'), it can also be dropped from the sentence — this shows up often among REET's options.

Active → Passive Structure by Tense

TensePassive structureExample
Simple Presentis/am/are + V3A sketch is drawn (by him).
Present Continuousis/am/are + being + V3A sketch is being drawn.
Present Perfecthas/have + been + V3A good treatment has been given to her.
Simple Pastwas/were + V3A sketch was drawn.
Past Continuouswas/were + being + V3The wounded man was being helped.
Past Perfecthad + been + V3The letter had been stamped.
Simple Futurewill/shall + be + V3A sketch will be drawn.
Modals (can/must)modal + be + V3The work can be done.

Identify the original sentence's tense and use exactly that row's passive structure — shifting the tense is the most common REET trap.

Passive of Negative and Question Sentences

In a negative sentence, 'not' comes right after the same auxiliary verb used in the passive structure — such as 'They haven't stamped the letter' → 'The letter has not been stamped (by them)'.

Verbs with no object (intransitive verbs, such as 'sleep', 'go', 'arrive') generally have no passive form, because passive requires an object that can become the subject.

Passive of Imperative Sentences (Orders/Requests)

Imperative sentences form their passive in a different structure from ordinary sentences. For an order, 'Let + object + be + V3' is used — for example, the passive of 'Close the door' is 'Let the door be closed'.

For requests, the structure 'You are requested to + V1' is used — for example, the passive of 'Please help me' is 'You are requested to help me'. Recognising this distinction (order versus request) is important, because the two have different passive structures.

Passive of Sentences with Two Objects (Direct/Indirect)

Verbs that take two objects (an indirect object + a direct object, such as 'give', 'teach', 'send') can form two possible passive sentences — for example, 'He gave me a book' can become either 'I was given a book (by him)' or 'A book was given to me (by him)'.

Making the person (the indirect object) the subject is generally considered more natural — so 'I was given a book' is the more common usage, though both sentences are grammatically correct.

Passive Form of Modal Verbs

Modal (Active)Passive structureExample
cancan be + V3The work can be done.
couldcould be + V3The letter could be written.
maymay be + V3The problem may be solved.
mightmight be + V3The mistake might be corrected.
mustmust be + V3The rules must be followed.
shouldshould be + V3The homework should be finished.
will/wouldwill/would be + V3The task will be completed.

The modal word itself ('can', 'must') always stays the same; only 'be + V3' is added after it — this rule is identical for every modal.

When and Why Passive Voice Is Used

Passive voice is used when the agent isn't important, is unknown, or is obvious/self-evident — such as 'The Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century', where saying who built it isn't necessary; the key information is the building and the time period.

Passive voice is especially common in scientific and formal writing, because the emphasis there is on the process/result (such as 'The mixture was heated for 10 minutes'), not on who carried out the experiment. Passive is also frequently used in news headlines when the agent is unknown, such as 'Two arrested in theft case'.

From a REET perspective, it's important to understand that passive isn't just a grammatical transformation — it's also a practical choice in how language is used. That's why teaching it in class through real examples (newspapers, science textbooks), rather than as a bare rule, gives better results.

How to Teach This to Children

Activity

In Classes 6–8, practise converting newspaper headlines from active to passive and back — this connects the rule to real language use.

Teaching aids

Put up a colour-coded, tense-wise passive-structure chart in class, showing each tense's active-passive example side by side.

Common misconception

Children remember to make the object the subject, but forget the correct 'be' form for the original sentence's tense (is/was/has been/was being) — teach each shift step by step.

Assessment

Give 10 active sentences to convert into passive, and practise spotting errors in incorrect passive sentences — this is an effective assessment.

Differentiated teaching

Have weaker students build passive sentences only in Simple Present and Simple Past first, then gradually move towards modal and two-object sentences.

Peer teaching

In pairs, one child says a class rule in active voice, and the other converts it into modal passive — such as 'We must follow rules' → 'Rules must be followed'.

Memory trick / exam tip

Remember 3 firm steps for building the passive — (1) make the Object the Subject, (2) put the verb into 'be + V3' in the original sentence's own tense (present perfect → 'has/have been + V3'; continuous → 'is/was being + V3'), (3) add the original Subject at the end with 'by' (or drop it if it's a general agent). This same order applies to the passive of every tense.

Questions asked in REET 2024 (solved)

Question 31

The correct passive voice of ‘He draws a sketch everyday.’ is

  1. AA sketch is drawn everyday.
  2. BA sketch was drawn everyday.
  3. CA sketch is being drawn everyday.
  4. DA sketch was being drawn by him everyday.

Explanation

वाक्य Simple Present Tense में है, जिसका passive रूप ‘is/am/are + V3’ से बनता है। ‘He draws a sketch’ → ‘A sketch is drawn (by him)’। ‘by him’ जैसे सामान्य कर्ता को छोड़ा जा सकता है, इसलिए (A) सही है। (B) में tense past हो गया है और (C) में continuous रूप है, जो मूल वाक्य में नहीं है।

Question 50

‘The doctor has given her a good treatment.’ The passive voice of this sentence is

  1. AShe was given a good treatment.
  2. BShe gave the doctor a good treatment.
  3. CA good treatment was given to her by the doctor.
  4. DA good treatment has been given to her by the doctor.

Explanation

वाक्य Present Perfect Tense में है, जिसका passive ‘has/have been + V3’ से बनता है। object ‘a good treatment’ कर्ता बनेगा: ‘A good treatment has been given to her by the doctor.’ (C) में tense past (was given) हो गया है, इसलिए गलत है।

Question 38

The correct passive voice of ‘They haven’t stamped the letter’ is :

  1. AThe letter has not been stamped
  2. BThe letter had not been stamped
  3. CThe letter was not stamped by them
  4. DThe letter was not being stamped by them

Explanation

'They haven't stamped the letter' present perfect (has/have + V3) में है। Passive में यह 'object + has/have + been + V3' बनता है: 'The letter has not been stamped (by them)'। विकल्प B past perfect और C, D past simple/continuous में हैं, इसलिए गलत हैं।

Question 38

Choose the correct passive voice for ‘Some boys were helping the wounded man’.

  1. AThe wounded man were helped by some boys.
  2. BThe wounded man was helped by some boys.
  3. CThe wounded man was helping by some boys.
  4. DThe wounded man was being helped by some boys.

Explanation

Past Continuous (were helping) का Passive रूप was/were + being + V3 से बनता है। Object 'the wounded man' एकवचन है, इसलिए 'The wounded man was being helped by some boys.' सही है। (B) Simple Past passive है, और (A)/(C) व्याकरणिक रूप से गलत हैं।

Practice questions

Question 1

Change into passive voice: 'The boy is flying a kite.'

  1. AA kite is flown by the boy.
  2. BA kite is being flown by the boy.
  3. CA kite was being flown by the boy.
  4. DA kite has been flown by the boy.

Explanation

The sentence is in Present Continuous, whose passive is formed with 'is/am/are + being + V3'. So the correct answer is 'A kite is being flown by the boy'.

Question 2

Change into passive voice: 'She writes a letter.'

  1. AA letter is written by her.
  2. BA letter was written by her.
  3. CA letter is being written by her.
  4. DA letter has written by her.

Explanation

The sentence is in Simple Present, whose passive is formed with 'is/am/are + V3' — 'A letter is written by her' is correct.

Question 3

Change into passive voice: 'They had completed the project.'

  1. AThe project is completed by them.
  2. BThe project was completed by them.
  3. CThe project had been completed by them.
  4. DThe project has been completed by them.

Explanation

The sentence is in Past Perfect Tense, whose passive is formed with 'had + been + V3' — 'The project had been completed by them' is correct.

Question 4

Choose the correct passive form of: 'Open the door.' (imperative sentence)

  1. AThe door is opened.
  2. BLet the door be opened.
  3. CThe door was opened.
  4. DThe door has opened.

Explanation

The passive of imperative sentences is formed with 'Let + object + be + V3', so 'Let the door be opened' is the correct answer.

Question 5

Change into passive voice: 'He does not clean the room.'

  1. AThe room is not cleaned by him.
  2. BThe room was not cleaned by him.
  3. CThe room does not clean by him.
  4. DThe room is not being cleaned by him.

Explanation

The sentence is Simple Present Negative; in the passive, 'not' comes after the auxiliary 'is' — 'The room is not cleaned by him' is correct.

Question 6

Which of the following sentences CANNOT normally be changed into passive voice?

  1. AShe sings a song.
  2. BHe sleeps early.
  3. CThey built a house.
  4. DThe teacher checks the copies.

Explanation

'sleeps' is an intransitive verb with no object, so 'He sleeps early' generally has no passive form. The other sentences have a clear object.

Question 7

Change into passive voice: 'Will she finish the work?'

  1. AWill the work be finished by her?
  2. BWill the work finished by her?
  3. CIs the work finished by her?
  4. DThe work will be finished by her.

Explanation

The passive of a future-tense question is formed as 'Will + object + be + V3 + by + subject?' — 'Will the work be finished by her?' is correct.

Question 8

A teacher asks students to convert 'The farmer waters the plants every morning' into passive voice. A student writes 'The plants are watered by the farmer every morning.' Is this correct, and why?

  1. AIncorrect, because the tense has changed
  2. BCorrect, because the original Simple Present tense and the object-to-subject shift are both preserved
  3. CIncorrect, because 'by the farmer' was not removed
  4. DIncorrect, because 'every morning' should have been removed

Explanation

The original Simple Present tense and the object-to-subject shift are both correctly preserved, and 'are watered' matches the original tense (is/am/are + V3), so the sentence is entirely correct.

Question 9

Change into passive voice: 'People speak English all over the world.'

  1. AEnglish is spoken all over the world.
  2. BEnglish was spoken all over the world.
  3. CEnglish is being spoken all over the world.
  4. DEnglish has spoken all over the world.

Explanation

Here the agent 'People' is general/unspecified, so 'by people' can be dropped in the passive — 'English is spoken all over the world' is correct.

Question 10

Change into passive voice: 'The chef was preparing dinner.'

  1. ADinner was prepared by the chef.
  2. BDinner is being prepared by the chef.
  3. CDinner was being prepared by the chef.
  4. DDinner has been prepared by the chef.

Explanation

The sentence is in Past Continuous, whose passive is formed with 'was/were + being + V3' — 'Dinner was being prepared by the chef' is correct.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does REET test through Active and Passive Voice?+

REET 2024 asked this as tense-based transformation — identifying the correct tense of the given active sentence and choosing the correct passive form in that same tense.

Can every sentence be changed into passive?+

No, only sentences with transitive verbs (which have an object) can be made passive; sentences with intransitive verbs (such as 'He sleeps') generally have no passive form.

When can 'by + agent' be dropped in the passive?+

When the original agent is obvious, general or unnecessary (such as 'by people', 'by someone'), 'by + agent' can be dropped — 'A sketch is drawn' is also correct.

What is the fastest way to spot passive voice?+

Look for a form of 'be' (is/am/are/was/were/been/being) together with the third form (V3) of the main verb (such as drawn, given, helped) — that is the mark of passive voice.

How do I form the passive of an imperative sentence?+

For an order, use 'Let + object + be + V3' (Let the door be closed), and for a request, use 'You are requested to + V1'.

In a two-object sentence, which object becomes the subject in the passive?+

Making the person (the indirect object) the subject is generally considered more natural, such as 'He gave me a book' becoming 'I was given a book', though both forms are grammatically correct.

Where is Passive Voice used the most?+

Passive voice is used most in scientific/formal writing, where the process or result is emphasised, and in news headlines, where the agent is unknown or unnecessary.

Read next

Modals

The previous topic — read this first.

Direct & Indirect Speech

Continue with the next topic.

REET Syllabus (full details)

The complete syllabus for REET Level 1 and Level 2 in one place.

REET 2024 Solved Paper

Every REET 2024 question with answers and explanations.

Change Log

  • 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked