In the following question, a sentence has been given in the Active/Passive voice. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the option which best expresses the same sentence in the Passive voice: The rain creates small puddles along the path.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Small puddles are created by the rain along the path.

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This English grammar question tests your understanding of how to change a sentence from the Active voice to the Passive voice while preserving the original tense, meaning, and emphasis. The given active sentence is: "The rain creates small puddles along the path." You must identify which option correctly converts this sentence into the Passive voice in natural and grammatical English.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Active sentence: The rain creates small puddles along the path.
  • Subject in the active voice: "The rain."
  • Object in the active voice: "small puddles."
  • Tense: simple present tense ("creates").
  • We want a passive form that keeps the same meaning and tense.



Concept / Approach:
To form the Passive voice from the Active voice, we normally use the structure: object + appropriate form of "be" + past participle + "by" + subject (if needed). In the simple present tense, "creates" changes to "are created" for a plural object. So "small puddles" becomes the subject in the Passive voice and is followed by "are created." The agent "the rain" is placed after "by," and the remaining phrase "along the path" stays at the end of the sentence.



Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the object of the active sentence: "small puddles." Step 2: Move the object to the subject position in the Passive voice: "Small puddles ..." Step 3: Keep the tense as simple present. For plural subject "small puddles," use "are created." Step 4: Introduce the original subject with "by": "... are created by the rain ..." Step 5: Retain the rest of the information "along the path" at the end: "Small puddles are created by the rain along the path."



Verification / Alternative check:
If we mentally convert the passive sentence "Small puddles are created by the rain along the path" back to the Active voice, we get "The rain creates small puddles along the path," which matches the original sentence exactly. The tense, subject, object, and additional phrase "along the path" all remain unchanged. This confirms that option A is the correct Passive construction.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B: "Creating of small puddles..." uses an unnatural nominal form ("Creating of") and shifts the tense to past ("was done"). It also uses "rains" instead of "the rain," which changes the style. Option C: "Creation of small puddles..." is again a nominalised structure and uses present perfect passive "has been done," which changes the tense and naturalness of the sentence. Option D: "Small puddling has been done..." is incorrect because "puddling" is not the normal noun here, and the tense and structure do not match the original simple present sentence.



Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes change the tense when forming the Passive voice or switch to unnatural nominal forms like "creation of" or "doing of." Another common mistake is to alter the subject from singular "rain" to plural "rains," which is not needed here. Always preserve the original tense and meaning, and focus on correctly shifting the object to the subject position with the right form of "be" plus past participle.



Final Answer:
The correct passive voice form is: "Small puddles are created by the rain along the path."


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