English Notes for Class 5 Active Passive-Voice-And-Reported-Speech

Active-Passive Voice and Reported Speech

Welcome to the chapter on Active-Passive Voice and Reported Speech for Class 5 English. In this chapter, you will learn how to identify and transform sentences between active and passive voice, as well as how to convert direct speech into reported (indirect) speech. Mastering these concepts will help you write and speak English more accurately and effectively.

Introduction

English sentences can be written in different ways to emphasize either the doer of the action or the receiver of the action. This is where the concepts of active voice and passive voice come in. Similarly, when we report what someone else has said, we use reported speech (also called indirect speech). Understanding these concepts is essential for clear communication, comprehension, and writing skills.

Key Concepts

Active Voice: The subject of the sentence performs the action.
Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.
Direct Speech: The exact words spoken by a person, enclosed in quotation marks.
Reported Speech (Indirect Speech): Reporting what someone said without quoting their exact words.
Reporting Verb: The verb used to report what someone has said (e.g., said, told, asked).
Changes in Tense, Pronouns, and Time Expressions: Rules for converting direct speech to reported speech.

1. Active and Passive Voice

In English, a sentence can be written in two voices: active and passive. The choice of voice can change the focus of the sentence.

Active Voice

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action. This is the most common way of expressing ideas in English.

The cat (subject) chased (verb) the mouse (object).
Rita (subject) wrote (verb) a letter (object).

Passive Voice

In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. The focus shifts from the doer to the receiver of the action.

The mouse (subject) was chased (verb) by the cat (agent).
A letter (subject) was written (verb) by Rita (agent).

How to Change Active Voice to Passive Voice

To change a sentence from active to passive:

Move the object of the active sentence to the subject position in the passive sentence.
Use the appropriate form of the verb "to be" + past participle of the main verb.
The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent in the passive sentence, usually introduced by "by".

Example:
Active: The teacher teaches the students.
Passive: The students are taught by the teacher.

Tense Changes in Passive Voice

The tense of the verb changes as follows:

Simple Present: am/is/are + past participle
Active: She writes a story.
Passive: A story is written by her.
Simple Past: was/were + past participle
Active: He cleaned the room.
Passive: The room was cleaned by him.
Present Continuous: am/is/are being + past participle
Active: They are playing football.
Passive: Football is being played by them.
Present Perfect: has/have been + past participle
Active: She has finished the work.
Passive: The work has been finished by her.

When to Use Passive Voice

Passive voice is used when:

The doer of the action is unknown or unimportant.
The focus is on the action or the receiver of the action.
You want to sound more formal or objective.

Examples:
The window was broken. (Doer unknown)
The homework was completed on time. (Focus on action)

2. Practice: Active and Passive Voice

Try changing these sentences from active to passive and vice versa:

The chef cooked a delicious meal.
The song was sung by the choir.
The gardener waters the plants every day.
The homework is checked by the teacher.

3. Direct and Reported Speech

Direct speech is when we quote the exact words spoken by someone, using quotation marks. Reported speech (indirect speech) is when we report what someone said without quoting their exact words.

Direct Speech

In direct speech, the speaker’s exact words are given within quotation marks.

She said, "I am going to the market."
Rahul asked, "Can I borrow your pen?"

Reported Speech

In reported speech, we do not use quotation marks. The tense, pronouns, and some words often change.

She said that she was going to the market.
Rahul asked if he could borrow my pen.

Rules for Changing Direct Speech to Reported Speech

1. Remove quotation marks and use a reporting verb (said, told, asked, etc.).
2. Change the tense of the verb (usually one step back in time):

Present simple → Past simple
Direct: She says, "I eat apples."
Reported: She said that she ate apples.
Present continuous → Past continuous
Direct: He said, "I am reading."
Reported: He said that he was reading.
Present perfect → Past perfect
Direct: She said, "I have finished my work."
Reported: She said that she had finished her work.
Will → Would
Direct: He said, "I will come."
Reported: He said that he would come.

3. Change pronouns and time expressions as needed:

I → he/she
my → his/her
now → then
today → that day
tomorrow → the next day
yesterday → the previous day

Examples

Direct: He said, "I am happy."
Reported: He said that he was happy.
Direct: She said, "I will help you."
Reported: She said that she would help me.
Direct: They said, "We have finished our homework."
Reported: They said that they had finished their homework.

4. Reporting Questions and Commands

When reporting questions, use "asked" or "inquired" as the reporting verb. The word order changes to that of a statement, and question marks are not used.

Direct: She asked, "Where do you live?"
Reported: She asked where I lived.
Direct: He said, "Are you coming?"
Reported: He asked if I was coming.

For commands and requests, use "told", "ordered", "requested", etc., and use "to" + base verb.

Direct: The teacher said, "Open your books."
Reported: The teacher told us to open our books.
Direct: Mother said, "Please help me."
Reported: Mother requested me to help her.

5. Practice: Reported Speech

Change these sentences from direct to reported speech:

He said, "I am going to school."
She said, "I have finished my homework."
They said, "We will visit the zoo tomorrow."
The boy said, "I like ice cream."

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

Here are some common mistakes students make with active/passive voice and reported speech, and tips to avoid them:

Forgetting to change the verb tense in reported speech.
Not changing pronouns and time expressions.
Using the wrong form of "to be" in passive voice.
Leaving out the agent ("by" phrase) when it is important.
Using passive voice unnecessarily—active voice is usually clearer and more direct.

7. Real-Life Applications

Understanding active/passive voice and reported speech is useful in:

Writing essays, stories, and reports.
Summarizing news articles or conversations.
Answering comprehension questions.
Communicating clearly in both spoken and written English.

Summary

Active voice: Subject does the action.
Passive voice: Subject receives the action.
Direct speech: Quoting exact words.
Reported speech: Reporting what was said, with changes in tense, pronouns, and time expressions.
Practice changing sentences between active/passive and direct/reported speech for mastery.

Practice Questions

Try these questions to test your understanding:

Change to passive voice: "The dog bit the man."
Change to active voice: "The cake was baked by my mother."
Change to reported speech: She said, "I am learning English."
Change to direct speech: He said that he would call me.
Change to passive voice: "The students are reading the book."
Change to reported speech: The teacher said, "You must finish your work."
Change to active voice: "The homework was completed by the students."
Change to reported speech: He said, "I have lost my keys."

Challenge Yourself

Write a short story using at least five sentences in passive voice.
Listen to a conversation or watch a news report and write five sentences in reported speech.
Find examples of passive voice and reported speech in your English textbook or storybooks.

Did You Know?

Passive voice is often used in scientific writing and news reports to focus on the action rather than the doer.
Reported speech is essential for summarizing what others have said, especially in journalism and storytelling.
Some sentences cannot be changed to passive voice if there is no object (e.g., "He sleeps.").

Glossary

Active Voice: The subject performs the action.
Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.
Direct Speech: The exact words spoken by someone, within quotation marks.
Reported Speech: Reporting what someone said, without quoting exactly.
Reporting Verb: The verb used to report speech (said, told, asked, etc.).
Agent: The doer of the action in a passive sentence, usually introduced by "by".

Answers to Practice Questions

The man was bitten by the dog.
My mother baked the cake.
She said that she was learning English.
He said, "I will call you."
The book is being read by the students.
The teacher said that I had to finish my work.
The students completed the homework.
He said that he had lost his keys.

Keep practicing and using active/passive voice and reported speech in your writing and conversations. The more you practice, the more natural and confident you will become!

English Class 5 - Active Passive-Voice-And-Reported-Speech Notes