Understanding Active and Passive Voice Transformation

The question asks us to convert a sentence from active voice to passive voice. The given sentence is "My father is reading the newspaper." This sentence is in the active voice because the subject ("My father") is performing the action ("reading").

Analyzing the Original Sentence Structure

Let's break down the structure of the active sentence:

• Subject: My father
• Verb: is reading (present continuous tense)
• Object: the newspaper

Converting to Passive Voice: Present Continuous Tense

To convert a sentence in the present continuous active voice to passive voice, we follow a specific structure. The general rule is:

Active Voice Structure: Subject + is/am/are + Verb(-ing) + Object

Passive Voice Structure: Object + is/am/are + being + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject

Applying the Rule to the Given Sentence

Let's apply the passive voice structure to "My father is reading the newspaper":

• The object of the active sentence ("the newspaper") becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
• We use the correct form of 'to be' (is/am/are) according to the new subject. "The newspaper" is singular, so we use "is".
• We add "being".
• We use the past participle of the main verb ("reading"). The past participle of "read" is "read".
• We add "by" and the original subject ("My father").

Following these steps, the passive voice sentence becomes: "The newspaper is being read by my father."

Evaluating the Given Options

Let's examine the provided options:

Based on the analysis, Option 1 correctly transforms the sentence "My father is reading the newspaper" into the passive voice while retaining the original tense and meaning.

Conclusion on Passive Voice Transformation

The correct transformation of "My father is reading the newspaper" into passive voice is "The newspaper is being read by my father." This conversion follows the standard grammatical rules for changing sentences from the present continuous active voice to the present continuous passive voice.

Revision Table: Active vs. Passive Voice

Additional Information: Uses of Passive Voice

The passive voice is used in various situations, including:

• When the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from the context.
• When we want to emphasize the action itself rather than the doer.
• In formal writing, scientific reports, and news articles.
• To avoid mentioning the doer of a negative action.

Understanding when and how to use both active and passive voice is crucial for effective communication in English grammar.