Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure: The allegation that the system had been hacked was denied by the company.
- (a)The company denied that the system had been hacked.
- (b)The hacking of the system was denied by the company.
- (c)It was denied that the hacking occurred by the company.
- (d)The company had denied hacking the system.
Answer
Why
Correct — A. The doer is by the company, so in the active voice the company becomes the subject.
The passive verb was denied is simple past, so the active verb is simple past too: denied.
The thing denied becomes the object. Option (a) carries over the content of the allegation, that the system had been hacked, word for word → option (a).
Why the others are wrong
- (b)The hacking of the system was denied by the company. — Still passive. was denied by the company is the same voice as the original; only the subject has been reworded from the allegation to the hacking of the system.
- (c)It was denied that the hacking occurred by the company. — Still passive — It was denied keeps the original voice. And by the company now follows occurred, so the sentence seems to say the company carried out the hacking.
- (d)The company had denied hacking the system. — denied hacking changes the meaning: deny + -ing normally refers to the subject's own act, so the company now denies being the hacker. It also turns simple past into past perfect.
Concept
To turn a passive sentence active, find the doer in the by-phrase and make it the subject. The passive subject becomes the object, and the verb keeps its tense: was denied → denied, had been sent → had sent.
Only the main clause changes voice. A that-clause inside the subject, such as that the system had been hacked, reports what was alleged. It is carried over as it stands, even though it is passive itself.
A fully faithful conversion would keep the noun as well: The company denied the allegation that the system had been hacked. None of the four options keeps allegation, so the key takes the one that keeps the doer, the tense and the that-clause intact.
Key facts
- Passive to active: the agent in the by-phrase becomes the subject.
- The tense carries over: was denied (simple past passive) becomes denied (simple past active).
- Deny + -ing refers to the subject's own act: He denied taking the file means he says he did not take it.
Study next
Common traps
- Picking a tidy-looking option without checking that its main verb is no longer passive
- Copying the past perfect had been from the that-clause into the main verb and choosing had denied
24 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.19 converts The claim that the system had been tampered with was dismissed as baseless, and its key keeps the noun: Authorities dismissed the claim that someone had tampered with the system.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.