Change the following from active to passive:
They had been negotiating the deal for months.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 2 i.e. The deal had been being negotiated for months.
Grammatical Concept/Meaning:
-
Active Structure (Past Perfect Continuous): Subject + had + been + V1-ing + Object.
-
Example: They + had + been + negotiating + the deal.
-
-
Passive Structure: Object + had + been + being + V3 (Past Participle) + (by Subject).
-
Example: The deal + had + been + being + negotiated.
-
-
The "Being" Rule: In continuous tenses (Present, Past, or Perfect Continuous), the word "being" must be inserted to maintain the "continuous" aspect of the action while the main verb moves to its third form.
Correction/Reasoning:
-
Subject-Object Swap: "The deal" moves to the front, and "They" (the agents) are moved to the end or omitted for brevity.
-
Auxiliary Chain: You must use the sequence had + been + being to accurately reflect the Past Perfect Continuous in a passive state.
-
Verb Form: The present participle "negotiating" changes to the past participle "negotiated."
Final Sentence: The deal had been being negotiated for months.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.