Are there times when passive voice is not allowed?

In one line

The rule

Passive voice can only be used when the verb has an object (something or someone that receives the action).

Let's understand it simply

Imagine you are playing cricket. If you say, "I hit the ball," the ball is the object—it receives the action. You can make this passive: "The ball was hit by me." But if you say, "I sleep," there is no object. You cannot say, "Sleep was done by me." It sounds odd and is not correct English.

How it works

1. Check if the verb has an object (who or what receives the action).
2. If there is an object, you can change the sentence to passive voice.
3. If there is no object, passive voice is not possible.
4. Some verbs (like 'sleep', 'arrive', 'die') never take an object, so they cannot be made passive.

The story behind it

The idea of active and passive voice comes from how languages show who does what. English, like many languages, uses the passive voice to focus on the action or the receiver. But not every action can be "received," so not every sentence can be made passive. Grammar books and teachers noticed this long ago while teaching how to write clearly.

Where you see it in real life

• "The roti was made by Amma." (possible: 'roti' is the object)
• "The match was won by our team." (possible: 'match' is the object)
• "The bus was cleaned by the workers." (possible: 'bus' is the object)
• "He slept." (not possible: no object)
• "She arrived." (not possible: no object)
• "They laughed." (not possible: no object)

Why it matters

• Helps you write correct English in exams and letters.
• Makes your writing clearer—knowing when you can and cannot use passive voice.
• Important for editing and understanding instructions or news reports.
• Many questions in CBSE exams test if you can spot or change passive voice correctly.

Common mistakes

• Trying to make passive voice from verbs that have no object (e.g., "He died" → ✗ "Died was done by him").
• Forgetting to check if the verb is transitive (needs an object) or intransitive (does not need an object).
• Using passive voice with verbs like 'go', 'come', 'exist', which cannot have an object.

Remember it

If there is no object, you cannot make a passive sentence.