# Active–Passive Voice and Direct–Indirect Speech

Source: https://skills101.in/learn/verbal/active-passive-direct-indirect — Skills101 free tutorial (Verbal Ability (English)). Updated 2026-11-09.

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 chef cooks the food: the object (the food) moves to the front, the verb becomes "is cooked", and the doer moves to the end as "by the chef"](https://skills101.in/learn-img/verbal/active-passive.svg)

### The 3 steps
1. Move the **object** to the front (it becomes the subject).
2. Change the verb to **be + past participle**, keeping the **same tense**.
3. 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.

![Table: am → was, like → liked, will → would, have finished → had finished, can → could; now → then, today → that day, here → there](https://skills101.in/learn-img/verbal/reported-speech.svg)

### The rules
1. **Step the tense back** one place if the reporting verb is in the past (said, told).
2. Change **pronouns** to fit the speaker ("I" → he/she).
3. Change **time and place words**: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, here → there, this → that.
4. If the reporting verb is in the present ("He **says**…"), the tense **does not change**.
5. 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.


Practice quiz and free certificate: https://skills101.in/learn/verbal/active-passive-direct-indirect