Change the voice of the following sentence. Choose the correct passive form of the sentence: The storm destroyed several huts in the village.

Introduction / Context:
This grammar question tests your understanding of how to transform a sentence from Active voice to Passive voice without changing the basic meaning or tense. The original sentence is The storm destroyed several huts in the village. You must choose the passive form that correctly preserves the simple past tense and the relationship between the subject, verb, and object.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Active sentence: The storm destroyed several huts in the village.
• Subject in the active sentence: the storm.
• Object in the active sentence: several huts in the village.
• Tense: simple past (destroyed).
• We need a passive sentence with the object in subject position and the agent introduced by by.

Concept / Approach:
In English, to convert an active sentence in simple past tense to passive, we generally follow the pattern: object + was or were + past participle of the verb + by + subject. The verb destroyed is in the simple past and its past participle is also destroyed. The plural noun huts requires the auxiliary verb were in the passive form. The phrase in the village must stay with huts to preserve the original meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the object in the active sentence: several huts in the village.Step 2: Bring this object to the beginning of the passive sentence: Several huts in the village.Step 3: Choose the correct auxiliary verb for plural subject in simple past passive: were.Step 4: Use the past participle of destroy, which is destroyed.Step 5: Add the agent with by and keep the subject the storm at the end: by the storm. The full sentence becomes Several huts in the village were destroyed by the storm.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check tense first. The original verb destroyed is simple past, so the passive must use was or were. Because huts is plural, we need were. Next, confirm that the meaning is preserved: the same storm causes the same action on the same huts, and the place in the village is still clear. Option D satisfies all these conditions. Reading the sentence aloud also confirms that it sounds natural and grammatically correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• The storm in the village had destroyed several huts: This remains active voice and changes the tense to past perfect, so it does not answer the question.
• Several huts in the village have been destroyed by the storm: This changes the tense to present perfect, which is incorrect for a past event already completed.
• The storm was destructive for the several huts in the village: This is not a proper passive structure and sounds awkward because it uses an adjective instead of a passive verb phrase.
• Several huts in the village are destroyed by the storm: This uses present tense are destroyed, which does not match the original past tense destroyed.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often forget to match the tense of the passive sentence with that of the active sentence, or they choose the wrong auxiliary verb for singular and plural subjects. Another frequent mistake is selecting an answer that rewrites the sentence but remains in active voice. Always check tense, subject verb agreement, and the correct passive pattern object + be + past participle + by + subject.

Final Answer:
The correct passive form of the sentence is Several huts in the village were destroyed by the storm.