8.3 Active & Passive Voice, Direct & Indirect Speech Rules
Key Takeaways
- Active voice emphasizes the subject performing the action, whereas passive voice highlights the recipient or result of the action.
- Only transitive verbs taking a direct object can be converted into passive voice; intransitive verbs cannot be rendered passive.
- In direct-to-indirect speech conversion, reporting verbs in the past tense require backshifting subordinate clauses by one past tense step.
- Reported questions require converting inverted question word order back into standard statement word order (Subject + Verb), omitting auxiliary 'do/does/did'.
8.3 Active & Passive Voice, Direct & Indirect Speech Rules
Questions testing Active and Passive Voice and Direct and Indirect Speech represent a substantial portion of the English section in the Pakistan Army Medical Cadet Initial Test. These questions evaluate your precision in sentence structural transformation, auxiliary verb selection, pronoun positioning, and tense shifts under timed conditions.
Active & Passive Voice Principles
In an active voice sentence, the subject performs the action expressed by the verb. In a passive voice sentence, the subject receives the action.
- Active: The military surgeon (Subject/Doer) performed (Verb) the operation (Object/Recipient).
- Passive: The operation (Subject/Recipient) was performed (Verb) by the military surgeon (Agent).
Core Rules for Voice Transformation
- Object becomes Subject: The direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- Auxiliary Verb Insertion: Insert the appropriate form of the verb to be (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been) matching the tense of the active verb.
- Past Participle (V3): The main verb is always converted to its Past Participle form (V3).
- Prepositional Agent: The original active subject is introduced by the preposition by (or other specific prepositions).
Passive Voice Tense Conversion Master Table
| Tense | Active Voice Structure | Passive Voice Structure | Active Example → Passive Transformation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | V1 / V1+s | is/am/are + V3 | The orderly cleans the ward. → The ward is cleaned by the orderly. |
| Present Continuous | is/are + V-ing | is/are + being + V3 | The doctor is examining the cadet. → The cadet is being examined by the doctor. |
| Present Perfect | has/have + V3 | has/have + been + V3 | She has published the report. → The report has been published by her. |
| Simple Past | V2 | was/were + V3 | The team set up the field camp. → The field camp was set up by the team. |
| Past Continuous | was/were + V-ing | was/were + being + V3 | They were loading supplies. → Supplies were being loaded by them. |
| Past Perfect | had + V3 | had + been + V3 | He had cleared the area. → The area had been cleared by him. |
| Simple Future | will + V1 | will + be + V3 | They will inaugurate the clinic. → The clinic will be inaugurated by them. |
| Modals | modal + V1 | modal + be + V3 | You must obey the command. → The command must be obeyed. |
Important Note on Intransitive Verbs: Verbs that do not take a direct object (e.g., arrive, die, sleep, fall, happen, go, exist) cannot be converted into the passive voice.
Special Passive Cases: Imperatives and Non-'By' Prepositions
- Imperative Sentences: Use Let + Object + be + V3 or You are ordered/requested to + V1.
- Active: Close the door immediately.
- Passive: Let the door be closed immediately. / You are ordered to close the door immediately.
- Verbs Taking Specific Prepositions (Not 'by'):
- Known to: His bravery is known to all officers. (Not 'known by')
- Surprised at: We were surprised at his sudden decision. (Not 'surprised by')
- Pleased with / Satisfied with: The commandant was satisfied with his performance.
- Contained in: The vaccine is contained in a sterile vial.
Direct & Indirect (Reported) Speech Rules
Direct speech quotes the exact words spoken by a person inside quotation marks. Indirect (reported) speech conveys the substance of the statement without quoting exact words.
- Direct: The captain said, "I am preparing the medical report today."
- Indirect: The captain said that he was preparing the medical report that day.
Step-by-Step Direct to Indirect Transformation
Step 1: Reporting Verb Adjustments
- said to + object becomes told + object (in statements).
- said to becomes asked / inquired of (in questions).
- said to becomes ordered / commanded / requested / advised (in imperative sentences).
Step 2: Backshifting Tenses (When Reporting Verb is Past)
When the reporting verb (e.g., said, stated, asked) is in the past tense, the tense in the reported clause backshifts as follows:
| Direct Speech Tense | Indirect Speech Tense |
|---|---|
| Simple Present (write) | Simple Past (wrote) |
| Present Continuous (is writing) | Past Continuous (was writing) |
| Present Perfect (has written) | Past Perfect (had written) |
| Simple Past (wrote) | Past Perfect (had written) |
| Past Continuous (was writing) | Past Perfect Continuous (had been writing) |
| Will / Shall / Can / May | Would / Should / Could / Might |
- Exception to Backshifting: If the reported statement expresses a universal truth, scientific fact, or permanent state, the tense remains unchanged.
- Direct: The professor said, "Light travels faster than sound."
- Indirect: The professor said that light travels faster than sound.
Step 3: Pronoun and Adverb of Time/Place Transformations
-
Pronoun Changes (SON Rule):
- First Person (I, we): Changes according to the Subject of the reporting verb.
- Second Person (you): Changes according to the Object of the reporting verb.
- Third Person (he, she, it, they): Experiences No change.
-
Time and Place Words:
- Now → Then | Today → That day | Yesterday → The previous day / the day before
- Tomorrow → The next day / following day | Here → There | This → That | Ago → Before
Step 4: Reported Questions
- Yes/No Questions: Remove question marks and quotation marks. Use if or whether as the conjunction. Revert word order to Subject + Verb.
- Direct: The doctor asked the cadet, "Are you feeling dizzy?"
- Indirect: The doctor asked the cadet if he was feeling dizzy.
- Wh- Questions: Retain the question word (who, where, why, what, how). Revert word order to Subject + Verb (eliminate auxiliary did/does).
- Direct: He said to me, "Where did you place the diagnostic files?"
- Indirect: He asked me where I had placed the diagnostic files.
Convert to indirect speech: The doctor asked the patient, 'Did you take the prescribed medicine yesterday?'
Convert to passive voice: 'His sudden resignation surprised the entire medical board.'
Convert to indirect speech: The instructor said, 'Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.'
Convert to passive voice: 'The duty officer must inspect the barracks before dusk.'