Two correct Tamil sentences can stress different things. Choose the structure that puts the important idea where the reader will notice it.
This lesson is part of sentence construction. It builds on choosing connectors.
How do I compare two structures?
Read both sentences and ask which word comes first and which idea is stressed. Then ask whether the focus matches what your paragraph is about.
In Tamil the first part of the sentence usually carries the emphasis, so the order matters even when the facts are the same.
Worked example 1: active and passive
Active: ஆசிரியர் மாணவர்களைப் பாராட்டினார். The teacher praised the students.
Passive: மாணவர்கள் ஆசிரியரால் பாராட்டப்பட்டனர். The students were praised by the teacher.
The facts are the same. The active stresses the teacher who acted, and the passive stresses the students who received the praise. In a paragraph about student achievement, the passive keeps the focus on the students.
A second pair shows the same point.
தலைவர் கூட்டத்தைத் தொடங்கி வைத்தார் stresses the chairman. கூட்டம் தலைவரால் தொடங்கி வைக்கப்பட்டது stresses the meeting.
Worked example 2: short sentences and a joined one
Two short sentences: அவள் வேகமாக ஓடினாள். அவள் வெற்றி பெற்றாள். She ran fast, and she won.
One joined sentence: அவள் வேகமாக ஓடி வெற்றி பெற்றாள். Running fast, she won.
The short pair gives each action its own weight, like two beats. The joined sentence links the actions into one movement. Choose the pair for drama and the joined form for smooth flow.
The mistake that costs marks
The common slip is to use the passive everywhere because it sounds formal. It can make a story flat and sometimes hides who did what.
| Situation | Better structure | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Story about a person’s action | Active | Keeps the doer in focus |
| Notice about a rule | Passive | The rule matters more than who applies it |
| Two tightly linked actions | Joined sentence | Shows one movement |
| Two separate striking actions | Short pair | Gives each action weight |
Another slip is to change the structure but lose the verb ending, writing பாராட்டப்பட்டான் for a plural subject. The passive verb must still agree with the receiver.
Check yourself
The sentence is வீரர்கள் கோப்பையை வென்றனர். (The players won the cup.) Rewrite it in the passive, then say which version fits a paragraph about the cup’s history.
Answer
Passive: கோப்பை வீரர்களால் வெல்லப்பட்டது. (The cup was won by the players.)
In a paragraph about the cup’s history, the passive fits, because the cup is the topic and it comes first. For a paragraph about the players’ effort, keep the active.
The passive verb வெல்லப்பட்டது agrees with the singular receiver, கோப்பை.
What to study next
Move on to writing and development to use these structures in a paragraph, or go back to the SPM Bahasa Tamil guide for the full study order.
For a teacher to compare your own sentence pairs, see online one-to-one SPM Bahasa Tamil tuition.