Chapter 8: Change of Voice

Exercise Solutions — Part 1

Exercises 1–4: Present, Past and Future Indefinite; Continuous Tenses

Exercise 1 (Solved)

Active Voice — Passive Voice

He sings a song.
A song is sung by him.
Do you like music?
Is music liked by you?
I do not play chess.
Chess is not played by me.
He told a lie.
A lie was told by him.
Did he help you?
Were you helped by him?
She did not like them.
They were not liked by her.
You will win the prize.
The prize will be won by you.
Will you take tea?
Will tea be taken by you?
He will not harm you.
You will not be harmed by him.

Exercise 2 (Unsolved)

Change the voice:

He reviews his work.
His work is reviewed by him.
They revise their lessons.
Their lessons are revised by them.
She doesn’t tell stories.
Stories are not told by her.
Do you favour him?
Is he favoured by you?
I bought a new car.
A new car was bought by me.
He always helped the poor.
The poor were always helped by him.
The boys didn’t make a lot of noise.
A lot of noise was not made by the boys.
Did he visit you?
Were you visited by him?
I shall write a letter.
A letter will be written by me.
They will read the Ramayana.
The Ramayana will be read by them.

Exercise 3 (Solved)

Active Voice — Passive Voice

I am buying a book.
A book is being bought by me.
We are selling mangoes.
Mangoes are being sold by us.
The teacher was advising the boy.
The boy was being advised by the teacher.
The hunter was killing the birds.
The birds were being killed by the hunter.
Did he help you?
Were you helped by him?
Is he telling a story?
Is a story being told by him?
Were you watching the match?
Was the match being watched by you?
What was he doing?
What was being done by him?
Who is reading the novel?
By whom is the novel being read?

Exercise 4 (Unsolved)

Change the voice:

He is singing a song.
A song is being sung by him.
They were flying kites.
Kites were being flown by them.
You were eating fruit.
Fruit was being eaten by you.
Are they doing their work?
Is their work being done by them?
Were they making a noise?
Was a noise being made by them?
Who is drawing pictures?
By whom are pictures being drawn?
What are you saying?
What is being said by you?
Are you not doing mischief?
Is mischief not being done by you?
Whom are you waiting for?
Who is being waited for by you?
I am favouring you.
You are being favoured by me.

Exercises 5–8: Perfect Tenses and Sentences with Two Objects

Exercise 5 (Solved)

Change the voice:

I have taken up a new job. — A new job has been taken up by me.
We had won the contest. — The contest had been won by us.
The teacher has finished the lesson. — The lesson has been finished by the teacher.
The hunter has shot the animal. — The animal has been shot by the hunter.
Have you helped us? — Have we been helped by you?
Will he have told the truth? — Will the truth have been told by him?
Will you have done your work? — Will your work have been done by you?
What has he asked you? — What have you been asked by him?
Who had painted this picture? — By whom had this picture been painted?

Exercise 6 (Unsolved)

Change the voice:

I have built a new house. — A new house has been built by me.
They have set up a cloth shop. — A cloth shop has been set up by them.
You had not bought a new car. — A new car had not been bought by you.
The police will have caught the thief. — The thief will have been caught by the police.
What wrong has he done? — What wrong has been done by him?
Has he sung a song? — Has a song been sung by him?
Have you won the prize? — Has the prize been won by you?
Why have you selected her? — Why has she been selected by you?
Who will have spoken the truth? — By whom will the truth have been spoken?
He will have delivered the parcel. — The parcel will have been delivered by him.

Exercise 7 (Solved)

Change the voice:

I gave her a rose. — A rose was given to her by me. / She was given a rose by me.
We taught them French. — They were taught French by us. / French was taught to them by us.
The judge awarded him punishment. — Punishment was awarded to him by the judge. / He was awarded punishment by the judge.
She sent me a gift. — A gift was sent to me by her.
The teacher narrated us a story. — A story was narrated to us by the teacher. / We were narrated a story by the teacher.

Exercise 8 (Unsolved)

Change the voice:

He is telling them an interesting story. — An interesting story is being told to them by him. / They are being told an interesting story by him.
Who has taught him Punjabi? — By whom has he been taught Punjabi?
They sent us a message. — A message was sent to us by them. / We were sent a message by them.
I promised her an award. — An award was promised to her by me. / She was promised an award by me.
She gave them an extra chance. — An extra chance was given to them by her. / They were given an extra chance by her.

Exercises 9–13: Prepositional Verbs and Imperative Sentences

Exercise 9 (Solved)

Active Voice	Passive Voice
The hunter aimed at the bird.	The bird was aimed at by the hunter.
Parents look after their children.	Children are looked after by parents.
The police charged him with murder.	He was charged with murder by the police.
Who is waiting for me?	By whom am I being waited for?
He objected to my proposal.	My proposal was objected to by him.

Exercise 10 (Unsolved)

Change the Voice:

Mothers bring up their wards. — Their wards are brought up by mothers.
Children were laughing at the joker. — The joker was being laughed at by children.
Students should listen to their teachers. — Their teachers should be listened to by students.
The conjuror played upon their weaknesses. — Their weaknesses were played upon by the conjuror.
They looked for the enemy. — The enemy was looked for by them.

Exercise 11 (Solved)

Active Voice	Passive Voice
Follow the traffic rules.	Let the traffic rules be followed. / The traffic rules should be followed.
Learn your lessons.	Let your lessons be learnt. / Your lessons should be learnt.
Mind your business.	Let your business be minded.
Go out at once.	You are ordered to go out at once.
Help me, please.	You are requested to help me.

Exercise 12 (Unsolved)

Change the Voice:

Stand up at once. — You are ordered to stand up at once.
Love your friends. — Let your friends be loved.
Always speak the truth. — Let the truth always be spoken.
Get up early in the morning. — You are advised to get up early in the morning.
Sit down. — You are ordered to sit down.
Post this letter. — Let this letter be posted.
Kindly do it. — You are requested to do it.
Never harm anybody. — Let nobody ever be harmed.
Do not make a noise. — Let a noise not be made.
Call the doctor. — Let the doctor be called.

Exercise 13 (Unsolved)

Change the Voice:

Help your friends in need. — Let your friends in need be helped.
Enjoy the moment. — Let the moment be enjoyed.
Don’t play with fire. — Let fire not be played with.
Never cheat anyone. — Let nobody ever be cheated.
Get some water please. — You are requested to get some water.
Hit the ball hard. — Let the ball be hit hard.
Be courteous to others. — You are advised to be courteous to others.
Play the match fairly. — Let the match be played fairly.
Always make new friends. — Let new friends always be made.
Take a break now. — You are advised to take a break now.

Exercises 14–17: Passive Constructions and Infinitives

Exercise 14 (Solved)

Active Voice	Passive Voice
He knows me.	I am known to him.
His words alarmed me.	I was alarmed at his words.
This pot contains coffee.	Coffee is contained in this pot.
You displeased her.	She was displeased with you.
Many people thronged the stadium.	The stadium was thronged with many people.

Exercise 15 (Unsolved)

Change the voice:

This news surprises me. — I am surprised at this news.
He does not know the answer. — The answer is not known to him.
The audience thronged the hall. — The hall was thronged with the audience.
The students lined the field. — The field was lined with students.
This jug contains milk. — Milk is contained in this jug.
His bag contains many books. — Many books are contained in his bag.
The warning bells alarmed the thieves. — The thieves were alarmed at the warning bells.
His manners impressed his fiancée. — His fiancée was impressed with his manners.
The sight of a lion frightened the child. — The child was frightened at the sight of a lion.
Her rude behavior surprised her parents. — Her parents were surprised at her rude behavior.

Exercise 16 (Solved)

Active Voice	Passive Voice
He has to win it.	It has to be won by him.
She had to tell the truth.	The truth had to be told by her.
You have to finish the work in time.	The work has to be finished in time by you.
You had to do it.	It had to be done by you.
They have to give him credit.	He had to be given credit by them.

Exercise 17 (Unsolved)

Change the voice:

I am sure to win the prize. — I am sure the prize will be won by me.
The judges had to praise him. — He had to be praised by the judges.
You will have to help him. — He will have to be helped by you.
He had to recommend my work. — My work had to be recommended by him.
Will I have to drink the entire milk? — Will the entire milk have to be drunk by me?
Doctors have to attend him regularly. — He has to be attended to regularly by doctors.
He likes to admire his comrades. — His comrades are liked to be admired by him.
Children have to show him their book. — He has to be shown their book by children. / Their book has to be shown to him by children.
She had to sing a song at the party. — A song had to be sung by her at the party.
Women like men to flatter them. — Women like to be flattered by men.

Exercises 18–21: Missing Subjects and Modal Verbs

Exercise 18 (Solved)

Change the voice:

Ravi has been advised to study. — (His teacher) has advised Ravi to study.
He is wanted at home. — (His parents) want him at home.
The criminal was caught. — (The police) caught the criminal.
Work must be finished. — (Workers) must finish the work.
The terrorist has been neutralized. — (The Army) has neutralized the terrorist.

Exercise 19 (Unsolved)

Change of Voice:

It must be done. — Someone must do it.
The baby has been named Radha. — Someone has named the baby Radha.
The agreements have been signed. — Someone has signed the agreements.
Gandhiji was refused entry into the cabin. — Someone refused Gandhiji entry into the cabin.
Her parents were informed. — Someone informed her parents.
The thieves were arrested. — The police arrested the thieves.
Some boys were denied entry into the stadium. — The authorities denied some boys entry into the stadium.
The deals were finalized peacefully. — The parties finalized the deals peacefully.
Some protestors were released on bail. — The police released some protestors on bail.
The winners have been awarded. — The authorities have awarded the winners.

Exercise 20 (Solved)

Change the voice:

He can solve your issue. — Your issue can be solved by him.
They may not help the poor man. — The poor man may not be helped by them.
The courts shall grant him bail today. — He may be granted bail today by the courts.
Everyone ought to respect the law. — The law ought to be respected by everyone.
The government must punish the corrupt. — The corrupt must be punished by the government.

Exercise 21 (Unsolved)

Change of Voice:

You could lend him some money. — He could be lent some money by you. / Some money could be lent to him by you.
He should be helped. — Someone should help him.
Your efforts must bear fruit. — Your efforts must produce results. (This sentence does not naturally take a passive form with the same meaning.)
We shall keep our area clean. — Our area shall be kept clean by us.
Youth must spread the Swacch Bharat concept. — The Swacch Bharat concept must be spread by youth.
We shall create awareness about drugs. — Awareness about drugs shall be created by us.
Every citizen ought to follow the Constitution. — The Constitution ought to be followed by every citizen.
Children should obey their parents. — Parents should be obeyed by children.
We must love our motherland. — Our motherland must be loved by us.
Teachers must be respected. — We must respect teachers.

Exercises 22–26: Interrogative and Miscellaneous Sentences

Exercise 22 (Solved)

Change the voice:

Do you like mangoes? — Are mangoes liked by you?
Does he take a picture? — Is a picture taken by him?
Have you done your homework? — Has your homework been done by you?
Did he sing a song? — Was a song sung by him?
Can you lend me your book? — Can I be lent your book (by you)?

Exercise 23 (Solved)

Change the voice:

Why do you like her? — Why is she liked by you?
How did you solve the problem? — How was the problem solved by you?
Who is making a noise? — By whom is a noise being made?
Where did she find her ring? — Where was her ring found by her?
When will you meet her? — When will she be met by you?

Exercise 24 (Unsolved)

Change the voice:

Have you received the parcel in time? — Has the parcel been received by you in time?
Do you speak English at home? — Is English spoken by you at home?
Can you spot the mistakes in her homework sheet? — Can the mistakes in her homework sheet be spotted by you?
Will they own up their faults? — Will their faults be owned up to by them?
Who will bell the cat? — By whom will the cat be belled?
Why will you always rescue him? — Why will he always be rescued by you?
Where do you get such beautiful flowers? — Where are such beautiful flowers got by you?
Will the boys defeat the girls in debate contest? — Will the girls be defeated by the boys in the debate contest?
Why should you do it? — Why should it be done by you?
What can your parents do for you? — What can be done for you by your parents?

Exercise 25 (Solved)

Change the voice:

May I go home now? — Am I allowed to go home now?
Love your countrymen. — Your countrymen should be loved by you.
This juice tastes sweet. — This juice is sweet when tasted.
Quinine tastes bitter. — Quinine is bitter when tasted.
Keep your promise. — Your promise must be kept.

Exercise 26 (Unsolved)

Change the voice:

Hear your inner voice. — Let your inner voice be heard.
Sea water tastes salty. — Sea water is salty when tasted.
Hate none. — Let nobody be hated.
His new novel is under print. — His new novel is being printed.
Always speak the truth. — Let the truth always be spoken.
People elected him their Prime Minister. — He was elected their Prime Minister by the people.
Who brought you here? — By whom were you brought here?
Let an application be written by you. — You should write an application.
Go out now. — You are ordered to go out now.
You ought to win it. — It ought to be won by you.

Editorial note: In Exercise 24, item 7, the passive form is grammatically possible but awkward; “Where are such beautiful flowers obtained by you?” is a more natural alternative. Some sentences in Exercise 26 express taste, condition or command, so their passive forms preserve the intended meaning rather than following a mechanical conversion.

Exercise 27 (Unsolved)

Change of Voice:

We saw it as a challenge. — It was seen as a challenge by us.
He kept her in the dark. — She was kept in the dark by him.
Nurse the sick. — Let the sick be nursed.
Why did he kick you? — Why were you kicked by him?
I don’t make excuses. — Excuses are not made by me.
He never lost his focus. — His focus was never lost by him.
Why are you laughing at him? — Why is he being laughed at by you?
I admire our Prime Minister. — Our Prime Minister is admired by me.
People dare him to tell a lie. — He is dared by people to tell a lie.
Duty must be done. — We must do our duty.

Exercise 28 (Unsolved)

Change of Voice:

She knows her teacher well. — Her teacher is well known to her.
I love my India. — My India is loved by me.
Why should you bear your insult? — Why should your insult be borne by you?
What is wanted by you? — What do you want?
Save your soul. — Let your soul be saved.
Will you have done her work? — Will her work have been done by you?
He doesn’t complete the work. — The work is not completed by him.
We have won the competition. — The competition has been won by us.
How did you get the prize? — How was the prize obtained by you?
You may write a letter. — A letter may be written by you.

Exercise 29 (Unsolved)

Change of Voice:

I agreed to her proposal. — Her proposal was agreed to by me.
He was elected the speaker of the House. — Someone elected him the speaker of the House.
Who did not write the poem? — By whom was the poem not written?
We were surprised at his remark. — His remark surprised us.
Crowds lined the roads. — The roads were lined with crowds.
He displeases me. — I am displeased with him.
Be alert. — You are advised to be alert.
Don’t litter in the streets. — The streets should not be littered.
What is done by him? — What does he do?
Nobody listened to his entreaties. — His entreaties were listened to by nobody.

Exercise 30 (Unsolved)

Change of Voice:

Open the window please. — You are requested to open the window.
I asked him to leave my office. — He was asked by me to leave my office.
Let them perform freely. — Let them be allowed to perform freely.
You are asked to clear the dues. — Someone asks you to clear the dues.
The manager has been suspended. — The authorities have suspended the manager.
It has to be finished today. — Someone has to finish it today.
Duty must be done. — We must do our duty.
I taught them English. — They were taught English by me. / English was taught to them by me.
Every parent knows his child. — Every child is known to his parent.
I have met Amitabh Bachchan once. — Amitabh Bachchan has been met by me once.

Editorial note: In sentences where the original subject is missing, a suitable subject such as someone, we or the authorities has been supplied. Some constructions, particularly Be alert and I have met Amitabh Bachchan once, do not convert naturally into the opposite voice; the suggested forms preserve the closest possible meaning or grammatical structure.

Exercise 31 (Unsolved)

Change of Voice:

The king was wearing a big turban. — A big turban was being worn by the king.
Post this card immediately. — Let this card be posted immediately.
This glass contains milk. — Milk is contained in this glass.
Coffee tastes sweet. — Coffee is sweet when tasted.
He gave away the prizes. — The prizes were given away by him.
When will you return my money? — When will my money be returned by you?
What are you doing in the ground? — What is being done by you in the ground?
She sought my forgiveness. — My forgiveness was sought by her.
Sneha has won many awards this year. — Many awards have been won by Sneha this year.
I adore him. — He is adored by me.

Exercise 32 (Unsolved)

Change of Voice:

Please share your experiences with us. — You are requested to share your experiences with us.
What is she asking for? — What is being asked for by her?
I helped him in his learning days. — He was helped by me in his learning days.
None should shirk work. — Work should be shirked by none.
Why are they shouting at you? — Why are you being shouted at by them?
Do it at once. — Let it be done at once.
They admit their mistakes. — Their mistakes are admitted by them.
Do what pleases you. — Let what pleases you be done.
Live your dreams. — Let your dreams be lived.
Sudha was offered the job by Telco. — Telco offered Sudha the job.

Exercise 33 (Unsolved)

Change of Voice:

Discipline your life. — Let your life be disciplined.
Grandmother recited the hymns daily. — The hymns were recited daily by Grandmother.
Let them oppose me. — Let me be opposed by them.
May I borrow your car? — May your car be borrowed by me?
The teacher taught us new concepts. — We were taught new concepts by the teacher. / New concepts were taught to us by the teacher.
We must acknowledge the salute. — The salute must be acknowledged by us.
We could not accept your proposal. — Your proposal could not be accepted by us.
Who is creating chaos in the streets? — By whom is chaos being created in the streets?
Indians have proved their mettle in the IT sector. — Their mettle has been proved by Indians in the IT sector.
Indian troops pushed the invaders out of our soil. — The invaders were pushed out of our soil by Indian troops.

Exercise 34 (Unsolved)

Change of Voice:

Captain Vikram Batra made the supreme sacrifice for the motherland. — The supreme sacrifice was made for the motherland by Captain Vikram Batra.
Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh hit two enemy planes. — Two enemy planes were hit by Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh.
We need to remember this. — This needs to be remembered by us.
Malcolm was attacked by the grizzly bear. — The grizzly bear attacked Malcolm.
Bhagat Singh is remembered for his selfless sacrifice. — People remember Bhagat Singh for his selfless sacrifice.
Crafty men condemn study. — Study is condemned by crafty men.
I gave them many story books. — Many story books were given to them by me. / They were given many story books by me.
We must do more for our society. — More must be done for our society by us.
Our media must create more for public awareness on GST. — More must be created by our media for public awareness on GST.
Demonetisation has harmed the interests of the corrupt. — The interests of the corrupt have been harmed by demonetisation.