Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure: It has been alleged that confidential data was being leaked by insiders within the firm.
- (a)Insiders were leaking confidential data within the firm.
- (b)Confidential data had been leaked by insiders, it is alleged.
- (c)Insiders have allegedly been leaking confidential data within the firm.
- (d)The firm was allegedly leaking insider data.
Answer
Why
Correct — C. The sentence has two layers. The frame It has been alleged reports a claim, and the clause inside it says confidential data was being leaked by insiders.
In the active, the by-agent insiders becomes the subject, and was being leaked becomes the -ing form leaking.
The allegation must survive, and allegedly carries it: "Insiders have allegedly been leaking confidential data within the firm" — option (c).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)Insiders were leaking confidential data within the firm. — Insiders were leaking is active and keeps the tense, but it drops It has been alleged. What the original reports as a claim becomes a stated fact.
- (b)Confidential data had been leaked by insiders, it is alleged. — had been leaked by insiders is still passive — the by-phrase remains — and it moves the tense to the past perfect, losing the ongoing -ing sense.
- (d)The firm was allegedly leaking insider data. — The firm replaces insiders as the doer, and insider data replaces confidential data as the object. The sentence now says something different.
Concept
A sentence built as It + passive reporting verb + that (It is said that, It has been alleged that) has two parts, and they convert separately.
The reported clause turns active in the usual way: the by-agent becomes the subject, and was being + past participle becomes was/were + -ing.
The frame names no doer, so there is nobody to make its subject. An adverb such as allegedly or reportedly keeps its meaning inside a single clause.
The strict active, Someone has alleged that insiders were leaking confidential data within the firm, is not among the options.
Option (c) keeps the doer, the -ing action and the allegation, but moves the tense from the past continuous was being leaked to the present perfect continuous have been leaking.
Key facts
- Past continuous passive: was/were being + past participle (was being leaked).
- Past continuous active: was/were + -ing form (were leaking).
- Allegedly marks something as claimed but not proved.
- In a voice change, the by-agent becomes the active subject: by insiders → Insiders.
Study next
Common traps
- Picking (a) because its tense matches exactly, without noticing the allegation has gone
- Missing that (b) is still passive because by insiders remains
A reporting frame also survives the voice change at 21 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.20, where the keyed active of The decision was expected to be made by the council after further review is It was expected that the council would make the decision after review.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.