English Language

Sentence Transformation

697 Questions

Sentence transformation questions evaluate grammatical accuracy in converting sentences between active and passive voice, as well as direct and indirect speech. The focus lies on altering sentence structures without changing the original meaning while maintaining correct tense and verb forms. This is a highly weighted English language topic in SSC and banking exams.

Active and passive voiceDirect and indirect speechNarration changeTense consistencyVerb form transformation

Sentence Transformation Questions

Multiple choice

Directions: In question, a sentence has been given in Active/Passive. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Active/Passive voice.

This bottle contains medicine.

  1. Medicine is contained by this bottle.

  2. Medicine was contained in this bottle.

  3. Medicine are contained in this bottle.

  4. Medicine is contained in this bottle.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation for option 1 : As verb denotes a state in the passive voice hence preposition 'in' will be used at the place of 'by'. Explanation for option 2 :  The 'active voice' is in 'simple present tense' , so 'is/am/are and past participle' will be used in 'passive voice'. Explanation for option 3 : 'Medicine' is a singular noun ,hence it will be followed by 'is'. Explanation for option 4 : This is correct.

Multiple choice

Directions: In this question, a sentence has been given in Active/Passive form. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Active/Passive voice.

They should help the child.

  1. The child should helped by them.

  2. The child should be helped by they.

  3. The child should be helped.

  4. The child should be helped by them.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation for option 1: 'Should' will be followed by 'be'. Explanation for option 2: The subject of 'active voice' is changed into the 'object' of passive voice. Hence, 'they' will be changed into 'them'. Explanation for option 3: 'by them' will come in the end. Explanation for option 4: This is correct as per the rules of active/passive voice.

Multiple choice

Directions: In question, a sentence has been given in Active/Passive. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Active/Passive voice.

He was praised by his father.

  1. His father was praised by him.

  2. His father was praising him.

  3. His father praises him.

  4. His father praised him.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation for option 1 : This is incorrect as it is again in 'passive voice' Explanation for option 2 : As per the rules of active/ passive if passive voice contains 'was/were & past participle', 'Simple past tense' is used in 'Active voice' . Hence, this is incorrect. Explanation for option 3 : This is incorrect as the 'active voice' needs to be in 'simple past tense'. Explanation for option 4 : This is correct as per the rules of active/passive voice.

Multiple choice

Directions: In question, a sentence has been given in Active/Passive voive. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Active/Passive voice.

Am I disturbing you at your work?

  1. Is your work being disturbed by me?

  2. Is your work disturbed by me?

  3. Are you being disturbed by me?

  4. Are you being disturbed at your work by me?
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation for option 1 : This is incorrect. Explanation for option 2 : This is not valid. Explanation for option 3 : 'past participle' will be followed by 'at your work' Explanation for option 4 : This is correct as per the rules of active/passive voice.

Multiple choice

Directions: In question, a sentence has been given in Active/Passive. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Active/Passive voice.

Did she love me?

  1. Were I loved by her?

  2. Was I loved by her?

  3. Am I loved by her?

  4. Was I loved by her.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation for option 1 : 'were' will be replaced by 'was'. Explanation for option 2 : This is correct as per the rules of active/passive. Explanation for option 3 : 'Passive voice' will be in 'past tense'. Explanation for option 4 : 'Sign of interrogation' will come in the end.

Multiple choice

Directions: In question, a sentence has been given in direct/indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in direct /indirect speech.

He said to me, “I do not think I can forgive you.”

  1. He told me that he does not think he can forgive me.

  2. He told me that he did not think he could forgive me.

  3. He said to me that he did not think that he could forgive me.

  4. He told me that he had not thought that he could forgive me.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation for option 1 : The tense of 'reported speech' will be changed into 'simple past tense'. Explanation for option 2 : This is correct as per the rules of direct/indirect. Explanation for option 3 : 'Said to' of 'reporting verb' will be changed into 'told' in indirect speech. Explanation for option 4 : The tense of 'reported speech' will be changed from 'present Indefinite' to 'past indefinite' as per the rules of direct/ indirect speech.

Multiple choice

Directions: In question a sentence has been given in direct/indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in direct /indirect speech.

His friend said, “I am going tomorrow.”

  1. His friend said that I am going tomorrow.

  2. His friend said that he was going tomorrow.

  3. His friend said that he was going the next day.

  4. His friend said that he was going the previous day.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation for option 1 : The pronoun and the tense of the 'reported speech' will be changed as per the rules of direct/ indirect speech. Explanation for option 3 : This is correct as per the rules of direct/ indirect speech.

Multiple choice

Directions: In question a sentence has been given in direct/indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in direct /indirect speech.

The girl asked her father if he would write a letter.

  1. The girl said to her father, ”Will you write a letter?”

  2. The girl said to her father, “You will write a letter.”

  3. The girl said to her father, “Can you write a letter?”

  4. The girl said to her father, ”Will he write a letter?”
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation for option 1 : This is correct as per the rules of direct/indirect speech. Explanation for option 2 : 'Reported speech' will be in interrogative form. Explanation for option 3 : Can changes into could in indirect speech. Hence, this is not valid. Explanation for option 4 : 'You' will come in place of 'he'.

Multiple choice

Directions: In question, a sentence has been given in direct/indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in direct /indirectspeech.

She said, “My brother is writing a letter.”

  1. She said that my brother is writing a letter.

  2. She said that her brother is writing a letter.

  3. She said that her brother was writing a letter.

  4. She said that her brother was writing a letter?
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation for option 1 : 'Reported speech' will be changed into past and the 'Pronoun' 'my' will be changed according to the subject of 'reporting verb'. Explanation for option 2 : The tense of 'reported speech' should be changed from 'present to past continuous' as per the rules of direct/indirect. Explanation for option 3 : This is correct as per the rules of direct/indirect speech. Explanation for option 4 : 'sign of interrogation' should be deleted in the end.

Multiple choice

Although fruit can no longer grow once it is picked, it continues for some time to respire, taking in oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide, similar to the way human beings breathe.

  1. similar to the way human beings breathe

  2. similarly to human beings who are breathing

  3. just like the breathing of human beings

  4. as human beings when breathing

  5. just as human beings do when they breathe
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

To refer to the similarity of action, we use 'just as'.

Multiple choice

Although early soap operas were first aired on evening radio in the 1920's, they had moved to the daytime hours of the 1930's when the evening schedule became crowded with comedians and variety shows.

  1. were first aired on evening radio in the 1920's, they had moved to the daytime hours of the 1930's

  2. were first aired on evening radio in the 1920's, they were moved to the daytime hours in the 1930's

  3. were aired first on evening radio in the 1920's, moving to the daytime hours in the 1930's

  4. were aired first in the evening on 1920's radio, they moved to the daytime hours of the 1930's
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Error of tense usage. 'Had' is generally used in past perfect tense (in active voice), which is not the case here. The second clause is the case of passive voice in past simple tense. Option 2 best expresses the same.

Multiple choice

A special Japanese green tea called ''genmai-cha'' contains brown rice and is considered as a delicacy fit for a gourmet by most Japanese, though it is virtually unavailable outside Yokohama.

  1. A special Japanese green tea called genmai-cha contains brown rice and is considered as a delicacy fit for a gourmet by most Japanese, though it is virtually unavailable outside Yokohama.

  2. Considered to be a delicacy fit for a gourmet by most Japanese, genmai-cha is a special green tea that contains brown rice, virtually unavailable outside Yokohama.

  3. A special Japanese green tea called genmai-cha contains brown rice and is considered a gourmet delicacy by most Japanese, though it is virtually unavailable outside Yokohama.

  4. Most Japanese consider genmai-cha, a special green tea which contains brown rice, as a delicacy virtually unavailable outside Yokohama.

  5. Though virtually unavailable outside Yokohama, most Japanese consider genmai-cha, a special green tea that contains brown rice, a gourmet delicacy.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

'A gourmets delicacy' is the correct usage. It refers to the thing that is bitter in taste and difficult to eat, even for a person who is fond of eating.

Multiple choice

A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed.

  1. A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that

  2. So secret was a recording system installation and operation in the Kennedy Oval Office

  3. It was so secret that a recording system was installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office

  4. A recording system that was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office

  5. Installed and operated so secretly in the Kennedy Oval Office was a recording system that
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The underlined part of the sentence is perfectly correct in the given form.

Multiple choice

According to a ruling by the state supreme court, the owner of polluted land is liable for the cleanup of the property even if the owner did not have the responsibility that pollution occurred before the title changed hands.

  1. the owner did not have the responsibility that pollution

  2. the owner is not responsible for pollution that

  3. it was not the owner's responsibility that pollution would have

  4. the responsibility of the owner is not that pollution

  5. the responsibility was not the owner's that pollution would have
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Error of parallelism. 'Is liable' should be followed by 'is not responsible for'.

Multiple choice

According to some economists, the July decrease in unemployment so that it was the lowest in two years suggests that the gradual improvement in the job market is continuing.

  1. so that it was the lowest in two years

  2. so that it was the lowest two-year rate

  3. to what would be the lowest in two years

  4. to a two-year low level

  5. to the lowest level in two years
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

The underlined part triews to express the effect of something. The same has been correctly expressed in option 5.