Banking Notes / English Language / Chapter 18
Chapter 18 of 20

Active & Passive Voice

Converting sentences between active and passive voice correctly — a rule-based chapter that becomes mechanical once the subject-object swap pattern clicks.

📖 ~9 min read ✍️ Banking English Language

Introduction

Active voice emphasises the doer of an action ("The manager approved the loan"); passive voice emphasises the receiver of the action ("The loan was approved by the manager"). Bank exams test conversion between the two across various tenses.

Core Conversion Rule

Object (active) becomes Subject (passive) → Verb changes to "be + past participle" → Subject (active) becomes "by + agent" (passive), often optional to state explicitly.

Conversion by Tense

TenseActivePassive
Simple PresentHe writes a letter.A letter is written by him.
Simple PastShe wrote a letter.A letter was written by her.
Present ContinuousThey are building a house.A house is being built by them.
Present PerfectHe has completed the task.The task has been completed by him.
Modal (can/will/should)She can solve this problem.This problem can be solved by her.
Q. Convert to passive voice: "The bank has updated its mobile application."
Object "its mobile application" becomes subject. Present perfect passive form: has + been + past participle. Answer: "The mobile application has been updated by the bank."
Q. Convert to active voice: "The report will be submitted by the team tomorrow."
"By the team" becomes the subject; "will be submitted" becomes "will submit." Answer: "The team will submit the report tomorrow."
⚠️ Key Insight: Sentences with no clear object (intransitive verbs like "sleep," "arrive," "go") cannot be converted into passive voice at all — this is a common trap in "identify the correctly converted sentence" questions.
✅ Practice Focus: Tense-specific "be + past participle" formation · Modal verb passive conversion · Recognising sentences that cannot be converted to passive voice.

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