Active-Passive Voice Usage Errors: Complete Guide (English & Hindi) 🔄

Introduction / परिचय

In English, verbs have two voices: Active Voice (subject performs the action) and Passive Voice (subject receives the action). Errors in voice usage include wrong tense forms, missing auxiliary verbs, incorrect past participle (V3), unnecessary prepositions, and inappropriate use of passive voice.

अंग्रेजी में क्रियाओं के दो वाच्य (voice) होते हैं: कर्तृवाच्य (Active Voice) – कर्ता क्रिया करता है, और कर्मवाच्य (Passive Voice) – कर्ता पर क्रिया का प्रभाव पड़ता है। वाच्य प्रयोग में त्रुटियों में गलत काल रूप, सहायक क्रियाओं का अभाव, गलत past participle (V3), अनावश्यक prepositions और passive voice का अनुचित प्रयोग शामिल हैं।

Basic Formulas for Active-Passive Conversion / Active-Passive बदलने के मूल सूत्र

Types of Active-Passive Errors / Active-Passive त्रुटियों के प्रकार

1. Wrong Tense Form in Passive Voice / Passive Voice में गलत काल रूप

❌ Mistake: Using wrong auxiliary verb for the tense

Incorrect (Present Simple): The work is did by me.
Correct: The work is done by me.

Incorrect (Past Simple): A letter was wrote by her.
Correct: A letter was written by her.

Incorrect (Present Continuous): The house is build by them. (missing “being”)
Correct: The house is being built by them.

Incorrect (Past Perfect): The food had been eat by the time we arrived.
Correct: The food had been eaten by the time we arrived.

Rule (English): Passive voice always uses: be (conjugated) + past participle (V3). Never use V2 in passive. For continuous tenses, add “being” before V3.

नियम (हिंदी): Passive voice में हमेशा be (अनुसार रूप) + past participle (V3) का प्रयोग होता है। Passive में V2 का प्रयोग कभी न करें। Continuous tenses के लिए, V3 से पहले “being” लगाएँ।

❌ Mistake: Missing “being” in continuous tenses

Incorrect (Present Continuous): The car is repaired by the mechanic. (should be continuous passive)
Correct: The car is being repaired by the mechanic.

Incorrect (Past Continuous): Dinner was prepared when I arrived. (should be “was being prepared” if ongoing)
Correct: Dinner was being prepared when I arrived.

Rule (English): Present/Past Continuous Passive = is/am/are/was/were + being + V3. Without “being”, it becomes Simple Present/Past Passive.

नियम (हिंदी): Present/Past Continuous Passive = is/am/are/was/were + being + V3. “being” के बिना यह Simple Present/Past Passive बन जाता है।

2. Wrong Past Participle (V2 instead of V3) / गलत Past Participle (V2 की जगह V3)

❌ Mistake: Using V2 instead of V3 in passive

Incorrect: The movie was see by everyone.
Correct: The movie was seen by everyone.

Incorrect: The letter was wrote by her.
Correct: The letter was written by her.

Incorrect: The cake was ate by the children.
Correct: The cake was eaten by the children.

Common irregular verbs (V2 vs. V3):

Rule (English): In passive voice, always use the past participle (V3), never the simple past (V2).

नियम (हिंदी): Passive voice में हमेशा past participle (V3) का प्रयोग करें, simple past (V2) का कभी नहीं।

3. Missing “by” in Passive Voice / Passive Voice में “by” का अभाव

❌ Mistake: Omitting “by” before the agent

Incorrect: The book was written Shakespeare.
Correct: The book was written by Shakespeare.

Incorrect: The window was broken the boy.
Correct: The window was broken by the boy.

Exception: When the agent is unknown or obvious, “by + agent” can be omitted: “The window was broken.” (we don’t know who)

Rule (English): In passive voice, the agent (doer) is introduced by the preposition “by”. Do not omit it when the agent is mentioned.

नियम (हिंदी): Passive voice में कर्ता (agent) को “by” preposition से जोड़ा जाता है। जब कर्ता का उल्लेख हो, तो “by” को न छोड़ें।

4. Double Passive Errors / दोहरा Passive (Double Passive) त्रुटि

❌ Mistake: Using two passive forms together incorrectly

Incorrect: The work is being been done by me.
Correct: The work is being done by me.

Incorrect: The letter was been written by her.
Correct: The letter was written by her.

Incorrect: The house has been being built for months. (technically possible but awkward; avoid)
Better: The house has been under construction for months.

Rule (English): Avoid double passive constructions. Do not use “been” and “being” together unless absolutely necessary. Use active voice or rephrase.

नियम (हिंदी): Double passive constructions से बचें। “been” और “being” को एक साथ प्रयोग करने से बचें। सक्रिय वाक्य का प्रयोग करें या पुनः लिखें।

5. Passive Voice with Intransitive Verbs / अकर्मक क्रियाओं के साथ Passive Voice

❌ Mistake: Making passive of intransitive verbs

Intransitive verbs do not have an object. Passive voice requires an object to become the subject.

Incorrect: The baby was slept by the mother. (sleep is intransitive)
Correct: The baby slept. OR The mother slept the baby? No. Rephrase: The baby was put to sleep by the mother.

Incorrect: The accident was happened yesterday. (happen is intransitive)
Correct: The accident happened yesterday.

Incorrect: He was died in 2020.
Correct: He died in 2020.

Common intransitive verbs (no passive): happen, occur, sleep, die, arrive, go, come, fall, rise, exist, belong, consist, depend, live (in a place)

Rule (English): Only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be made passive. Intransitive verbs have no passive form.

नियम (हिंदी):) केवल सकर्मक क्रियाएँ (transitive verbs – जिनका कोई object हो) passive में बदल सकती हैं। अकर्मक क्रियाओं का कोई passive रूप नहीं होता।

6. Active Voice Used Incorrectly (When Passive is Required) / गलत जगह Active का प्रयोग

❌ Mistake: Using active when agent is unknown or unimportant

Incorrect: Someone stole my wallet. (if we don’t know who)
Better (passive): My wallet was stolen.

Incorrect: People speak English all over the world.
Better (passive): English is spoken all over the world.

Incorrect: They are building a new hospital.
Better (passive): A new hospital is being built.

Rule (English): Use passive voice when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context. Also use passive to emphasize the receiver of the action.

नियम (हिंदी): Passive voice का प्रयोग करें जब कर्ता अज्ञात हो, महत्वहीन हो, या संदर्भ से स्पष्ट हो। साथ ही, क्रिया के प्राप्तकर्ता पर जोर देने के लिए passive का प्रयोग करें।

❌ Mistake: Overusing passive voice (when active is better)

Incorrect: The ball was hit by John. (active is simpler: John hit the ball)
Better (active): John hit the ball.

Incorrect: A mistake was made by me.
Better (active): I made a mistake.

Rule (English): Active voice is usually stronger, clearer, and more direct. Use passive only when necessary (unknown agent, emphasizing receiver, formal writing).

नियम (हिंदी): Active voice आमतौर पर अधिक सशक्त, स्पष्ट और प्रत्यक्ष होता है। Passive का प्रयोग केवल आवश्यकता होने पर करें (अज्ञात कर्ता, प्राप्तकर्ता पर जोर, औपचारिक लेखन)।

7. Wrong Pronoun Case in Passive / Passive में गलत सर्वनाम रूप

❌ Mistake: Using subject pronoun after “by”

Incorrect: The song was sung by I.
Correct: The song was sung by me.

Incorrect: The work was done by she.
Correct: The work was done by her.

Incorrect: This picture was painted by he.
Correct: This picture was painted by him.

Rule (English): After the preposition “by”, use object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them), not subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they).

नियम (हिंदी): Preposition “by” के बाद object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) का प्रयोग करें, subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) का नहीं।

8. Passive of Imperative Sentences / आज्ञावाचक वाक्यों का Passive

❌ Mistake: Wrong formation of imperative passive

Incorrect: You are ordered to do this work. (this is one correct form, but “Let” structure is more common)
Common correct: Let this work be done.

Incorrect: Let this work do by him.
Correct: Let this work be done by him.

Incorrect: Not let the door be opened.
Correct: Let the door not be opened.

Formulas for imperative passive:

Rule (English): For imperative sentences, use “Let + object + be + V3” for positive commands, and “Let + object + not + be + V3” for negative commands. For requests/orders, use “You are requested/ordered to + V1”.

नियम (हिंदी): आज्ञावाचक वाक्यों के लिए, सकारात्मक आदेशों में “Let + object + be + V3” और नकारात्मक आदेशों में “Let + object + not + be + V3” का प्रयोग करें। अनुरोध/आदेश के लिए “You are requested/ordered to + V1” का प्रयोग करें।

9. Passive of Interrogative Sentences / प्रश्नवाचक वाक्यों का Passive

❌ Mistake: Wrong word order in interrogative passive

Incorrect: Who was broken the window?
Correct: By whom was the window broken?

Incorrect: Why was written this letter?
Correct: Why was this letter written?

Incorrect: Does the work done by you?
Correct: Is the work done by you?

Formulas for interrogative passive:

Rule (English): In passive questions, the auxiliary verb comes first, then the subject (old object), then the past participle. For “who” as subject in active, use “by whom” in passive.

नियम (हिंदी): Passive प्रश्नों में, सहायक क्रिया पहले आती है, फिर subject (पुराना object), फिर past participle। Active में “who” subject हो तो passive में “by whom” का प्रयोग करें।

10. Passive of Double Object Verbs / दोहरे object वाली क्रियाओं का Passive

Some verbs take two objects: Indirect Object (person) and Direct Object (thing). Examples: give, tell, send, teach, show, buy, bring.

❌ Mistake: Wrong choice of object as subject

Incorrect: A gift was given to me by him. (fine, but can also use indirect object as subject)
Two correct forms:
I was given a gift by him. (indirect object as subject – more common)
A gift was given to me by him. (direct object as subject)

Incorrect: She was taught the lesson by the teacher. (fine)
Both are correct:
She was taught the lesson by the teacher.
The lesson was taught to her by the teacher.

Rule (English): With double object verbs, you can make two different passive sentences – either the indirect object becomes subject, or the direct object becomes subject. Both are grammatically correct.

नियम (हिंदी): दोहरे object वाली क्रियाओं के साथ, आप दो अलग-अलग passive वाक्य बना सकते हैं – या तो indirect object subject बनता है या direct object। दोनों व्याकरणिक रूप से सही हैं।

11. Passive of Infinitives / Infinitives का Passive

❌ Mistake: Wrong formation of passive infinitive

Incorrect: I want this work do by you.
Correct: I want this work to be done by you.

Incorrect: She expects the letter send tomorrow.
Correct: She expects the letter to be sent tomorrow.

Rule (English): The passive infinitive is to be + V3 (not “to be V2” or “to V1”).

नियम (हिंदी): Passive infinitive का रूप है to be + V3 (“to be V2” या “to V1” नहीं)।

❌ Mistake: Passive infinitive after modal verbs

Incorrect: The work must be do by tomorrow.
Correct: The work must be done by tomorrow.

Incorrect: This letter should be send immediately.
Correct: This letter should be sent immediately.

Rule (English): After modal verbs (can, could, may, might, should, would, must, etc.), the passive form is modal + be + V3.

नियम (हिंदी): Modal verbs (can, could, may, might, should, would, must) के बाद passive रूप होता है: modal + be + V3।

12. Passive of Gerunds / Gerunds का Passive

❌ Mistake: Wrong formation of passive gerund

Incorrect: He dislikes being criticize.
Correct: He dislikes being criticized.

Incorrect: She avoided being see by the teacher.
Correct: She avoided being seen by the teacher.

Rule (English): The passive gerund is being + V3 (not “being V2” or “been V3”).

नियम (हिंदी): Passive gerund का रूप है being + V3 (“being V2” या “been V3” नहीं)।

13. Passive Voice with Prepositions / Prepositions के साथ Passive Voice

❌ Mistake: Forgetting the preposition after passive of phrasal verbs

Incorrect: The child was laughed by everyone. (laugh is intransitive; need “at”)
Correct: The child was laughed at by everyone.

Incorrect: The matter was discussed in the meeting. (discuss is transitive – no preposition needed) – actually this is correct. Use a better example:

Better example:
Incorrect: The proposal was agreed by the committee. (agree needs “to” or “upon”)
Correct: The proposal was agreed to by the committee.

Common phrasal verbs in passive (preposition retained):

• laugh at → was laughed at

• look after → was looked after

• call off → was called off

• put up with → was put up with

• take care of → was taken care of

Rule (English): When a phrasal verb (verb + preposition) is made passive, the preposition remains after the verb.

नियम (हिंदी): जब किसी phrasal verb (verb + preposition) को passive में बदला जाता है, तो preposition क्रिया के बाद ही रहता है।

14. “Need” + Gerund vs. Passive Infinitive / Need + Gerund और Passive Infinitive

❌ Mistake: Confusing “need to be done” and “need doing”

Incorrect: The car needs to be repaired (correct) or The car needs repairing (correct).
No error – both are fine. Use an error example:

Incorrect: The car needs repair. (should be “repairing” or “to be repaired”)
Correct: The car needs repairing. / The car needs to be repaired.

Rule (English): After “need”, you can use the gerund (active form but passive meaning) or the passive infinitive. The gerund is more common in British English.

नियम (हिंदी): “Need” के बाद आप gerund (active रूप लेकिन passive अर्थ) या passive infinitive का प्रयोग कर सकते हैं।

15. “Get” Passive / Get से Passive

❌ Mistake: Using “get” passive in formal writing

Incorrect (formal): He got arrested by the police. (acceptable in informal)
Formal correct: He was arrested by the police.

Rule (English): “Get” + V3 can be used as an informal passive, especially for negative events. Avoid it in formal writing.

नियम (हिंदी): “Get” + V3 का प्रयोग अनौपचारिक passive के रूप में किया जा सकता है, विशेषकर नकारात्मक घटनाओं के लिए। औपचारिक लेखन में इससे बचें।

Quick Revision Table / त्वरित पुनरावृत्ति तालिका

Practice Exercises / अभ्यास प्रश्न

Convert the following sentences to passive voice (or correct the passive errors):

1. The work is did by me. (correct the error)

2. The car is repairing by the mechanic. (correct)

3. The letter was wrote by her. (correct)

4. The window was broken the boy. (correct)

5. The accident was happened yesterday. (correct)

6. This song was sung by I. (correct)

7. Do this work. (change to passive)

8. Who broke the glass? (change to passive)

9. I want you to finish this work. (change to passive using infinitive)

10. The child was laughed by everyone. (correct)

11. The house has been being built for two years. (improve)

12. Someone stole my purse. (change to passive – agent unknown)

13. She gave me a gift. (make two passives)

14. The car needs to be repair. (correct)

15. You are ordered to sit down. (change to active)

Answers / उत्तर:

1. The work is done by me. (V3 instead of V2)

2. The car is being repaired by the mechanic. (add “being” for continuous)

3. The letter was written by her. (V3 instead of V2)

4. The window was broken by the boy. (add “by”)

5. The accident happened yesterday. (intransitive – no passive)

6. This song was sung by me. (object pronoun)

7. Let this work be done.

8. By whom was the glass broken?

9. I want this work to be finished by you.

10. The child was laughed at by everyone. (retain preposition)

11. The house has been under construction for two years. OR The house has been built for two years. (avoid double passive)

12. My purse was stolen.

13. I was given a gift by her. / A gift was given to me by her.

14. The car needs to be repaired OR repairing.

15. Sit down. (active imperative)

Final Tips for Exams / परीक्षा के लिए अंतिम सुझाव

1. Passive formula = be (conjugated) + V3 (past participle). Never use V2.

2. Continuous tenses need “being” before V3.

3. Perfect tenses need “been” before V3.

4. Intransitive verbs (happen, sleep, die, arrive) have no passive.

5. After “by”, use object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them).

6. Imperative passive = Let + object + be + V3.

7. Interrogative passive – auxiliary first, then subject, then V3. “Who” becomes “By whom”.

8. Phrasal verbs – keep the preposition after V3 (laughed at, looked after).

9. Passive infinitive = to be + V3.

10. Passive gerund = being + V3.

11. Passive का सूत्र = be (अनुसार रूप) + V3 (past participle)। V2 का प्रयोग कभी न करें।

12. Continuous tenses में V3 से पहले “being” चाहिए।

13. Perfect tenses में V3 से पहले “been” चाहिए।

14. अकर्मक क्रियाएँ (happen, sleep, die, arrive) – इनका passive नहीं बनता।

15. “by” के बाद object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) प्रयोग करें।

16. आज्ञावाचक passive = Let + object + be + V3।

17. प्रश्नवाचक passive – पहले auxiliary, फिर subject, फिर V3। “Who” से “By whom” बनता है।

18. Phrasal verbs – V3 के बाद preposition रखें (laughed at, looked after)।

19. Passive infinitive = to be + V3।

20. Passive gerund = being + V3।

This guide covers all major active-passive voice usage errors. Practice regularly to avoid these mistakes in exams and everyday communication.

यह गाइड सभी प्रमुख active-passive voice प्रयोग त्रुटियों को कवर करती है। नियमित अभ्यास से आप परीक्षाओं और दैनिक संचार में इन गलतियों से बच सकते हैं।