Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice. Their behaviour vexes us.
We are vexed by their behaviour.
Understanding Passive Voice Conversion
The question asks us to convert the given sentence, "Their behaviour vexes us," from active voice to passive voice. To do this accurately, we need to identify the tense of the original sentence and apply the correct rules for converting that tense to passive voice.
Analysing the Active Sentence
The sentence "Their behaviour vexes us" has the following structure:
- Subject: Their behaviour
- Verb: vexes
- Object: us
The verb "vexes" is in the simple present tense. The simple present tense is used to describe actions that are habitual, general truths, or fixed arrangements. In this case, it describes the ongoing effect of "their behaviour" on "us".
Rules for Simple Present Passive Voice
To convert a sentence from active voice (Simple Present) to passive voice, we follow these steps:
- The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- Use the appropriate form of the verb 'to be' in the simple present tense (am, is, or are) according to the new subject.
- Use the past participle (V3) of the main verb from the active sentence.
- The subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the preposition 'by'.
Applying the Rules to "Their behaviour vexes us"
Let's apply these steps to the given sentence:
- Step 1 (New Subject): The object 'us' becomes the new subject 'We'.
- Step 2 (Form of 'to be'): For the subject 'We', the correct form of 'to be' in the simple present is 'are'.
- Step 3 (Past Participle): The past participle of the verb 'vex' is 'vexed'.
- Step 4 ('by' phrase): The original subject 'Their behaviour' becomes 'by their behaviour'.
Putting it all together, the passive voice sentence is: "We are vexed by their behaviour."
Evaluating the Options for Passive Voice
Let's look at the given options and see which one matches our derived passive sentence:
- Option 1: We had been vexed by their behaviour. (Uses Past Perfect Passive - Incorrect tense)
- Option 2: We are vexed by their behaviour. (Uses Simple Present Passive - Correct tense and structure)
- Option 3: We have been vexed by their behaviour. (Uses Present Perfect Passive - Incorrect tense)
- Option 4: We are being vexed by their behaviour. (Uses Present Continuous Passive - Incorrect tense)
Based on the rules for converting simple present active voice to passive voice, Option 2 is the correct conversion of "Their behaviour vexes us".
| Aspect | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Subject + Verb (V1/V-s/es) + Object | New Subject (Object) + am/is/are + Verb (V3) + by + Original Subject |
| Example | Their behaviour vexes us. | We are vexed by their behaviour. |
Revision Table: Active and Passive Voice Conversion
| Tense (Active) | Passive Voice Structure |
|---|---|
| Simple Present (Verb-s/es) | am/is/are + Past Participle (V3) |
| Simple Past (Verb-ed/V2) | was/were + Past Participle (V3) |
| Present Continuous (am/is/are + V-ing) | am/is/are + being + Past Participle (V3) |
| Present Perfect (has/have + V3) | has/have + been + Past Participle (V3) |
Additional Information: The Purpose of Passive Voice
The passive voice is often used when the action is more important than the doer of the action, or when the doer is unknown or obvious. In the sentence "We are vexed by their behaviour," the focus shifts from "their behaviour" to the state of being "vexed" that "we" experience.
Understanding how to convert between active and passive voice is a crucial skill in English grammar, helping to vary sentence structure and emphasize different parts of a sentence.
Important Questions from Miscellaneous
A stone is thrown horizontally from the top of a 20 m high building with a speed of 12 m/s. It hits the ground at a distance R from the building. Taking g = 10 m/s2 and neglecting air resistance will give :
A sphere of volume V is made of a material with lower density than water. While on Earth, it floats on water with its volume f1V (f1 < 1) submerged. On the other hand, on a spaceship accelerating with acceleration a < g (g is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth) in outer space, its submerged volume in water is f2V. Then:
A railway wagon (open at the top) of mass M1 is moving with speed v1 along a straight track. As a result of rain, after some time it gets partially filled with water so that the mass of the wagon becomes M2 and speed becomes v2. Taking the rain to be falling vertically and the water stationery inside the wagon, the relation between the two speeds v1 and v2 is :
Consider the following statements:
1. Distance between the longitudes becomes zero on North Pole and South Pole.
2. Distance between the longitudes is maximum on the Equator.
3. Number of longitudes is more than number of latitudes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
One block of 2⋅0 kg mass is placed on top of another block of 3⋅0 kg mass. The coefficient of static friction between the two blocks is 0⋅2. The bottom block is pulled with a horizontal force F such that both the blocks move together without slipping. Taking acceleration due to gravity as 10 m/s2, the maximum value of the frictional force is :
