By the end of this lesson you should be able to
- Change sentences between active and passive voice in any tense
- Use passive reporting structures such as "is said to have"
- Turn direct speech into reported speech, including questions and commands
- Add correct question tags to statements
What are transformations?
In a transformation exercise you are given a sentence and must rewrite it in a different form without changing its meaning. Usually you complete a second sentence that begins with some given words. The rules are strict:
- Write one sentence, not two.
- Do not change the words already printed.
- Keep the meaning the same as the first sentence.
- Watch tense, agreement, spelling and punctuation, because one small error can lose the mark.
This lesson covers three of the most common patterns. The next lesson covers conditionals, inversion and comparison.
The passive voice
In an active sentence the doer comes first: The workers repaired the road. In a passive sentence the receiver of the action comes first: The road was repaired by the workers.
Passive = the right form of “be” + past participle. The tense of the verb stays the same.
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | They grow maize. | Maize is grown. |
| Present continuous | They are growing maize. | Maize is being grown. |
| Present perfect | They have grown maize. | Maize has been grown. |
| Past simple | They grew maize. | Maize was grown. |
| Past continuous | They were growing maize. | Maize was being grown. |
| Past perfect | They had grown maize. | Maize had been grown. |
| Future | They will grow maize. | Maize will be grown. |
| Modal | They must grow maize. | Maize must be grown. |
Steps: (1) find the object of the active sentence, (2) make it the subject, (3) use the correct form of be and the past participle, (4) add “by + doer” only if it matters.
Reporting with the passive. Sentences such as People believe that the minister has left can be rewritten as:
- It is believed that the minister has left.
- The minister is believed to have left. (to have + past participle for an earlier action)
- The minister is believed to be abroad. (to + base verb for a present situation)
Reported speech
When we report what someone said, the verbs usually move one step back in time.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| present simple (I walk) | past simple (he walked) |
| present continuous (I am walking) | past continuous (he was walking) |
| present perfect (I have walked) | past perfect (he had walked) |
| past simple (I walked) | past perfect (he had walked) |
| will / can / may | would / could / might |
| must | had to |
| will have done | would have done |
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| today / tonight | that day / that night |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the day before |
| next week | the following week |
| now / here / this | then / there / that |
Pronouns also change to fit the speaker: “I like my job,” said Peter becomes Peter said that he liked his job.
Questions are reported without inversion, using if or whether, or the question word: “Are you ready?” becomes He asked if I was ready. “Where do you live?” becomes He asked where I lived.
Commands and requests use told / asked + object + to-infinitive: “Sit down,” became She told him to sit down. Negative commands use not to.
Question tags
A question tag is a short question added to a statement to check something.
- A positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement takes a positive tag.
- The tag uses the same auxiliary verb as the statement. If there is none, use do / does / did.
- The tag pronoun matches the subject.
| Statement | Tag |
|---|---|
| Everyone enjoyed the concert, | didn’t they? |
| She can’t swim, | can she? |
| Your brother plays football, | doesn’t he? |
| Nobody called, | did they? (nobody has a negative meaning) |
| I am late, | aren’t I? |
| Let’s start, | shall we? |
| Close the door, | will you? |
| There is enough time, | isn’t there? |
Words such as somebody, everyone, nobody take they in the tag. Something and nothing take it.
Worked examples
Example 1: passive. A: The nurses are treating the patients.
B: The patients are being treated by the nurses.
The verb is present continuous, so the passive is are being + past participle.
Example 2: passive reporting. A: It was reported that the company had lost money.
B: The company was reported to have lost money.
Had lost refers to an earlier action, so we use to have lost.
Example 3: reported statement. A: “By noon the road will have been repaired,” the engineer said.
B: The engineer said that by noon the road would have been repaired.
Will have been repaired becomes would have been repaired.
Example 4: reported question. A: “Why are you crying?” the mother asked the child.
B: The mother asked the child why he or she was crying.
The question order goes back to normal (he was crying), and there is no question mark.
Common mistakes
Changing the tense in the passive. They will announce it becomes It will be announced. Do not write It is announced.
Keeping the question order in reported questions. Write He asked where I lived, not He asked where did I live.
Forgetting to change pronouns and time words. “I will come tomorrow,” she said becomes She said that she would come the next day.
Using a positive tag after a positive statement. The tag must be the opposite. You like tea, don’t you?
Practice questions
Complete sentence B so that it means the same as sentence A.
- A: The mechanic is repairing the bus. B: The bus ______
- A: Someone had locked the office. B: The office ______
- A: They will announce the results tomorrow. B: The results ______
- A: People believe that the mayor has resigned. B: The mayor ______
- A: “I am waiting for the bus,” said Peter. B: Peter said that ______
- A: “Where do you live?” the officer asked me. B: The officer asked me ______
- A: “Close the window,” the teacher told us. B: The teacher told us ______
- A: “We must finish before dark,” the farmers said. B: The farmers said that ______
- Add a question tag: Your brother plays football, ______
- Add a question tag: Nobody came to the meeting, ______
Show answers
- The bus is being repaired by the mechanic.
- The office had been locked (by someone).
- The results will be announced tomorrow.
- The mayor is believed to have resigned.
- Peter said that he was waiting for the bus.
- The officer asked me where I lived.
- The teacher told us to close the window.
- The farmers said that they had to finish before dark.
- doesn’t he?
- did they?
Summary
- The passive is be + past participle, and the tense stays the same as in the active sentence.
- Use is believed to have for an earlier action and is believed to be for a present one.
- In reported speech, move the verb one step back, change pronouns and time words, and use normal word order in questions.
- A question tag reverses the meaning of the statement and repeats its auxiliary verb.
Now practise this topic
Real questions show you what still needs work. Try a past paper under timed conditions, or take a short quiz.