Paper I · 17 Basic English · 17.1 Grammar
17.1.4 Active and passive voice; direct and reported speech
In the passive voice the object of the active sentence becomes the subject and the verb becomes "be + past participle"; in reported speech the speaker's words are given without quotation marks, with pronouns, tense and time words shifted.
- TGPSC MPSO / ASO · Paper I
- Standard level
- 9 min read
- Free
Core facts
- Active: the subject does the action: Ravi wrote* a letter.*
- Passive: the subject receives the action: A letter was written* by Ravi.*
- Passive verb = a form of be + past participle (V3).
- The object of the active becomes the subject of the passive; the old subject goes after by (or is dropped).
- The tense stays the same: simple past active → simple past passive.
- Only verbs with an object (transitive verbs) have a passive. He sleeps has no passive.
- Object pronouns change to subject form: me → I, him → he, them → they, us → we.
- Direct speech gives the exact words in quotation marks: She said, "I am tired."
- Reported (indirect) speech gives the meaning: She said that she was tired.
- If the reporting verb is in the past (said, told), the tense moves one step back: am → was, will → would, is going → was going.
- If the reporting verb is in the present (says, will say), the tense does not change.
- Said to becomes told (with an object): He said to me → He told me.
- Questions become statements: He asked, "Where do you live?" → He asked me where I lived.
Explained
*1. Passive in all common tenses (active: They paint the wall)*
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present | paint(s) | is/are painted |
| Present continuous | is/are painting | is/are being painted |
| Present perfect | has/have painted | has/have been painted |
| Simple past | painted | was/were painted |
| Past continuous | was/were painting | was/were being painted |
| Past perfect | had painted | had been painted |
| Simple future | will paint | will be painted |
| Future perfect | will have painted | will have been painted |
| Modal | can/must/should paint | can/must/should be painted |
The perfect continuous tenses and the future continuous are normally not put in the passive in exam items.
Worked examples:
- The farmers grow cotton in Adilabad. → Cotton is grown* in Adilabad by the farmers.*
- The workers are repairing the road. → The road is being repaired* by the workers.*
- Someone has stolen my bicycle. → My bicycle has been stolen. (no by someone)
- Kaloji wrote many poems. → Many poems were written* by Kaloji.*
- They will announce the results tomorrow. → The results will be announced* tomorrow.*
- You must finish the work. → The work must be finished* (by you).*
2. Special passive patterns
- Questions with do/does/did: Did she cook the rice? → *Was the rice cooked by her?*
- Wh-questions: Who broke the glass? → *By whom was the glass broken?* What did he write? → What was written* by him?*
- Imperatives (orders): use let + object + be + V3: Close the door. → *Let the door be closed.* Polite requests use You are requested to: Please help me. → You are requested to help me.
- Two objects: either can become the subject: The teacher gave me* a book.* → I was given a book by the teacher. / A book was given to me by the teacher.
- Negative: He did not invite me. → I was not invited* by him.*
- Verbs with a preposition keep the preposition: They laughed at* the joker.* → The joker was laughed at.
- Some verbs take a preposition other than by: known to, pleased with, interested in, surprised at, filled with, covered with*: He is known to everyone.*
- Drop by + agent when the doer is unknown or obvious: by someone, by people, by them, by us.
3. Reported speech: tense changes (reporting verb in the past)
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| simple present (do) | simple past (did) |
| present continuous (is doing) | past continuous (was doing) |
| present perfect (has done) | past perfect (had done) |
| simple past (did) | past perfect (had done) |
| will / shall | would / should |
| can / may | could / might |
| must (duty) | had to (or must) |
No change when: the reporting verb is present or future; the words state a universal truth or habitual fact (The teacher said that the earth moves* round the sun); or the words are could, would, should, might, ought to*.
4. Changes of time and place words
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tonight | that night |
| yesterday | the previous day / the day before |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| ago | before |
| this / these | that / those |
| here | there |
| last week | the previous week |
| next week | the following week |
5. Pronoun changes: first person changes to the person of the speaker; second person changes to the person of the listener; third person does not change. Ravi said to me, "I will help you." → Ravi told me that he* would help me.*
6. Kinds of sentences
- Statements: said → said / told + object + that.
- Questions (yes/no): asked + if/whether, question order becomes statement order, no question mark: She said to him, "Are you ready?" → She asked him if he was* ready.*
- Wh-questions: asked + wh-word + statement order: "Why are you late?" he asked me. → He asked me why I was* late.*
- Orders and requests: told / ordered / requested / advised + object + to + verb; negative = not to: The teacher said to us, "Don't make a noise." → The teacher told us not to make* a noise.* "Please lend me your pen," she said to me. → She requested* me to lend her my pen.*
- Exclamations: exclaimed with joy / sorrow / wonder that: "What a beautiful lake!" she said. → She exclaimed* that it was a very beautiful lake.*
- Wishes: prayed / wished: "May God bless you," said the old man. → The old man prayed* that God might bless me.*
- Suggestions with "Let's": suggested that we should: He said, "Let's go for a walk." → He suggested that they should* go for a walk.*
Common traps
- ✗ The letter was wrote by Sita. ✓ The letter was written by Sita.
- ✗ The work is being do by them. ✓ The work is being done by them.
- ✗ The thief has caught by the police. ✓ The thief has been caught by the police.
- ✗ "The villagers built a school" → A school is built by the villagers. ✓ A school was built by the villagers. (keep the tense)
- ✗ He is known by everyone. ✓ He is known to everyone.
- ✗ Let the door closed. ✓ Let the door be closed.
- ✗ She said me that she was busy. ✓ She told me (or said to me) that she was busy.
- ✗ He asked me where was I going. ✓ He asked me where I was going.
- ✗ She asked that whether I liked tea. ✓ She asked whether I liked tea.
- ✗ The teacher said that the sun rose in the east. ✓ The teacher said that the sun rises in the east.
- ✗ He told me don't go. ✓ He told me not to go.
- ✗ He said, "I am busy today." → He said that he was busy today. ✓ … that he was busy that day.
Quick revision
- Passive = be + V3; tense of be matches the active tense.
- Object → subject; subject → by + object form (or dropped).
- Continuous passive uses being; perfect passive uses been.
- Order: Let + object + be + V3; request: You are requested to ….
- Known to, pleased with, interested in, filled with (not by).
- Reported speech: past reporting verb → tense one step back.
- Universal truths keep the present tense.
- Now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, here → there.
- Questions: asked if/whether, statement word order, no question mark.
- Orders: told/ordered + to; negative not to; Let's → suggested that they (or we) should.
Go deeper: Deeper (beyond what TGPSC MPSO / ASO usually asks)
Deeper Advanced
- Get-passive (He got hurt) is informal; exam options normally use be.
- It is said that … pattern: People say that he is honest. → It is said that he is honest. / He is said to be honest.
- Need + -ing has a passive meaning: The car needs washing = the car needs to be washed.
- Reported questions never keep the question order: ✗ He asked me where was I going. ✓ He asked me where I was* going.*
- If a past action in direct speech is linked to a fixed past time, the simple past may stay: She said, "I was born in 2001." → She said that she was born* in 2001.*
- Yes/No answers: He said, "Yes." → He replied in the affirmative.
- Mixed sentences: report each part with its own verb and join with and: "I am tired. Can I rest?" he said. → He said that he was tired and asked if* he could rest.*
- Told always needs a listener: ✗ He told that … ✓ He told me* that …* / He said that …
Practise this topic. Questions on Grammar, with answers explained.
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