STUDY
AND
EXAM
.COM

Passive Voice Rules for Modals

The two basic rules for converting active voice into passive voice are as follows:

  1. The places of subject and the object in a sentence are interchanged for converting active voice to passive voice.
  2. Only 3rd form of a verb (e.g., eaten) is as a main verb in passive voice.

Usage of auxiliary verbs in passive voice for Present, Future and Past Modals is explained is explained in the following tables.

Passive voices for Present & Future Modals
(e.g. CAN, SHOULD, MUST, MAY, MIGHT, OUGHT TO)

Present and Future Modals
(CAN, MUST, SHOULD, MAY, MIGHT, OUGHT)
Auxiliary verb ‘be’ is used with these modals in Passive Voice.
Active Voice
Passive Voice
  CAN
  CAN BE
He can drive a car.
A car can be driven by him.
He cannot drive a car.
A car cannot be driven by him.
Can he drive a car?
Can a car be driven by him?
He can make a chair.
A chair can be made by him.
He cannot make a chair.
A chair cannot be made by him.
Can he make a chair?
Can a chair be made by him?
  MUST
  MUST BE
He must return the loan.
The loan must be returned by him.
He must not return the loan.
The loan must not be returned by him.
Must he return the loan?
Must the loan be returned by him?
He must study this book.
This book must be studied by him.
He must not study this book.
This book must not be studied by him.
Must he study this book?
Must this book be studied by him?
  MAY
  MAY BE
I may eat an apple.
An apple may be eaten by me.
I may not eat an apple.
An apple may not be eaten by me.
May I eat an apple.
May an apple be eaten by me?
He may buy a car.
A car may be bought by him.
He may not buy a car.
A car may not be bought by him.
May he buy a car?
May a car be bought by him.
  SHOULD
  SHOULD BE
I should buy this clock.
This clock should be bought by me.
I should not buy this clock.
This clock should not be bought by me.
Should I buy this clock?
Should this clock be bought by me?
  MIGHT
  MIGHT BE
He might win a prize.
A prize might be won by him.
He might not win a prize.
A prize might not be won by him.
Might he win a prize?
Might a prize be won by him?
She might finish the task.
The task might be finished by her.
She might not finish the task.
The task might not be finished by her.
Might she finish the task?
Might the task be finished by her.
  OUGHT TO
  OUGHT TO BE
You ought to clean this room.
This room ought to be cleaned by you.
You ought not to clean this room.
This room ought not to be cleaned by you.
He ought to help the kid.
The kid ought to be helped by him.

Passive voices for Past Modals
(e.g. MIGHT HAVE,MAY HAVE, SHOULD HAVE, OUGHT TO HAVE, MUST HAVE)

Past Modals
(MIGHT HAVE, MAY HAVE, SHOULD HAVE, OUGHT HAVE, MUST HAVE)
Auxiliary verb ‘been’ is used with these modals in Passive Voice.
Active Voice
Passive Voice
  SHOULD HABE
  SHOULD HAVE BEEN
I should have started a job.
A job should have been started by me.
I should have not started a job.
A job should not have been started by me.
Should I have started a job?
Should a job have been started by me?
They should have helped the boy.
The boy should have been helped by them
They should have not helped the boy.
The boy should not have been helped by them.
Should they have helped the boy?
Should the boy have been helped by them?
  MUST HAVE
  MUST HAVE BEEN
He must have paid the money.
The money must have been paid by him.
He must have not paid the money.
The money must not have been paid by him.
 MAY HAVE
  MAY HAVE BEEN
She may have eaten the meal.
The meal may have been eaten by her.
She may not have eaten the meal.
The meal may not have been eaten by her.
 MIGHT HAVE
  MIGHT HAVE BEEN
He might have enjoyed the party.
The party might have been enjoyed by him.
He might not have enjoyed the party.
The party might not have been enjoyed by him.
She might have passed the exam.
The exam might have been passed by her.
She might not have passed the exam.
The exam might not have been passed by her.
  OUGHT TO HAVE
  OUGHT TO HAVE BEEN
You ought to have spoken the truth.
The truth ought to have been spoken by you.
You ought not to have told a lie.
A lie ought not to have been told by you.