Change the following sentence from active to passive voice: "I took the grinder yesterday." Choose the correct passive form.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: The grinder was taken by me yesterday.

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Voice transformation questions check understanding of how to change sentences from active to passive while keeping tense, meaning, and time reference intact. The given sentence "I took the grinder yesterday." is in simple past tense and uses a direct object "the grinder." The task is to convert this to passive voice correctly.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Active sentence: I took the grinder yesterday.
  • Subject: I.
  • Object: the grinder.
  • Verb: took (simple past of "take").
  • Time adverbial: yesterday.


Concept / Approach:
To form the passive voice for simple past tense, we use the pattern: subject (former object) + was/were + past participle of the main verb. Here, the object "the grinder" becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Since "grinder" is singular, we use "was." The past participle of "take" is "taken." The agent "by me" is added to show who performed the action, and the time word "yesterday" is kept at the end.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1: Identify the object "the grinder" in the active sentence; it will become the subject of the passive sentence. Step 2: Recognise that the tense is simple past ("took"), so the passive auxiliary must be "was" for a singular subject. Step 3: Use the past participle "taken" after "was." Step 4: Add the agent phrase "by me" to show who took the grinder. Step 5: Place "yesterday" at the end, giving: "The grinder was taken by me yesterday."


Verification / Alternative check:
The resulting sentence "The grinder was taken by me yesterday." clearly expresses the same information as the original: the object (grinder), the person performing the action (me), the action (take in past), and the time (yesterday). The tense remains simple past, now expressed through the passive structure "was taken."


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Option B: "The grinder had been taken by me yesterday." uses past perfect tense, which does not match the simple past of the original sentence. Option C: "The grinder was took by me yesterday." is incorrect because "took" is used instead of the past participle "taken." Option D: "The grinder was taken yesterday by myself." misuses "myself," which is a reflexive pronoun and sounds unnatural here; the standard is "by me." Option E: "The grinder was being taken by me yesterday." uses past continuous passive, suggesting an action in progress, which does not match the simple completed action in the original.


Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse simple past passive with past perfect passive or continuous passive forms. Another common mistake is incorrect use of verb forms, such as "was took" instead of "was taken." Remember that passive constructions always use the past participle, not the simple past form. Also, be careful with pronouns; in the agent phrase, standard English prefers "by me" rather than "by myself" unless emphasis is required.


Final Answer:
The correct passive voice sentence is The grinder was taken by me yesterday.

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