Bihar Board Class 10 · English · Matric exam 2027
Chapter 2: Voice: active and passive — notes
The chapter’s 7 parts in the book’s order — the first idea of each and the points Medha Ma’am writes on the board — and the summary at the end. The full lesson and a check question for each part are in the app.
1. Active and passive: the three changes
Look at the board.
- • Active: Ram writes a letter.
- • Passive: A letter is written by Ram.
- • Three changes
- • 1. Object → front (new subject)
- • 2. Verb → be + V3 (be shows the tense)
- • 3. Subject → by + subject at the end
- • No object → no passive: Birds fly.
- • Find the object: Ramesh helped whom? Ranju. → Ranju was helped by Ramesh.
2. The form of be in each tense
The most important table.
- • | Tense of the active | Passive form | Example |
- • | Simple Present | is / am / are + V3 | Butter is made from milk by us. |
- • | Simple Past | was / were + V3 | Ranju was helped by Ramesh. |
- • | Present Continuous | is / am / are + being + V3 | The jeep is being driven by Yamini. |
- • | Past Continuous | was / were + being + V3 | Cricket was being played by the boys. |
- • | Present Perfect | has / have + been + V3 | The e-mail has been sent by Jayesh. |
- • | Past Perfect | had + been + V3 | A poem had been written by him. |
- • | Future / modal | will / can / must / should + be + V3 | The message will be passed by Rahul. |
- • No passive: perfect continuous, future continuous
- • Agreement: The political leaders were being interviewed by Sohan.
3. Pronouns change their form
When a pronoun moves to the end after by, it takes its object form.
- • | Subject form | I | we | he | she | they | you | it |
- • | Object form | me | us | him | her | them | you | it |
- • Active: Uma gave me this gift. → Passive: I was given this gift by Uma.
- • Why has Anuradha scolded you?
- • → Why have you been scolded by Anuradha?
4. Questions in the passive
A question stays a question.
- • Did he buy a car?
- • → Was a car bought by him?
- • Do you imitate others? → Are others imitated by you?
- • When do you drink coffee? → When is coffee drunk by you?
- • Who → By whom: By whom can the stars in the sky be counted?
- • By whom → Who (passive to active): By whom are you liked? → Who likes you?
5. Orders, requests and advice
An imperative sentence gives an order.
- • Order: Let + object + be + V3
- • Shut the door and leave. → Let the door be shut and you are ordered to leave.
- • Please ... → You are requested to ...
- • Advice → You are advised to ...
- • Active of: You are advised to think before you speak. → Think before you speak.
6. From passive back to active
To change a passive sentence into the active, go backwards.
- • Passive: A new car has been bought by me.
- • by me → I | has been bought → have bought
- • Active: I have bought a new car.
- • No doer → someone / people: The room was cleaned. → Someone cleaned the room.
- • is to be + V3 → is to + V1: Suchi is to eat chicken.
- • have to be + V3 → have to + V1: People have to save the environment.
- • known to (not by): His whereabouts are not known to me.
- • Quinine is bitter when it is tasted. → Quinine tastes bitter.
7. The common mistakes
Three mistakes cost the most marks.
- • Common mistakes
- • 1. V3, not V2: bitten (not bit), written (not wrote), drunk (not drank)
- • 2. being (continuous), been (perfect): do not drop them
- • 3. be agrees with the new subject: leaders were, a car was
- • She was ...... by a dog.
- • was + V3 → bite, bit, bitten
- • Answer: bitten
Summary
Very good! In the passive, the object comes first, the verb becomes be plus V3, and the doer goes after by. Being for the continuous, been for the perfect, be after a modal. Questions stay questions, who becomes by whom, an order begins with let, and please becomes you are requested to. In your notebook, copy the be table and change five sentences of your own into the passive, one in each tense. Then try the practice questions. If anything was not clear, press the Ask button and ask me. Done, you worked very well today!
AskMedha · Medha Ma’am — Bihar Board Class 10 English, Chapter 2. Written from the textbook, checked twice.
Questions parents and students ask
- How do I get the "Voice: active and passive" notes as a PDF?
- Press "Save as PDF" — the phone’s print sheet opens; choose "Save as PDF" there. The PDF holds the notes only.
- Where are these notes written from?
- From the chapter’s own textbook text, part by part, in the book’s own terms; a second, independent model then checked every part against the book. The full lesson, a check question for each part and the practice are in the AskMedha app.
The same preparation, with Medha Ma’am — on your phone
Every question of every chapter with its model answer, practice questions in the board’s own shapes, 60 minutes of class a day, written answers marked, a test every Sunday and a WhatsApp report to parents.
Medha Ma’am is an AI teacher, not a live tutor. Every answer is checked twice; a person takes responsibility.