"Was the culprit being chased by the police?"
Understanding Active and Passive Voice Conversion
The question asks us to identify the correct active form of a given passive voice sentence. The original sentence is: "Was the culprit being chased by the police?"
First, let's identify the voice and tense of the original sentence.
- Voice: The sentence is in the passive voice because the subject (the culprit) is receiving the action, not performing it. The phrase "by the police" indicates the agent performing the action.
- Tense: The verb construction "was being chased" indicates the Past Continuous Passive tense.
To convert a passive voice sentence to the active voice, we follow these general steps:
- The agent (the doer of the action, mentioned after 'by') in the passive sentence becomes the subject in the active sentence. In this case, "the police" becomes the subject.
- The subject of the passive sentence becomes the object of the active sentence. In this case, "the culprit" becomes the object.
- The verb in the passive sentence needs to be changed to its corresponding active voice form, maintaining the original tense. For Past Continuous Passive ("was/were being + past participle"), the active form is Past Continuous Active ("was/were + verb-ing").
Applying Conversion Rules to the Sentence
Let's apply these rules to the given sentence:
- Passive Subject: \(the culprit\)
- Passive Verb: \(was being chased\) (Past Continuous Passive)
- Passive Agent: \(the police\)
Converting to Active Voice:
- New Subject (from agent): \(The police\)
- New Object (from subject): \(the culprit\)
- Active Verb (Past Continuous Active): The Past Continuous Active form requires \(was/were + verb-ing\). Since "police" is generally treated as a plural noun (referring to multiple officers or the force collectively), the verb should ideally be "were chasing". However, sometimes it can be treated as singular. We need to check the options provided.
The resulting active sentence structure should be: \(The police + was/were chasing + the culprit\).
Analyzing the Options
Now, let's examine each option to see which one correctly represents the active form:
| Option | Sentence | Voice and Tense | Analysis |
| 1 | Had the police chased the culprit? | Past Perfect Active | Incorrect tense. The original sentence is Past Continuous Passive, not Past Perfect Passive. |
| 2 | Did the police chase the culprit? | Past Simple Active | Incorrect tense. The original sentence is Past Continuous Passive, not Past Simple Passive. |
| 3 | Was the police chasing the culprit? | Past Continuous Active | This matches the required tense (Past Continuous Active). While "were chasing" might be more common with "police", "was chasing" is grammatically possible when referring to the police force as a singular entity. This aligns with the structure needed. |
| 4 | Is the police chasing the culprit? | Present Continuous Active | Incorrect tense. The original sentence is in the past, not the present. |
Conclusion
Based on the analysis, the original sentence "Was the culprit being chased by the police?" is in the Past Continuous Passive tense. The correct active form requires the Past Continuous Active tense. Option 3, "Was the police chasing the culprit?", is the only option presented in the Past Continuous Active tense, accurately transforming the passive sentence into its active counterpart by making "the police" the subject performing the action of "chasing" the "culprit".
Similar Questions
Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure:
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2. Franklin flew a kite made of a silk string and attached a metal key to it during a storm.
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Important Questions from Active and Passive Voice
Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.
Have you placed an order for a cake?Select the option that expresses the given sentence in active voice.
Walking zones have been demarcated using paints and cones by the municipal corporation.Select the option that expresses the given sentence in active voice.
All previous ages are far surpassed in knowledge by our age.Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.
Give her a 50% raise in salary.Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.
The commanding officer ordered the troops to march ahead.
