Understanding Active and Passive Voice

The question asks us to convert a sentence from passive voice to active voice. Let's first understand the difference between active and passive voice in English grammar.

• Active Voice: In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. The structure is typically Subject + Verb + Object. Example: Someone picked my pocket.
• Passive Voice: In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the receiver of the action. The structure often involves a form of 'be' + past participle. The doer of the action (the agent) is often omitted or included in a 'by' phrase. Example: My pocket was picked (by someone).

Analyzing the Given Passive Sentence

The given sentence is: "My pocket has been picked."

Let's break down this sentence:

• Subject (Passive): "My pocket" (This is the receiver of the action).
• Verb: "has been picked" (This is the verb phrase in the present perfect passive tense).
• Agent (Implied): The action of picking was performed by someone. Although not explicitly stated in a 'by' phrase, the doer is implied to be "someone" or "somebody".

The structure is Subject (receiver) + Verb (passive form). This confirms it is in the passive voice.

Converting from Passive to Active Voice

To convert a passive voice sentence to active voice, we need to make the doer of the action (the agent) the subject of the active sentence. The verb needs to be changed from the passive form to the corresponding active form, and the original passive subject becomes the object of the active sentence.

Steps for conversion:

1. Identify the agent (the doer of the action). In "My pocket has been picked," the implied agent is "someone."
2. Make the agent the subject of the new active sentence. So, the active sentence will start with "Someone".
3. Identify the tense of the passive verb. "has been picked" is present perfect passive.
4. Change the verb to the corresponding active form in the same tense. The active form of the present perfect passive "has been picked" is "has picked" (Subject + has/have + past participle).
5. Make the original passive subject ("My pocket") the object of the active sentence.

Following these steps, the active voice sentence becomes: "Someone has picked my pocket."

Evaluating the Options

Let's look at the provided options to find the sentence that is in active voice and equivalent in meaning to "My pocket has been picked."

1. Someone’s pocket has been picked by me.
   • This sentence is in passive voice ("has been picked") and the subject is "Someone's pocket". The agent is "me". This is not the active form of the original sentence.
2. Someone had my pocket picked.
   • This is a causative construction (had + object + past participle), meaning someone caused the action to happen, perhaps without doing it themselves. While related, it's not the direct active equivalent of the original sentence.
3. Someone has picked my pocket.
   • The subject is "Someone" (the doer). The verb is "has picked" (present perfect active). The object is "my pocket" (the receiver). This matches the structure and tense derived from our conversion steps and is the active voice equivalent of the original sentence.
4. I picked someone’s pocket.
   • The subject is "I" and the object is "someone's pocket". The verb "picked" is in the simple past tense, not present perfect. This sentence has a completely different subject, object, and tense compared to the original sentence.

Based on the analysis, option 3 is the correct active voice transformation of the sentence "My pocket has been picked."

Revision Table: Active vs. Passive Voice

Additional Information: Why Use Passive Voice?

While active voice is generally preferred for clarity and directness, passive voice is useful in certain situations:

• When the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from the context (as in the original sentence, the exact person who picked the pocket isn't specified or needed).
• When you want to emphasize the action or the receiver of the action rather than the doer.
• In formal or scientific writing, to maintain objectivity by not focusing on who performed the action.

However, for general writing, using active voice makes sentences stronger and more dynamic.