Understanding Active and Passive Voice Conversion

Voice in grammar refers to the relationship between the action (verb) and the participants (subject and object) in a sentence. There are two main voices: active voice and passive voice.

• Active Voice: The subject of the sentence performs the action. The structure is typically Subject + Verb + Object.
• Passive Voice: The subject of the sentence receives the action. The structure is typically Object (becomes new subject) + form of 'be' + Past Participle of Verb + (optional) by + Subject (becomes object of 'by').

Converting "The administrator will give you a cheque" to Passive Voice

The given sentence is: "The administrator will give you a cheque."

Let's break down the sentence structure in active voice:

• Subject: The administrator
• Verb: will give (Future Simple Tense)
• Indirect Object: you
• Direct Object: a cheque

To convert this active voice sentence into passive voice, we need to make the object of the active sentence the subject of the passive sentence. In this sentence, we have two objects: 'you' and 'a cheque'. Let's use 'a cheque' as the new subject, as shown in the options.

Step-by-Step Passive Voice Conversion (using 'a cheque' as the new subject)

1. Identify the object(s) that can become the new subject. We will use 'a cheque'.
2. Identify the tense of the verb in the active sentence. The tense is Future Simple ('will give').
3. Determine the passive voice structure for Future Simple Tense. The formula is: Subject (new) + will be + Past Participle of the verb + (optional preposition + original indirect object) + by + Original Subject.
4. The past participle of the verb 'give' is 'given'.
5. The original subject 'The administrator' becomes the object of the preposition 'by', i.e., 'by the administrator'.
6. The indirect object 'you' remains, typically placed after the passive verb form, often preceded by 'to'. So, 'given to you'.

Combining these parts, the passive voice sentence becomes: "A cheque will be given to you by the administrator."

Analyzing the Passive Voice Options

Let's evaluate the provided options based on the correct passive voice structure for the Future Simple Tense:

• Option 1: "A cheque shall be given to you by the administrator." - Uses 'shall be given'. While 'shall' can indicate future, 'will' is the standard auxiliary for the future simple tense, especially in general statements. The original sentence uses 'will'.
• Option 2: "A cheque was given to you by the administrator." - Uses 'was given'. This is the passive voice structure for the Past Simple Tense, not Future Simple.
• Option 3: "A cheque will be given to you by the administrator." - Uses 'will be given'. This perfectly matches the passive voice structure for the Future Simple Tense (Subject + will be + Past Participle + ...).
• Option 4: "A cheque would be given to you by the administrator." - Uses 'would be given'. This is the passive voice structure for the Conditional Tense, not Future Simple.

Comparing our derived passive sentence with the options, Option 3 correctly applies the Future Simple passive voice structure.

Here is a summary of the verb tense changes from active to passive voice for Future Simple:

Conclusion on Passive Voice Conversion

The active sentence "The administrator will give you a cheque" is in the Future Simple tense. To convert it to passive voice, we use the structure 'will be + past participle'. Option 3, "A cheque will be given to you by the administrator," correctly follows this structure, making it the correct passive voice conversion.

Revision Table: Key Concepts in Active and Passive Voice

Additional Information: When to Use Passive Voice

While active voice is generally preferred for clear and concise writing, passive voice is useful in certain situations:

• When the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant: e.g., "The window was broken." (We don't know or care who broke it).
• When you want to emphasize the action or the recipient of the action rather than the doer: e.g., "The research results were published last week." (Emphasis is on the results and publication, not who published them).
• In scientific or technical writing, where objectivity is valued and the focus is on processes and findings: e.g., "The sample was heated to 100°C."
• To vary sentence structure.

It's important to choose the voice that best suits the purpose and context of your writing.