WH Passive Voice Lesson Four

VOICE OF DESCRIPTIVE (‘WH’-WORD) QUESTIONS

Descriptive questions are the questions beginning with W-words i.e. ‘What, Why, When, Who, Where, Whose, Whom, How’ etc. The answers of these interrogatives (questions) require a descriptive answer so they are, in this respect, different from ‘YES/NO’ questions.

There are three separate cases of change of Voice of such sentences.

 CASE---A   (Passive Voice not possible)

When the verb is not transitive, Passive Voice is not possible.

e.g.       What is your name? ;             Where do you live? ;               When will you go?

           

CASE---B    (Where WH-word is not the subject of sentence)

Method of changing Voice:

1.                  Change the voice of the sentence in normal way ignoring question word.

2.                  Then insert the question word at an appropriate place (beginning).

PRACTICE EXERCISE

	Active Voice	Passive Voice
i	Why do people break the law?	Why is the law broken?
ii	In which drive, he installed the program?	In which drive, was the program installed?
iii	When did protesters burn the vehicles?	When were the vehicles burnt?
iv	What makes him so angry?	By what he is made so angry?
v	How do Christians celebrate Easter?	How is the Easter celebrated?

 

CASE---C    (Where the WH-word is the Subject of sentence)

Method of changing Voice:

1.                  Change the voice of the sentence in normal way ignoring question word.

2.                  Change the case of question word as per the schedule of ‘CASES OF PRONOUNS.’

3.                  Then insert the question word at an appropriate place (beginning) with the prefix of ‘by.’

PRACTICE EXERCISE

	Active Voice		Passive Voice
i	Who taught you Algebra?		You were taught Algebra by whom?
		D.Obj=Who	By whom was Algebra taught to you?
		D.Obj=You	By whom were you taught Algebra?
ii	Who will bear the burden of proof?		By whom will the burden of proof be bore?

VOICE OF IMPERATIVE SENTENCES

“Imperative sentences express command, request or advice.”

Method of changing Voice:

1.                  In Active Voice, these sentences have a hidden subject, so while making Passive Voice, you sometime have to imagine a subject.

2.                  For sake of simplicity, assume that Imperative sentences are in Future Simple tense.

	Active Voice	Passive Voice
i	Don’t surpass your limits.	Your limits must not be surpassed.
ii	Pay the fees within two days.	Fees should be paid within two days.
iii	Please ask questions one by one.	Questions shall be asked one by one.
iv	Never underestimate your rivals.	Rivals shall not be underestimated.
v	Let start the work now.	The work can now be started.