Active and Passive Voice Conversions

Passive:

A verb is said to be in the "passive voice" when its subject does not perform the action of the verb.  In fact, the action is performed on the subject.

In a passive sentence, the person or thing doing the action is usually preceded by the word "by".
Examples:

Anita was driven to the theatre by Carla.
Nowadays, kites are protected by law.
The olives are stoned and crushed in this area by my son.

Past Tense:

• Anitha was driven to the theatre by Carla.

(Active: Carla drove Anitha to the theatre.)

• Cricket Teams were taken to Australia by BCCI.

(Active: BCCI took Cricket Teams to Australia.)

• The law was being executed by Government.

(Active: Government was executing law.)

• Fish had been eaten by cat.

(Active: Cat had eaten fish.)

Present Tense:

• Nowadays, kites are protected.

(Active: Nowadays, Law protects Kites.)

• My son is escaped from Indian food by my wife.

(Active: My Wife escapes my son from Indian Food)

• I am assigned in new project by Venky.

(Active: Venky assigns me in new project.)

• The book is being read by the boy.

(Active: the boy is reading the book.)

• You are going to be (Should not use “being” since “*ing” verb is presented already ) examined by a doctor.

(Active: A doctor is going to examine you.)

• The swimming pool has been cleaned by them.

(Active: They have cleaned the swimming pool.)

Future Tense:

• The cow will be moved after tea by the farm-hands.

(Active: The farm-hands will move the cow after tea)

Example of Passive Voice Interrogative Sentences:

Did they catch the thief?
Was the thief _________ ?

Ans: Caught

Will The King inaugurate the new bridge?
Will the new bridge __________ by The King?

Ans: be inaugurated

Do they make cars in Korea?
_________ made in Korea?

Ans: are cars

Do the hounds kill the fox?
Is the fox _____________ ?

Ans: killed by the hounds

Did the bull kill the matador?
_________ the matador killed by the bull?

Ans: Was

Have the police found the body?
_______ the body been found by the police?

Ans: Has

Why has the government banned the film?
Why has the film _________ by the government?

Ans: been banned

When did they hijack the plane?
When ____________ hijacked?

Ans: was the plane

How did your host family treat you?
___________ treated by your host family?

Ans: how were you

What caused the accident?
What was the accident caused ___ ?

Ans: By

Has anyone cleaned the oven yet?
________________ been cleaned yet?

Ans: has the oven

Is a doctor going to examine you?
________________ be examined by a doctor?

Ans: Are you going to

Grammar - Writing Tips

Punctuations

Using Apostrophes

This page gives a quick overview on how to use apostrophes. (Each subject is expanded with its own page.)

Apostrophes Used Incorrectly with Plurals

·           I like pig's. Dog's look up to us. Cat's look down on us. Pig's treat us as equal's. 

Apostrophes Used in Time Expressions

·           It's not worth it for just two minutes' pleasure.

Apostrophes Used to Replace Letters

·           Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep. 

Apostrophes Used in Unusual Plurals

·           There are two i's in skiing. 

·           You use too many but's in your writing. 

Apostrophes Used for Possession

·           children's toys 

·           The dog's kennel

Using Round Brackets

Round brackets are mostly used for inserting additional information into text. The additional information is usually an afterthought or an expansion or clarification of something recently mentioned

Round Brackets for Additional Information

·           She will ride a pony (but not a Dartmoor pony). In this example, the end punctuation belongs to the main sentence not to the parenthesis, i.e., the bit in brackets.

·           She will ride a pony. (However, she will not ride a Dartmoor pony.) In this example, the end punctuation belongs to the parenthesis. 

Round Brackets to Denote Singular or Plural

·           Remove the sheet(s) so the air can flow freely 

·           Please append the name of your guest(s) to the list. 

Using Square Brackets
Square brackets [ ] are usually used to make a quoted text more understandable. They are used to either explain or replace words within a quotation.

Square Brackets to Make the Text Clearer

·           If you don't like them [my principles], well, I have others. 

They can also be used to replace parts of a quotation to make it clearer. For example:

·           If you don't like [my principles], well, I have others. 

Square Brackets with [...]

·           I don't want any yes-men around me. I want everybody to tell me the truth even if it costs them their jobs.

·           I don't want any yes-men around me […] even if it costs them their jobs.

Square Brackets with [sic]

·           In your statement, you wrote: "I appraised [sic] him of the situation at about 4 o'clock." (In this example, the writer is using [sic] to show that the word appraised was used by the original author. Obviously, it should have been apprised, not appraised. The term [sic] is often used to show a grammar error in quoted text was the originator's mistake and not the quoter's.) 

Using Colons

Colons (:) are quite versatile. It is worth learning how to use them — especially how they allow you to extend a sentence to expand on an idea previously mentioned in the sentence

Colons Used to Extend a Sentence

Usually, the information on the right is an expansion of whatever is mentioned on the left. For example:

·           He blamed his divorce on one thing: beer. (one thing = beer)

·           There are two reasons why I don't believe the alibi: there is no visa in his passport, and he is petrified of flying. (two reasons = the visa idea and the flying idea)

Sometimes, the ideas either side of the "equals sign" are a little harder to marry up. For example:

·           I have made an important discovery: alcohol, taken in sufficient quantities, produces all the effects of intoxication. (Oscar Wilde) (discovery = the alcohol idea)

Colons Used after Introductions

·           Visit: www.grammar-monster.com. 

·           The Victorian printing set is missing the following characters: Q, R, K, and the question mark. 

·                    

In my opinion the best three films are:  (1) Jaws (2) The Princess Bride (3) Shawshank Redemption

Colons Used in References and Times

·           I am currently reading "How To Get Your Own Way: Who's Manipulating You?". (Here, the colon is used to separate the main title from the subtitle.)

·           Genesis 1:1 starts "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Colon used as a separator in a Bible reference)

·           07:30 – Breakfast

Colons Used with Quotation Marks

·           It's hard to disagree with Frank Zappa, who said: "Art is making something out of nothing and selling it." 

Using Commas

Commas Used after "Setting the Scene"

It is quite common for a sentence to start with words which "set the scene." These words usually state a place, a time, a condition, or a fact before the main part of the sentence.

·           In Paris, they simply stared when I spoke to them in French. (sets a place)

·           At exactly 4 o'clock, two of the kidnappers re-entered the room. (sets a time) 

Commas Used after a Transitional Phrase

A transitional phrase is a term like However, Consequently, Therefore, and As a result. (There are others, but these are the most common.)

·           John has eaten at least two cakes a day for the last decade. As a result, he has been placed in a high-risk group for diabetes. 

·           I think. Therefore, I am. Rene Descartes (1596-1650)

Commas Used after an Interjection

An interjection is usually a short word inserted into a sentence to express an emotion or feeling.
 

·           Oh great, the boiler's broken down. 

·           Yes, that's three out of three. 

Commas Used for Parentheses

Examples (with each example of parenthesis shaded):

·           The case has, in some respects, been not entirely devoid of interest. 

·           At 4 o'clock yesterday, David Frost, a cleaner from the Lakes Estate, was charged with "dog napping" his former headmaster's poodle. 

Commas Used in Lists

·           Fish, chips, and peas 

·           Fish and chips 

·           Fish, chips and peas 

Commas Used after a Long Subject

·           Leaving a list of Internet passwords, increasing your life insurance and writing a will, will give you peace of mind while you are on operations.

Commas Used before Speech Marks

·           He said jokingly, "The world is my lobster." 

Commas Used with the Vocative Case

When words are used to address somebody (or something) directly, those words are said to be in the vocative case.

·           Darling, can you take the casserole out the oven? 

·           I know your sister, Jason. 

·           Tell me it's good news, doctor. 

Using Dashes:

Generally speaking, the dash does not have a unique role. It is usually used as an alternative to another type of punctuation.

Dashes Used to Extend a Sentence

A dash can be used to replace a colon which is offering more information about something mentioned previously in the sentence. For example:

·           She demanded just one thing from her students: effort. 

·           She demanded just one thing from her students — effort. 

A dash can be used to replace a semicolon which replaced a full stop / period to give a smoother transition between two sentences: For example:

·           She demanded effort from her students. That's all she ever asked for. 

·           She demanded effort from her students; that's all she ever asked for. (semicolon used to give a smoother transition between the sentences)

·           She demanded effort from her students — that's all she ever asked for. (semicolon replaced by a dash)

A dash can be used to replace three dots used as a pause for effect. For example:

·           As she prodded through the sludge, something caught her eye. It was the unblemished unmistakable sparkle of… the diamond on her grandmother's ring. 

·           As she prodded through the sludge, something caught her eye. It was the unblemished unmistakable sparkle of — the diamond on her grandmother's ring. 

Dashes Used for Parenthesis

·           Mark Jones (who has lived in our village for 20 years) is the world Scrabble champion and the national Cluedo champion. (brackets used)

·           Mark Jones — who has lived in our village for 20 years — is the world Scrabble champion and the national Cluedo champion. (dashes used) 

Using Hyphens:

Hyphens are used to join the words in compound adjectives. A compound adjective is a single adjective made up of more than one word.

Hyphens Used in Compound Adjectives

For example (compound adjectives in bold):

·           free-range eggs

·           far-too-chatty individual,

·           eight-seater taxi

Hyphens Used in Compound Nouns

·           a fast evolving car (Is this car fast or evolving fast?)

·           a fast-evolving car (The hyphen makes it clear the car is evolving quickly.)

Hyphens Used in Prefixes

·           ex-wife

·           un-American (American is derived from the proper noun America.)

Using Semi Colon:

Semicolons are becoming more common in writing because grammar checkers have a tendency to recommend them

Semicolons Used in Lists

·           the master, aged 81; the servant, aged 19; and the cook, aged 31

Not all of your list items have to contain commas to justify using semicolons. In fact, only one does. For example:

·           the master, aged 81; the servant; and the cook

·           the master, aged 81 (82 next week); the servant; and the cook

Semicolons Used to Extend a Sentence

A semicolon can be used to replace a full stop / period when a smoother transition is required between sentences. For example:

·           It was serious. She broke a toe. 

·           It was serious; she broke a toe. 

Semicolons Used before Transitional Phrases

·           She broke her toe. As a result, the game was cancelled. 

·           She broke her toe; as a result, the game was cancelled. 

·           Vacation used to be a luxury. However, in today's world, it has become a necessity. 

·           Vacation used to be a luxury; however, in today's world, it has become a necessity. 

Note: You cannot do this with a comma.

·           Vacation used to be a luxury, however, in today's world, it has become a necessity. 

That's a run-on error. (There is a comma after a transitional phrase though.)

Semicolons Used before Conjunctions

It is common to merge two sentences into one using a conjunction (a word like and, or, but). For example:

·           Lee likes cake. He likes pies.

·           Lee likes cake, and he likes pies. (Here, the conjunction and has been used to merge the two sentences into one.)

When this happens, it is normal to use a comma before the conjunction.

Now, when the sentences themselves contain commas, it is possible to outrank those commas by using a semicolon before the conjunction instead of a comma. For example:

·        At the end of the day, Lee likes cake; and he likes, well, actually prefers, pies.

This is quite an outdated practice, but you can use a semicolon for this purpose if you think it'll help your readers.

Using Speech Marks:

Speech Marks Used for the Names of Ships, Plays, Books, etc.

• When the "Herald of Free Enterprise" left the port with her bow-door open, the sea flooded her decks almost instantly. Within minutes, she was lying on her side in shallow water.
• In the City of Westminster in central London, "The Savoy" is the place to stay – if money is no object.

Speech Marks to Denote Alleged or So-called

• When the boss left, Peter's "mentor" took off his uniform and rushed back to the pub. (so-called mentor)
• Oh no, I've dropped another. These eggs "know" when you're about to crack them. (The eggs don't know. Here, the speech marks show that know is not being used in its literal sense.)

Note: Do not use the words so-called or alleged and speech marks – that is effectively saying the same thing twice. For example: 

• When the boss left, Peter's so-called "mentor" took off his uniform and rushed back to the pub. 

Speech marks are not used for emphasis. For example: 

• We sell "fresh" fish. 
(This will be read as: "We sell so-called fresh fish.")

The Punctuation before Quotations

• This morning, Alan said, "I like toast." 
(These are the exact words spoken by Alan.)

Often, people describe the idea in a quote without using the actual words. (More often than not, it will be preceded by the word that.) This is called reported speech. Speech marks should not be used with reported speech. For example:

• This morning, Alan said that he liked toast. 
(This is an example of reported speech, which is why no speech marks have been used.)
• This morning, Alan said that "he liked toast." 
(As these are not the actual words Alan said, there should be no speech marks. Remember, Alan said, "I like toast." This example is describing the idea he said. It is not using his exact words.)

One of the big issues with writing quotations is the preceding punctuation. In other words, when you introduce a quotation with words like He said , She whispered, or He wrote, should this introduction be followed by a comma, a colon, or nothing? There is no strict ruling on this. You can use whichever one of those three options you like. This allows you to control the desired flow of text. If you don't want to control the desired flow of text and you'd like a guideline, then try this: Use a comma for short quotations of fewer than seven words, and use a colon for longer quotations. For example:

• This morning, Alan said, "I like toast." 
(A three-word quote – comma used)
• This morning, Alan said: "I like toast with the crusts removed." 
(A seven-word quote – colon used)

Double or Single Speech Marks?

• The website states: " After 30 years, the 'Mary Rose' now has a permanent home in her new, state-of-the-art museum. " 

Ellipsis within Speech Marks

• With ellipsis: "I'm never going to be famous…I don't do anything…I used to bite my nails, but I don't even do that anymore. (Dorothy Parker, 1893-1967)