Passive Voice. A verb is said to be in the Passive voice when its subject is spoken of as suffering or being acted upon (Latin patior, I suffer). Examples: Active, I love, I was hearing. Passive, I am loved, I was being heard. N.B. Only Transitive verbs can have a Passive voice. There are certain verbs such as I fall, I slip, etc. which do not speak of the subject as acting; these are however regarded as Active verbs because they are Intransitive. (c) Deponent Verbs. In Latin and Greek there are