Voice and Narration
Overview
Voice and Narration form a core grammar component in the MP TET Language II (English) paper. These topics test your ability to transform sentences while preserving meaning—a skill essential for both the exam and for teaching English effectively in multilingual classrooms.
Voice deals with the relationship between the subject and the action in a sentence. Understanding when and how to convert between active and passive voice is tested directly through sentence transformation questions. Narration (or reported speech) tests your ability to convert direct speech into indirect speech, requiring changes in pronouns, tenses, and time expressions.
Mastery requires not just knowing the rules but applying them accurately under time pressure. Focus on the mechanical transformations first, then practice with varied sentence types.
Key Concepts
- Active Voice: The subject performs the action. Structure: Subject + Verb + Object. Example: "The teacher teaches grammar."
- Passive Voice: The subject receives the action. Structure: Object (becomes subject) + be-verb + past participle + by + agent. Example: "Grammar is taught by the teacher."
- Agent retention: The "by + agent" phrase is often omitted when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context.
- Direct Speech: The exact words of the speaker are quoted within inverted commas. Example: He said, "I am reading."
- Indirect Speech: The substance of the speaker's words is reported without quoting exactly. Example: He said that he was reading.
- Reporting Verb: The verb that introduces the speech (said, told, asked, ordered). It determines the structure of indirect speech.
- Backshift of Tense: When the reporting verb is in past tense, the tense in the reported clause generally shifts one step back (present → past, past → past perfect).
- No Backshift Cases: Universal truths, habitual actions, and hypothetical situations often retain the original tense.
Formulas / Key Facts
Voice Transformation Rules
| Active Tense | Passive Structure (be + V3) |
|---|---|
| Simple Present (writes) | is/am/are + written |
| Present Continuous (is writing) | is/am/are + being + written |
| Present Perfect (has written) | has/have + been + written |
| Simple Past (wrote) | was/were + written |
| Past Continuous (was writing) | was/were + being + written |
| Past Perfect (had written) | had + been + written |
| Simple Future (will write) | will + be + written |
| Future Perfect (will have written) | will + have + been + written |
| Modals (can write) | can + be + written |
Narration Tense Shift Chart
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| Simple Present | Simple Past |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect |
| Simple Past | Past Perfect |
| Past Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous |
| will | would |
| can | could |
| may | might |
Pronoun Changes in Narration
- First person → Changes according to the subject of reporting verb
- Second person → Changes according to the object of reporting verb
- Third person → No change
Time/Place Expression Changes
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tomorrow | the next day / the following day |
| yesterday | the previous day / the day before |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| these | those |
| ago | before |
Worked Examples
Example 1: Active to Passive (Simple Past)
Active: The students completed the assignment.
Step 1: Identify subject (The students), verb (completed), object (the assignment) Step 2: Object becomes subject: The assignment Step 3: Add appropriate be-verb (was—singular, past) Step 4: Change verb to past participle: completed Step 5: Add "by + agent": by the students
Passive: The assignment was completed by the students.
Example 2: Passive to Active (Present Perfect)
Passive: The book has been read by all the children.
Step 1: Identify agent (all the children), main verb (read), receiver (The book) Step 2: Agent becomes subject: All the children Step 3: Remove "be + past participle" structure, use active verb form Step 4: Match tense (has been read → have read)
Active: All the children have read the book.
Example 3: Direct to Indirect (Statement)
Direct: She said, "I am preparing for the exam."
Step 1: Remove inverted commas and add "that" Step 2: Change pronoun: I → she Step 3: Backshift tense: am preparing → was preparing Step 4: Adjust time expressions if any
Indirect: She said that she was preparing for the exam.
Example 4: Direct to Indirect (Question)
Direct: He asked me, "Where do you live?"
Step 1: Change "said/asked" appropriately—use "asked" for questions Step 2: Remove question mark and inverted commas Step 3: Wh-word becomes connector (no "that" needed) Step 4: Change to statement word order (subject before verb) Step 5: Change pronouns: you → I Step 6: Backshift: do live → lived
Indirect: He asked me where I lived.
Example 5: Direct to Indirect (Imperative)
Direct: The teacher said to the students, "Open your books."
Step 1: Change reporting verb to ordered/requested/advised Step 2: Use "to + infinitive" structure Step 3: Change pronouns: your → their
Indirect: The teacher ordered the students to open their books.
Common Mistakes
- Wrong Mistake: Using "is" with past tense passive ("The letter is written yesterday"). Correct Fix: Match the be-verb tense to the original active tense ("The letter was written yesterday").
- Wrong Mistake: Retaining question word order in indirect questions ("He asked where do I live"). Correct Fix: Use statement order after the wh-word ("He asked where I lived").
- Wrong Mistake: Adding "that" after wh-words in indirect questions ("He asked that where I lived"). Correct Fix: Never use "that" with wh-questions; use "that" only for statements.
- Wrong Mistake: Backshifting universal truths ("The teacher said that the sun rose in the east"). Correct Fix: Retain present tense for universal truths ("The teacher said that the sun rises in the east").
- Wrong Mistake: Forgetting to change pronouns in narration ("She said that I am tired" when she refers to herself). Correct Fix: Change first person pronouns according to the subject of reporting verb ("She said that she was tired").
Quick Reference
- Passive formula: Object + be-verb (tense-matched) + V3 + by + agent
- Tense backshift: Present → Past → Past Perfect (one step back rule)
- Questions in indirect: Wh-word + subject + verb (no question mark, no "that")
- Imperatives in indirect: ordered/requested/advised + object + to + V1
- Universal truths: No tense change even if reporting verb is past
- Yes/No questions: Use "if" or "whether" as connector in indirect speech