Verbal Ability (English) · Lesson 7 of 8 · Updated ·
Active–Passive Voice and Direct–Indirect Speech
These two topics are about transforming a sentence without changing its meaning. Both follow fixed rules.
Part A — Active and passive voice
- Active: the doer comes first. "The chef cooks the food."
- Passive: the thing done comes first. "The food is cooked by the chef."
The 3 steps
- Move the object to the front (it becomes the subject).
- Change the verb to be + past participle, keeping the same tense.
- Move the doer to the end with by (or drop it if it's not important).
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present | She writes a letter | A letter is written by her |
| Simple past | She wrote a letter | A letter was written by her |
| Present continuous | She is writing a letter | A letter is being written by her |
| Present perfect | She has written a letter | A letter has been written by her |
| Simple future | She will write a letter | A letter will be written by her |
| Modal | She can write a letter | A letter can be written by her |
Pronouns change form: I → me, he → him, she → her, we → us, they → them.
Commands
"Close the door." → "Let the door be closed." (or "You are requested to close the door.")
Part B — Direct and indirect (reported) speech
- Direct: the exact words in quotes. He said, "I am tired."
- Indirect: reported without quotes. He said that he was tired.
The rules
- Step the tense back one place if the reporting verb is in the past (said, told).
- Change pronouns to fit the speaker ("I" → he/she).
- Change time and place words: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, here → there, this → that.
- If the reporting verb is in the present ("He says…"), the tense does not change.
- Universal truths don't change: He said that the earth moves round the sun.
Questions
- Yes/no questions → if/whether: She asked, "Are you ready?" → She asked if I was ready.
- Wh- questions → keep the question word, use statement order: He asked, "Where do you live?" → He asked where I lived.
Commands and requests
He said to me, "Shut the window." → He told me to shut the window. She said, "Please help me." → She requested me to help her.
Common mistakes
- Changing the tense in passive voice (it must stay the same).
- Forgetting "being" in continuous passives.
- Keeping question word order in reported questions ("He asked where did I live" ✗).
Quick recap
- Passive = object first + be + past participle (same tense) + by doer.
- Reported speech: step tenses back, change pronouns and time/place words.
- Present reporting verb or universal truth → no tense change.
- Questions → if/whether or wh-word + statement order.