Understanding Active vs. Passive Voice

In English grammar, sentences can be in either the active voice or the passive voice. The voice indicates the relationship between the action (verb) and the participants (subject, object).

• Active Voice: The subject of the sentence performs the action. The structure is typically Subject + Verb + Object. Example: The cat chased the mouse. (The cat is doing the chasing).
• Passive Voice: The subject of the sentence receives the action. The structure is typically Subject + Verb (be + past participle) + by + Agent. Example: The mouse was chased by the cat. (The mouse is receiving the action).

Sentence Transformation Analysis

The original sentence is: "Such boys are always liked by people."

Let's break down this sentence to identify its components:

• Subject (Passive): "Such boys"
• Verb: "are liked" (This is the Present Simple tense in the passive form: 'be' verb + past participle of 'like').
• Agent: "people" (Indicated by the preposition 'by'). The agent is the one performing the action.
• Adverb: "always"

Converting to Active Voice

To rewrite the sentence in the active voice, we need to follow these steps:

1. Make the agent ("people") the new subject.
2. Change the passive verb ("are liked") to its active form. Since the original is Present Simple Passive, the active form is the Present Simple Active: "like".
3. Make the original passive subject ("Such boys") the new object.
4. Keep the adverb ("always") in its appropriate place, usually before the main verb.

Applying these steps:

1. New Subject: People
2. Verb: like
3. Object: such boys
4. Adverb: always

Putting it together, the active voice sentence is: "People always like such boys."

Evaluating the Options

Let's check why the other options are incorrect:

• Option 1: "People always liked such boys" - This uses the Past Simple tense ("liked"), which is incorrect. The original passive verb "are liked" is Present Simple.
• Option 2: "People always like such boys" - This correctly uses the Present Simple active voice ("like") and follows the active voice structure.
• Option 3: "People always have liked such boys" - This uses the Present Perfect tense ("have liked"), which changes the meaning and is not the direct active conversion of "are liked".
• Option 4: "People always had liked such boys" - This uses the Past Perfect tense ("had liked"), which is also incorrect.

Therefore, the correct active voice rewrite maintains the Present Simple tense.