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: Rearrange the following six sentences (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph, then answer the question given below them.(1) The sailor was told it was placed there as warning signal to sailors to warn them of the danger. (2) He returned to the spot a few years later as captain of his own ship. (3) The ship was at sea for many days and finally anchored near the coastline. (4) The night was stormy and without a warning signal his ship was wrecked on that very rock. (5) One of the sailors on board saw a bell tied to a dangerous submerged rock. (6) As a joke the sailor decided to steal the bell and hide it despite being informed of this.

Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after the rearrangement?

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and answer the given question:

There was a girl who sang beautifully at the temple every morning. The music master used to happily recall, "One day when I went into the woods to pluck flowers, I found this baby under a pipal tree." He picked her up carefully, raised her lovingly as if she was his own daughter and he taught her to sing before she spoke her first word.

The music master grew old and didn't see too well. The girl tended to him caringly. Many people including young men travelled from far and wide to hear her sing. This made the music master's heart quake with fear, "You will choose one of them as your husband. What is to become of me?" The girl replied, "I shall not be apart from you." But on a full moon night during the harvest festival, the master's chief disciple touched his feet reverently and said, "Master grant me your permission for your daughter has agreed to marry me." The master's tears flowed freely, "She has chosen well. Go and fetch her, let me hear you sing the first of many melodies that you will sing together." The two began to sing in harmony. But the song was interrupted by the arrival of the royal messenger. "Your daughter is very fortunate - the king has sent for her," the messenger said. At the palace, the Queen summoned the girl to her and said, "I place upon you the honour of making sure my daughter is never unhappy at her husband's home." There wasn't a single tear in the girl's eyes, but she thought of the master and her heart was heavy.

That very night the princess began her journey to Kambhoj. The princess's royal chariot led the procession and the girl's palanquin followed close behind carrying trunks of silks, jewellry and precious stones. It was covered with a velvet sheet and had soldiers on both sides. As the procession passed, the master and his disciple Kumarsen stood still by the wayside. A collective sigh escaped the crowd gathered there wishing that the princess wouldn't feel homesick in her faraway home.

  1. (1)

  2. (2)

  3. (3)

  4. (4)

  5. (5)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Following the sequence: (3) The ship anchored, (5) a sailor saw a bell, (1) he was told it was a warning, (6) he stole it, (4) the ship wrecked, (2) he returned as captain. The first sentence is (3).

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five words or sets of words labelled (1) through (5). Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Much love and _________ had gone into _______ one of the most undignified diseases known to man.

  1. devotion, overpowering

  2. care, enduring

  3. sympathy, defeating

  4. dedication, tackling

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The first part of the sentence highlights the positive aspect whereas the latter part is negative as indicated by ‘most undignified diseases’. It implies that some positive effort has gone into handling something negative. So, the word ‘tackling’ best fits here.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the option that converts the given statement into indirect speech.

"Has it been raining all night?", Grandma said to Sunil.

  1. Grandma asked Sunil if it had been raining all night.

  2. Grandma asked Sunil if it was raining all night.

  3. Grandma asked Sunil if it has raining all night.

  4. Grandma asked Sunil if has been raining all night.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

When converting a present perfect continuous question to indirect speech, the tense shifts to past perfect continuous ('had been raining').

Multiple choice

Directions: Change the narration.

"How much chocolate do you eat every day?", the dentist asked the little boy.

  1. The dentist asked the boy how much chocolate will he eat every day.

  2. The dentist asked the boy how much chocolate he eats every day.

  3. The dentist asked the little boy how much chocolate he ate every day.

  4. How much chocolate he eats every day asked the dentist to little boy.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Since the reporting verb is in simple past tense and the addressee is a boy, 'you eat' will be replaced by 'he ate'. Also, the question is converted into a statement.

Multiple choice

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

He told me a story.

  1. I was told a story by him

  2. A story was told by him

  3. I was told a story

  4. He was told a story
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'Me' becomes the subject 'I', the second object remains unchanged. The subject 'He' changes to object and is used with 'by'

Multiple choice

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

Why haven’t they allowed you to go?

  1. Why you haven’t been allowed to go?

  2. Why haven’t you been allowed to go?

  3. Why you were not allowed to go?

  4. Why were you not allowed to go?
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 The object 'you' becomes the subject; the 'be' form is added before the past partciple form of verb.

Multiple choice

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

Has anybody done the work?

  1. Has the work been done by anybody?

  2. Somebody has done the work.

  3. The work has been done by somebody.

  4. Has all the work done by somebody?
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

 'Work' becomes the subject, the verb 'done' changes to past participle(been done).

Multiple choice

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

Tobacco manufacturers are making considerable efforts to gain new clients.

  1. Considerable efforts are being made by tobacco manufacturers to gain new clients.

  2. Considerable efforts were being made by tobacco manufacturers to gain new clients.

  3. Considerable efforts are made by tobacco manufacturers to gain new clients.

  4. To gain new clients by tobacco manufacturers considerable efforts are being made.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

 'Tobacco manufacturers' is changed into the object and the preposition 'by' is added before the object.

Multiple choice

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

Cigarette smoking causes two million deaths annually in the industrial states.

  1. Cigarette smoking has been causing two million deaths annually in the industrial states.

  2. Two million deaths are caused annually by cigarette smoking in the industrial states.

  3. Two million deaths are being caused by cigarette smoking annually in the industrial states.

  4. Two million deaths have been caused annually by cigarette smoking in the industrial states.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 'Cigarrete smoking' becomes the object and is preceded by 'by', the verb 'causes' is changed to 'are caused'.

Multiple choice

Choose the passive voice of—'Who ate my cheese?'

  1. By whom is my cheese being eaten?

  2. By whom was my cheese eaten?

  3. By whom will my cheese be eaten?

  4. By whom was my cheese been eaten?
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The active sentence 'Who ate my cheese?' is in the simple past tense. The passive form requires 'By whom' + 'was' + object + 'eaten'.

Multiple choice

Directions: Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning.

Certain scriptures regularly challenged women to disprove that they were inferior — to not agree was________.

  1. blasphemous

  2. hearsay

  3. gossip

  4. illogical

  5. heresy

  6. preposterous
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

(1) Correct; the clue is in the use of 'scriptures' which signifies a religious book. Not agreeing with something that's written in the book of religion would be considered blasphemous. Also, there is a similar word in 'heresy'. (2) Incorrect; the blank requires a word that supplies the necessary connection with 'scriptures'. 'Hearsay' and 'gossip' don't have any obvious connection with it.
(3) Incorrect; the blank requires a word that can form a connection with 'scriptures'. (4) Incorrect; the word does not fit the sentence which has religious overtones. (5) Correct; the clue is in the use of 'scriptures' which signifies a religious book. Not agreeing with something that's written in the book of religion would be considered heresy. Also, there is a similar word in 'blasphemous'. (6) Incorrect; the word does not fit the sentence which has religious overtones.