Structure of all tenses in both active and passive voices

Present

Simple

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - Affirmative: I am a monk.
  - Negative: I am not a monk.
  - Interrogative: Am I a monk?
  - Negative: Am I not a monk?
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: I read a book.
  - N: I don’t read a book.
  - Q: Do I read a book?
  - N: Don’t I read a book?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: A book is read.
  - N: A book is not read.
  - I: Is a book read?
  - N: Is a book not read?

Continous

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb: N/A (stative verb)
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: I am walking.
  - N: I am not walking.
  - Q: Am I walking?
  - N: Am I not walking?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: A book is being read.
  - N: A book is not being read.
  - I: Is a book being read?
  - N: Is a book not being read?

Perfect

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: I have been there.
  - N: I haven’t been there.
  - Q: Have I been there?
  - N: Haven’t I been there?
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: I have eaten an apple.
  - N: I haven’t eaten an apple.
  - Q: Have I eaten an apple?
  - N: Haven’t I eaten an apple?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: An apple has been eaten.
  - N: An apple has not been eaten.
  - I: Has an apple been eaten?
  - N: Has an apple not been eaten?

Perfect Continous

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb: N/A (stative verb in continuous)
- other verbs
  - A: I have been staying here.
  - N: I haven’t been staying here.
  - Q: Have I been staying here?
  - N: Haven’t I been staying here?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: A book has been being read. (Rarely used)
  - N: A book has not been being read.
  - I: Has a book been being read?
  - N: Has a book not been being read?

Past

Simple

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - Affirmative: I was a monk.
  - Negative: I was not a monk.
  - Interrogative: Was I a monk?
  - Negative: Was I not a monk?
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: I read a book.
  - N: I didn’t read a book.
  - I: Did I read a book?
  - N: Didn’t I read a book?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: A book was read.
  - N: A book was not read.
  - I: Was a book read?
  - N: Was a book not read?

Continous

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb: N/A (stative verb)
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: I was walking.
  - N: I was not walking.
  - Q: Was I walking?
  - N: Was I not walking?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: A book was being read.
  - N: A book was not being read.
  - I: Was a book being read?
  - N: Was a book not being read?

Perfect

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: I had been there.
  - N: I hadn’t been there.
  - Q: Had I been there?
  - N: Hadn’t I been there?
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: I had eaten an apple.
  - N: I hadn’t eaten an apple.
  - Q: Had I eaten an apple?
  - N: Hadn’t I eaten an apple?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: An apple had been eaten.
  - N: An apple had not been eaten.
  - I: Had an apple been eaten?
  - N: Had an apple not been eaten?

Perfect Continous

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb: N/A (stative verb in continuous)
- other verbs
  - A: I had been staying here.
  - N: I hadn’t been staying here.
  - Q: Had I been staying here?
  - N: Hadn’t I been staying here?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: A book had been being read. (Rarely used)
  - N: A book had not been being read.
  - I: Had a book been being read?
  - N: Had a book not been being read?

Future

Simple

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - Affirmative: I will be a monk.
  - Negative: I will not be a monk.
  - Interrogative: Will I be a monk?
  - Negative: Will I not be a monk?
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: I will read a book.
  - N: I will not read a book.
  - I: Will I read a book?
  - N: Will I not read a book?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: A book will be read.
  - N: A book will not be read.
  - I: Will a book be read?
  - N: Will a book not be read?

Continous

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb: N/A (stative verb)
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: I will be walking.
  - N: I will not be walking.
  - Q: Will I be walking?
  - N: Will I not be walking?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: A book will be being read. (Rarely used)
  - N: A book will not be being read.
  - I: Will a book be being read?
  - N: Will a book not be being read?

Perfect

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: I will have been there.
  - N: I will not have been there.
  - Q: Will I have been there?
  - N: Will I not have been there?
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: I will have eaten an apple.
  - N: I will not have eaten an apple.
  - Q: Will I have eaten an apple?
  - N: Will I not have eaten an apple?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: An apple will have been eaten.
  - N: An apple will not have been eaten.
  - I: Will an apple have been eaten?
  - N: Will an apple not have been eaten?

Perfect Continous

Active Voice
- “to be” as main verb: N/A (stative verb in continuous)
- other verbs
  - A: I will have been staying here.
  - N: I will not have been staying here.
  - Q: Will I have been staying here?
  - N: Will I not have been staying here?
Passive Voice
- “to be” as main verb
  - A: N/A (cannot be passivized)
  - N: N/A
  - I: N/A
  - N: N/A
- other verbs as main verb
  - A: A book will have been being read. (Rarely used)
  - N: A book will not have been being read.
  - I: Will a book have been being read?
  - N: Will a book not have been being read?

Table 1

Tense	Voice	Verb Type	Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative	Neg. Interrogative
Present Simple	Active	"to be"	I am a monk.	I am not a monk.	Am I a monk?	Am I not a monk?
		Other verbs	I read a book.	I don't read a book.	Do I read a book?	Don't I read a book?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	A book is read.	A book is not read.	Is a book read?	Is a book not read?
Present Continuous	Active	"to be"	N/A (stative verb)	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	I am walking.	I am not walking.	Am I walking?	Am I not walking?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	A book is being read.	A book is not being read.	Is a book being read?	Is a book not being read?
Present Perfect	Active	"to be"	I have been there.	I haven't been there.	Have I been there?	Haven't I been there?
		Other verbs	I have eaten an apple.	I haven't eaten an apple.	Have I eaten an apple?	Haven't I eaten an apple?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	An apple has been eaten.	An apple has not been eaten.	Has an apple been eaten?	Has an apple not been eaten?
Present Perfect Cont.	Active	"to be"	N/A (stative verb)	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	I have been staying here.	I haven't been staying here.	Have I been staying here?	Haven't I been staying here?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	A book has been being read. (Rare)	A book has not been being read.	Has a book been being read?	Has a book not been being read?
Past Simple	Active	"to be"	I was a monk.	I was not a monk.	Was I a monk?	Was I not a monk?
		Other verbs	I read a book.	I didn't read a book.	Did I read a book?	Didn't I read a book?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	A book was read.	A book was not read.	Was a book read?	Was a book not read?
Past Continuous	Active	"to be"	N/A (stative verb)	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	I was walking.	I was not walking.	Was I walking?	Was I not walking?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	A book was being read.	A book was not being read.	Was a book being read?	Was a book not being read?
Past Perfect	Active	"to be"	I had been there.	I hadn't been there.	Had I been there?	Hadn't I been there?
		Other verbs	I had eaten an apple.	I hadn't eaten an apple.	Had I eaten an apple?	Hadn't I eaten an apple?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	An apple had been eaten.	An apple had not been eaten.	Had an apple been eaten?	Had an apple not been eaten?
Past Perfect Cont.	Active	"to be"	N/A (stative verb)	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	I had been staying here.	I hadn't been staying here.	Had I been staying here?	Hadn't I been staying here?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	A book had been being read. (Rare)	A book had not been being read.	Had a book been being read?	Had a book not been being read?
Future Simple	Active	"to be"	I will be a monk.	I will not be a monk.	Will I be a monk?	Will I not be a monk?
		Other verbs	I will read a book.	I will not read a book.	Will I read a book?	Will I not read a book?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	A book will be read.	A book will not be read.	Will a book be read?	Will a book not be read?
Future Continuous	Active	"to be"	N/A (stative verb)	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	I will be walking.	I will not be walking.	Will I be walking?	Will I not be walking?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	A book will be being read. (Rare)	A book will not be being read.	Will a book be being read?	Will a book not be being read?
Future Perfect	Active	"to be"	I will have been there.	I will not have been there.	Will I have been there?	Will I not have been there?
		Other verbs	I will have eaten an apple.	I will not have eaten an apple.	Will I have eaten an apple?	Will I not have eaten an apple?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	An apple will have been eaten.	An apple will not have been eaten.	Will an apple have been eaten?	Will an apple not have been eaten?
Future Perfect Cont.	Active	"to be"	N/A (stative verb)	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	I will have been staying here.	I will not have been staying here.	Will I have been staying here?	Will I not have been staying here?
	Passive	"to be"	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
		Other verbs	A book will have been being read. (Rare)	A book will not have been being read.	Will a book have been being read?	Will a book not have been being read?

Table 2 – N/As

Tense	Voice	Verb Type	Reason for N/A
Present Simple	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Present Continuous	Active	"to be"	Stative verb, generally not used in continuous
Present Continuous	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Present Perfect	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Present Perfect Continuous	Active	"to be"	Stative verb, generally not used in continuous
Present Perfect Continuous	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Past Simple	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Past Continuous	Active	"to be"	Stative verb, generally not used in continuous
Past Continuous	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Past Perfect	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Past Perfect Continuous	Active	"to be"	Stative verb, generally not used in continuous
Past Perfect Continuous	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Future Simple	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Future Continuous	Active	"to be"	Stative verb, generally not used in continuous
Future Continuous	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Future Perfect	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized
Future Perfect Continuous	Active	"to be"	Stative verb, generally not used in continuous
Future Perfect Continuous	Passive	"to be"	Cannot be passivized

The N/A cases arise from two main principles:

**“To be” as a main verb cannot be passivized:** When “to be” acts as the main verb (e.g., “I am a monk”), it is a linking verb that describes a state or identity. Passive voice requires a transitive verb with a direct object that can become the new subject. Since linking verbs like “to be” do not take direct objects, they cannot form passive constructions.
**“To be” is generally a stative verb:** As a stative verb, “to be” describes a state rather than an action. Stative verbs are typically not used in continuous (progressive) tenses because these tenses describe ongoing actions.

Exercise

Tense	Voice	Verb Type	Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative	Neg. Interrogative
			………………..	………………..	………………..	………………..
Present Simple	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Present Continuous	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Present Perfect	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Present Perfect Cont.	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Past Simple	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Past Continuous	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Past Perfect	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Past Perfect Cont.	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Future Simple	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Future Continuous	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Future Perfect	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs
Future Perfect Cont.	Active	"to be"
		Other verbs
	Passive	"to be"
		Other verbs

All Tenses

Structure of all tenses in both active and passive voices

Present

Simple

Continous

Perfect

Perfect Continous

Past

Simple

Continous

Perfect

Perfect Continous

Future

Simple

Continous

Perfect

Perfect Continous

Table 1

Table 2 – N/As

Exercise