Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.
We have reorganised the department over the last year.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e.: The department has been reorganised over the last year.
The active sentence is:
“We have reorganised the department over the last year.”
This is in the present perfect tense, indicating an action completed during a time period that continues up to now.
To change it into passive voice:
Identify the object: “the department” becomes the subject of the passive.
Use the corresponding passive construction for present perfect:
has/have been + past participle
Since “department” is a singular noun, we use “has been”.
Retain the rest of the sentence unchanged.
This gives us:
The department has been reorganised over the last year.
This aligns with standard grammar rules for passive voice transformations in perfect tenses.
Why the other options are incorrect:
Option 1: “Last year, the department was reorganised.”
Uses simple past passive, losing the sense of completion over the span of the last year.
Option 2: “The department is reorganised by me.”
Uses simple present passive, and awkwardly emphasizes the agent ('by me') with incorrect tense.
Option 4: “The department is being reorganised over the last year.”
Uses present continuous passive, which doesn't fit with “over the last year” indicating completed action.