Change the following from active to passive:
He posted the letter in the red mailbox near the main gate.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
The letter was posted in the red mailbox by him near the main gate.
Explanation
Active to Passive Voice Rules:
Identify the Core Elements: In the active sentence, "He" is the subject, "posted" is the verb, and "the letter" is the direct object. The remaining phrase ("in the red mailbox near the main gate") acts as a situational modifier.
Object Shifts to Subject: In a passive transformation, the direct object ("The letter") moves into the primary subject position.
Tense Alignment: The original verb "posted" is in the Simple Past Tense. To mirror this in the passive voice, you must use the past tense form of the auxiliary verb 'to be' matched to the new singular subject ("was"), followed by the past participle form of the main verb ("posted"). This gives us "was posted".
Subject Shifts to Agent: The original active subject "He" transitions into the agent phrase "by him".
Combining these steps while maintaining the original descriptive modifiers yields the correct passive sentence.
Key Points
Word: The letter was posted in the red mailbox by him near the main gate.
Meaning: The grammatically flawless passive equivalent that accurately preserves the simple past tense of the original active assertion.
Grammatical Role: Passive voice construction (functions to emphasize the action being performed on the letter rather than the person performing it).