In the previous six High English quizzes on active and passive voice, we have seen how we write passive voice sentences in different tense forms. In this final quiz on the subject we look at the passive voice in the simple future and future perfect tenses.
In English, we use passive voice in several ways. We use passive voice when we want to change focus in the sentence. We may use it when we are not interested in what causes an action. We often use passive voice in scientific or factual writing. Sentences in passive voice undergo change depending on the tense. The form a passive voice sentence takes is common as far as the main verb is concerned. The main verb always takes its past participle form. Auxiliary verbs decide the tense in passive voice.
The future tense makes use of two words - ‘will’ and ‘shall.’ Generally, sentences use simple future and future perfect tenses for expressing in the passive voice. In the simple future tense, the passive voice sentence takes this form:
‘Object + will/shall + be + past participle of the main verb.’
‘Virat Kohli will captain the Indian Cricket Team on the Sri Lankan tour’ is in the active voice. In passive voice it becomes:
‘The Indian Cricket Team will be captained by Virat Kohli on the Sri Lankan tour.’
In the future perfect tense, the passive voice sentence takes this form:
‘Object + will/shall + have + been + past participle of the main verb.’
‘In the month of September this year, Prime Minister Modi shall have addressed the UN General Assembly’ is in the active voice. In passive voice it becomes:
‘In the month of September this year, the UN General Assembly shall have been addressed by Prime Minister Modi’
Just as in so many other instances, the passive voice takes a different form when posing a question by starting the sentence with ‘will/shall.’ The use of ‘not’ between ‘will/shall’ and ‘be/have’ in a sentence makes it a negative sentence.
Using passive voice in the simple future and future perfect tenses becomes a breeze if we practise hard and the quiz that follows helps you to do just that.