Active-Passive voice Questions and Answers

Answer: A

The passive of I have often told you to switch off the lights is You have often been told to switch off the lights by me. The present perfect have told becomes have been told and the object you becomes the subject.

The second option scrambles the sentence, the third is not passive, and the fourth uses the past continuous passive were being told, which changes the tense.

Answer: B

The active voice is 'The manager permitted Rajesh to go home a little early.'

In the passive sentence 'Rajesh was permitted by the manager', the doer is the manager. In the active voice the manager becomes the subject and the tense, past, stays the same.

Option A changes the tense to present perfect, C swaps the doer and D uses the future.

To change to the active voice, put the doer, the manager, first, followed by the verb in the same tense and the object. The passive 'was permitted' is the simple past, so the active verb is 'permitted'. The sentence 'The manager permitted Rajesh to go home a little early' says exactly the same thing.

Answer: D

The passive voice is 'A rabbit with a watch was seen going into a hole by Alice.'

The active sentence is in the simple past ('saw'). The passive uses 'was seen' with the object as the new subject and the doer in a 'by' phrase.

Options A and B use present tenses, and C mixes up the objects, saying that a hole was going into a rabbit.

For the passive of a sentence in the simple past, the verb is 'was/were' plus the past participle. The object of the active sentence, 'a rabbit with a watch', becomes the subject, and the doer is introduced by 'by'. Option D follows this exactly and keeps the meaning.

Answer: D

Correct answer: An exam will have been taken by the boys.

The future perfect will have taken becomes will have been taken. The options with would change the modal, and will had been puts a past auxiliary after will.

Answer: D

Correct answer: This work has to be finished by you as soon as you can.

Have to expresses obligation and becomes has to be + participle, singular to agree with this work. Has been finished reports it as already done, which the obligation contradicts.

Answer: B

Correct answer: The result has been announced by the school.

The present perfect has announced becomes has been announced. Has announced is still active, and has be and has being are not verb forms.

Answer: C

Correct answer: When she was seen by me, she was crossing the road.

Only the first clause goes passive: I saw her becomes she was seen by me. The second clause has no object and cannot be made passive, so it stays exactly as it is.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Why are lame excuses always made by her?

Lame excuses is plural, so the passive is are made, and always keeps its place before the participle. The question order puts the auxiliary first, which the first option omits.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Why are the duties neglected by an officer?

The duties is plural, so the passive is are neglected, and the question order puts the auxiliary first. Neglect without -ed is the base form, not the participle.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Was his teacher not listened to by him?

Listen to is a prepositional verb, so to stays with the participle. The past simple question did he not listen becomes was his teacher not listened to, with did absorbed into was.