Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: The tea has been poured by me.
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Active and passive voice transformations are a staple of English grammar questions in competitive examinations. Recognising how to correctly transform a present perfect sentence from active to passive voice requires understanding both verb tense and object subject changes. This question asks you to identify the correct passive form of the active sentence I have poured the tea, which is in the present perfect tense.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
To change from active to passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence, and the subject of the active sentence is usually introduced by by in the passive. The verb phrase must be transformed into a form of be plus the past participle while preserving the tense. In the present perfect, the structure is have or has plus past participle. In passive present perfect, we use has or have been plus past participle. Therefore, I have poured the tea becomes The tea has been poured by me in passive voice, keeping the present perfect sense of a recently completed action whose result is relevant now.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the object the tea and make it the new subject of the passive sentence.
Step 2: Recognise the present perfect tense have poured, which must change to has been poured for a singular subject in passive voice.
Step 3: Keep the agent I and express it as by me in the passive construction.
Step 4: Combine these elements to form The tea has been poured by me.
Step 5: Compare the result with the options and select the one that matches this correct structure.
Verification / Alternative check:
Check tense and meaning carefully. The original sentence suggests that the action is complete now and its result currently exists: the tea is already in the cup. The passive The tea has been poured by me expresses exactly the same idea: the pouring is completed and the result continues. Option B, The tea is being poured by me, is in the present continuous tense and suggests the action is still in progress, which changes the meaning. Option A is awkward and not a standard passive pattern. Option D uses myself incorrectly and sounds unnatural. Only Option C preserves both tense and meaning smoothly.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Pouring of the tea by me has been done.: This is wrong because the structure is clumsy and not the normal passive form. It uses a noun form pouring instead of turning the original verb into a passive verb phrase.
The tea is being poured by me.: This is wrong because it uses present continuous tense is being poured, which describes an ongoing action, not a completed one as in have poured.
The tea pouring was done by myself.: This is wrong because myself is misused here; the correct reflexive form would not normally be used after by in simple passive sentences, and the phrase the tea pouring is unnatural.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes change tense accidentally when moving from active to passive, using is being for all passives without checking the original tense. Another pitfall is overusing myself in formal sentences because it sounds more polite, but in grammar terms, me after by is correct. To avoid confusion, always identify the tense first, form the appropriate be plus past participle structure, and only then add the by phrase if needed.
Final Answer:
The correct passive transformation is The tea has been poured by me.
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