Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure: The ministers were being briefed about the situation by the intelligence officers.
- (a)The intelligence officers briefed the ministers about the situation.
- (b)The intelligence officers had briefed the ministers.
- (c)The ministers were briefed by the intelligence officers.
- (d)The intelligence officers were briefing the ministers.
Answer
Why
Correct — D. The passive verb is were being briefed: were + being + past participle, the past continuous passive.
Its active form is were + -ing. The agent, the intelligence officers, becomes the subject, and the ministers become the object: 'The intelligence officers were briefing the ministers.'
Option (d) is the one that keeps the past continuous in the active voice → option (d).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)The intelligence officers briefed the ministers about the situation. — briefed is the simple past. The option keeps about the situation, but it loses the continuous aspect of were being briefed, and a voice change must keep the tense.
- (b)The intelligence officers had briefed the ministers. — had briefed is the past perfect, a different tense from the past continuous. It also leaves out about the situation.
- (c)The ministers were briefed by the intelligence officers. — were briefed by is still passive, so the voice has not been changed at all. It has also lost being, turning the past continuous into the simple past.
Concept
A voice change keeps the tense. Each passive form has one active partner:
was/were being + past participle ↔ was/were + -ing
was/were + past participle ↔ simple past
had been + past participle ↔ had + past participle
To go from passive to active, make the by-phrase the subject, turn the old subject into the object, and rebuild the verb in the same tense.
Option (d) leaves out about the situation, which the passive sentence carries, so it is incomplete. It still has the right voice and the right tense.
Option (a) keeps every word but changes the tense, a grammatical fault. Faced with an omission and a tense error, the key takes the omission.
Key facts
- Past continuous passive: was/were being + past participle. Its active form: was/were + -ing.
- In passive-to-active, the by-phrase supplies the new subject.
- Changing the tense in a voice change is an error, even when every word is kept.
Study next
Common traps
- Choosing option (a) because it keeps every word, and missing that briefed is simple past
- Choosing option (c), which rewrites the verb but leaves the sentence passive
The same tense trap runs the other way at 18 Sep 2024, 12:30, English Q.11: 'The tutor was not teaching the student' is keyed 'The student was not being taught by the tutor', and the simple-past 'was not taught' is a wrong option.
At 11 Sep 2024, 12:30, English Q.17, 'Each candidate was making tall promises' is keyed 'Tall promises were being made by each candidate'.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.