FIND PASSIVE VOICE AND ACTIVE VOICE FROM THE STORY :
A doctor friend of mine was irritated by
instructions and he told me this story
the way patients nowadays disobey
to show how different it used to be
Forty years ago, when he first began work,
he was called by a man whose wife had
a backache. For this ailment, medicine was
prescribed by my friend and the woman was
advised by him to do a few simple exercises.
Several days later
my
friend returned, examined the patient and said that she could
get up. He was told by the husband that she had not left her bed for three years.
My friend re-examined her, but found nothing wrong. The husband was questioned
more closely by him and an amazing story came to light.
Three years earlier, the woman had pneumonia and was ordered by her doctor at
that time to stay in bed. He had warned the family that the strain on her heart might
prove very dangerous. She must not get up until he visited her again and permission
Grammar Land
Answers
Answer:
Firstly, you need to make the object (from the active sentence) into the new subject.
For example, in “John helped me”, “me” is the object. The subject form of “me” is “I”.
Here is a list of objects and subjects:
me – I
you – You
him / her – He / She
us – We
them – They
2. Then you make the verb passive.
Put the verb “to be” into the same tense as the verb in the active sentence. For example, in the sentence “John helped me”, “helped” is the past tense. Therefore, you need the past simple tense of the verb “to be”, which is “was” or “were”.
“I was…”
Here’s a list of tenses for the verb “to be”:
Present simple – am / are / is
Present continuous – is being / are being
Present perfect – has been / have been
Simple past – was / were
Past continuous – was being / were being
Modals will, can etc – will be, can be etc.
3. Then add the past participle of the verb. For example “gave” – “given”, “help” – “helped”
“I was helped by John.”
“I was given a prescription by the doctor.”
4. If necessary, you can say who did the action. To do this, add “by” at the end of your sentence.
“She was awarded a degree by the University of London.”
When to use the passive voice
As a general rule, speak and write in the active voice. But passive forms can be useful in formal writing (such as scientific reports) when the emphasis is on process and results, rather than on who did the action.
1. To change the focus of a sentence.
Sometimes, the object of the sentence is more important than the subject. We can change the focus of the sentence by changing an active sentence into a passive sentence. For example, in the following sentence, the focus is on beautiful designs and colours – not on who creates or chooses them.
“Our beautiful designs are created by a team of experts. The colours are carefully chosen to blend in with the surroundings…”
2. If we don’t know who does an action.
“My bicycle has been stolen” – I don’t know who has stolen it.
3. If we don’t want to say who did something.
“The lights were left on all night.” (I don’t want to say that you left the lights on.)
4. If it is obvious who does something.
“I was given a prescription” – I know that only doctors give prescriptions, so I don’t need to add “by the doctor”.
“He was arrested” I know that the police arrest people, so I don’t need to add “by the police”.
Quiz: Passive or Active?
You need to decide if the sentence is in a passive or active form.
Level: PET (B1)
1. We make all the furniture you can see in our shop.
Active
Passive

2. Our customers are sent brochures once a year.
Active
Passive
3. What happened to you last night?
Active
Passive
4. A lot of things were happening when I left the party.
Active
Passive
5. A disco is held in the youth club every Saturday night.
Active
Passive
6. Have you ever been arrested?
Active
Passive
7. Have you ever been to the USA?
Active
Passive
8. Rooms in the hotel are cleaned once a day.
Active
Passive
9. Reservations can be made via our website.
Active
Passive
10. He was made to do the entrance exam, even if he wasn't ready.
Active
Passive
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Explanation:
this is your answer
Answer:
1. A doctor friend of mine was irritated by instructions (Passive)
2. He told me this story (Active)
3. When he first began work (Active)
4. He was called by a man whose wife had a backache. (Passive)
5. Medicine was prescribed by my friend and the woman was advised by him to do a few exercises. (Passive)
6. Several days later my friend returned, examined the patient and said that she could get up. (Active)
7. He was told by the husband that(Passive) she had not left her bed for three years. (Active)
8. My friend re-examined her (Active)
9. The husband was questioned by him (Passive)
10. Was ordered by her doctor at that time to stay in bed. (Passive)
11. He had warned the family that the strain on her heart might prove very dangerous. (Active)
12. She must not get up until he visited her again and permission. (Active)