Hi friends, thanks for stopping by and clicking on this video. Well today, I have a grammar
lesson for you. A lot of you have asked for active and passive voice. So well, this lesson
is for all of you who were always interested in learning the passive voice. So far, in
all our grammar lessons we've learned the active voice, okay where we always talk about
the subject or the doer of the action. SO, in today's lesson we're gonna take a look
at passive voice, but only in the present tense.
Okay, so before we start, let's understand
that in sentence usually we have a subject, we have uh an action happening and we have
an object. So, first understand what is a subject. Now, a subject is a person or thing
that we are talking about or who is doing the action,okay and obviously the action is
a verb so you have various verbs, you have write, sing, talk, dance, okay and the object
is the person or thing on which action is done upon, okay. It is the receiver of the
action. Fine? That is what an object is. So now we gonna see how we use the passive voice
or how do we make passive voice sentences in the present tense, okay. Now, in my first
sentences, mother writes an email. Okay, so since we are just beginning, let's understand
what the subject and the object is in the sentence. So, mother now who is doing the
action ? Mother, okay we are talking about mother. So mother becomes the subject, okay.
What is she doing? What's her action?-writing. So she writes. So here is the verb-writes.
Now what does she write? She writes an email, okay. So, this becomes your object, okay.
A lot people assume that the last word in the sentence is the object. Well, this is
not so. Whenever you are confused, ask the question- on what is the action done? or on
whom is the action done? And the answer you get is your object, okay. Now, this is in
the active voice. Active means we are focusing on the subject or the doer of the action.
But, if I want to make this into a passive voice, I have to make some alteration, right?
So, what is a passive voice? In a passive sentence, we focus or we give importance to
the object, okay. But how do we make a passive voice? There are certain things that you need
to follow and well when you do it, you have it correct, okay. So the first thing is after
you identify the subject verb object, you have to interchange okay. So you have to make
the object subject and subject object, okay. So uhh subject object okay, you interchange
them because now you're going to give importance to the object. So, all you need to do is put
it in place of the subject, an email okay, and here you put mother. So you have interchanged,
you have interchanged it, alright, fine. Now, what do we do with the remaining part of the
sentence, remember the verb in the sentence, in the original sentence , in this case you
have writes,always, okay and I mean always goes in the third form, the third form meas
the past participle. So what's the past participle of write? It's write is present, wrote is
past, so we're not going to write wrote, written, written is the third form of the verb or the
past participle form. So, use that form, okay. Now, if I leave the sentence at this, it holds
no meaning -an email written mother. It just doesn't make sense. now remember, you cannot
change the tense of the sentence. As this sentence is the present tense, please make
it a present tense. So this is a simple present tense, writes mother writes, okay. So you
use an auxiliary verb . An auxiliary verb is nothing but a helping or a supporting verb,
okay. So because it's just one email, so the present verb is 'is' . An email is written
mother, doesn't make sense. So if I want to still maintain the doer of the subject in
this case, it is the mother. Even though I make it a passive voice, the doer of the action
should not change, okay. So, to complete the sentence, I'm going to write-an email is written
by mother. Well, if you ask the question who has written it? You will still get the answer-mother.
That means, though you have made her the object, she is still the doer of the action. You have
kept it in the present tense and yes you have made the subject object and the object the
subject, you've interchanged them, right? So, an email is written by mother, right?
Don't forget to add your supporting verb because this defines the tense.
Now, let's take a look at the next example, Sam is fixing the computer. Who is doing the
action? Sam-so he's the subject, he's the doer of the action. Doing what? Well, so this
is a continuous tense, right? He's fixing, the action is going on. Fixing what? The computer,
so there you have the object. So let's follow these steps, subject object, okay. So, the
computer, okay and let's have Sam here in place of the object, okay. Because this is
a continuous tense, remember we put the verb in the third form, so we've got to do this,
put it in the past participle-fix, fixed, fixed. Okay, the computer fixed Sam. Does
this make sense? Of course not, the computer can't fix Sam. It is Sam who is doing the
action. So let's add in the supporting verbs. Now, because this a continuous ing, we want
to and have to keep it in the continuous form, so you add is being, okay. So, always in the
passive continuous tense, you have 'being' to show that the action is going on, okay.
So, the computer is being fixed by Sam. So, there you go, you have a passive, it's in
the continuous tense, you've made the subject-object, object-subject and remember you have not changed
the meaning of the sentence. Sam is the one who is still doing the action. Thank God it's
not the computer, okay. And the last sentence, John has helped Maria with her project, okay.
So again, ask the question who is doing the action? You have john. Now, this is a tricky
one. What is the object? A lot of people would say her project. But well friends, ask the
question. Is the action done on the project? No, on what is the action done? On who? In
this case, it is Maria. So, you have object. So what's the verb, the action? Has helped,
okay. So, remember the action of helping is done on Maria. It is not done on the project.
He is not helping the project. He is helping Maria. So, she becomes the object. Now let's
quickly follow, let's interchange subject-object. Well, in this case, we are only going to play
with the subject, verb and object. Only interchange them and change the form, do not play with
the other part of the sentence. Let it be the way it is, okay. So Maria, okay and you
have John here. Okay, now this is a present perfect tense, you have has already with the
verb in the third form, great! So, you let the third form be the way it is, okay. Now,
because it is a present perfect tense, you say has been, okay. So in all perfect passive
voice you use 'been', okay. So, Maria has been helped by John,okay, you've done the
interchanging, you've put the verb in the third form, you've added auxiliaries and just
complete the remaining part of a sentence. So here, if you ask the question who did the
action? You have john who's done it, you've not changed the meaning of the sentence. Okay
friends, so these are basic sentences in the present tense. Now let's take a look at how
do we make questions in the passive voice. Okay, so the first question, why does your
brother sing such sad songs? We're gonna do the same things, object-subject, subject-object,
but remember please keep it as a question, don't try answering it, okay. So why, now
your brother is the subject, such sad songs are the object and sing is the verb, okay.
So, here it is for you -why are such sad songs sung by your brother? You've put the verb
in the third form, alright. You've interchanged the subject-object, object-subject and you've
put are as an auxiliary verb because there are many songs, okay. So, why are such sad
songs sung by your brother,okay? The next question, who is doing the dishes? Now, when
you have who and you put it in the passive voice question, it is always better to start
it with by whom, okay. Rather than having it by whom in the end. It is always nicer
to start your question with by whom okay, when you put who to passive voice. So, by
whom are the dishes being done? Okay, so here you have the object okay, it's a continuous
tense, you have put being and put doing in the third form-done, alright. It's exactly
the same thing. Only thing to remember is, please keep it as a question. The last one,
why have you called me here? You is the subject, okay. If you see have called, it's a perfect
tense, called me, okay. So, now let's interchange, you have object-subject, subject-object. So
you have, why have I, okay, me is the object that becomes I in the subject, so why have
I been called here by you,okay. So you have made you into the object by you. So, why have
I been called here by you? You have maintained it in the present perfect tense. Okay friends,
so we've learned the simple, continuous and the perfect tense in the present tense and
we have not done present perfect continuous because there is no passive voice in the present
perfect continuous tense, alright friends. Well with this we the passive voice in the
present tense . I hope you enjoyed watching this lesson. I have a test for you, do take
it and I'll be back soon with a new lesson, till then take care and bye.