Class 7 English - ICSE
Active and Passive Voice (Advanced)
In this advanced chapter on Active and Passive Voice, Class 7 ICSE students dive deeper into complex sentence structures, including interrogative sentences, imperative sentences, modals, and sentences with two objects (ditransitive verbs). While active voice emphasizes the doer of the action, passive voice shifts the focus to the receiver or the action itself. Mastering this topic is essential for ICSE board exams as it frequently appears in transformation of sentences, gap-filling exercises, and direct-indirect speech integration, carrying around 3 to 5 crucial marks in the English Language paper.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Interrogative Sentences in Passive Voice
When changing questions starting with 'Do', 'Does', or 'Did', the auxiliary verbs 'Is', 'Am', 'Are', 'Was', or 'Were' are placed at the beginning of the passive sentence.
Imperative Sentences (Commands and Requests)
Imperative sentences expressing commands or requests are changed to passive voice using the structure 'Let + object + be + past participle' or phrases like 'You are requested to'.
Sentences with Modals
For sentences containing modals like can, could, may, might, must, should, or would, the passive form is created by adding 'be' after the modal followed by the past participle.
Verbs with Two Objects (Ditransitive Verbs)
Sentences with both a direct object and an indirect object can be converted into passive voice using either object as the subject, though using the indirect (living) object is more common.
Passive Voice with Prepositions other than 'By'
Advanced passive sentences do not always use 'by'. Certain verbs take specific prepositions, such as 'known to', 'surprised at', 'contained in', or 'pleased with'.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In the ICSE Class 7 English Language exam, questions on Active and Passive Voice typically carry 3 to 5 marks. They appear as transformation of sentences, where students must convert complex sentences involving modals, questions, or commands from active to passive or vice versa, and occasionally in error-spotting exercises.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change a sentence starting with 'Who' into passive voice?
A sentence starting with 'Who' changes to 'By whom' at the beginning, followed by the correct auxiliary verb, the object, and the past participle (V3).
Can all sentences with two objects be converted into passive voice?
Yes, sentences with both a direct and an indirect object can usually form two different passive sentences, but making the indirect (living) object the subject sounds more natural.
Do we always use 'by' before the agent in passive voice?
No, advanced verbs use specific prepositions instead of 'by'. For example, we say 'shocked at', 'known to', and 'interested in'.
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