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: Select the correct passive voice for the following sentence.

He kissed the fountain with his thirsty lips.

  1. The thirsty lips were kissed with the fountain by him.

  2. The fountain is kissed with his thirsty lips by him.

  3. The fountain was kissed with his thirsty lips by him.

  4. The fountain will be kissed with his thirsty lips by him.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

(1) is incorrect because the sentence is framed wrongly. (2) is incorrect because the present tense is used in stead of the past. (4) is incorrect because the future tense is used in stead of the past.

Multiple choice

Directions: Select the correct passive voice for the following sentence.

Tell me the truth.

  1. I should be told the truth.

  2. Me should be told the truth.

  3. The truth should be told by me.

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

(2) is incorrect because ‘me’ is never used in the place of a subject. (3) is incorrect because there is no subject in the original sentence and hence ‘by me’ is incorrect. (4) is incorrect because (1) is is the correct option.

Multiple choice

Directions: Select the correct passive voice for the following sentence.

The old man was feeding the sparrows.

  1. The sparrows were fed by the old man.

  2. The sparrows had been fed by the old man.

  3. The sparrows are being fed by the old man.

  4. The sparrows were being fed by the old man.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

While changing the voice of a sentence (from active to passive), we are required to interchange the respective positions of the subject and the object, but the tense remains unchanged and ‘third form of the verb’ is used. However, we add auxiliary to indicate the tense used in the original sentence. This  is a case of past continuous tense. Option 4 is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: Select the correct passive voice for the following sentence.

The rich man distributed blankets among the poor.

  1. Blankets were being distributed among the poor by the rich man.

  2. Blankets have been distributed among the poor by the rich man.

  3. Blankets are distributed among the poor by the rich man.

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Correct Ans. (4) While changing the voice of a sentence (from active to passive), we are required to interchange the respective positions of the subject and the object, but the tense remains unchanged and ‘third form of the verb’ is used. However, we add auxiliary to indicate the tense used in the original sentence. This is a case of past indefinite tense. The correct answer is ‘’Blankets were distributed among the poor by the rich man”.

Multiple choice

Directions: Select the correct passive voice for the following sentence.

The teacher asked me a question.

  1. I was asked a question by the teacher.

  2. A question was asked to me by the teacher.

  3. I had been asked a question by the teacher.

  4. Both (1) and (2)

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

While changing the voice of a sentence (from active to passive), we are required to interchange the respective positions of the subject and the object, but the tense remains unchanged and ‘third form of the verb’ is used. However, we add auxiliary to indicate the tense used in the original sentence. This  is the case of past indefinite tense. Here, both option 1 and 2 are framed correctly. So, option 4 is the answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: Select the correct active voice of the following sentence.

She should be asked to leave.

  1. Ask she to leave.

  2. Ask her to leave.

  3. You should ask her to leave.

  4. I asked her to leave.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(1) is incorrect because ‘she’ is never used in the place of an object. (3) is incorrect because the subject ‘you’ has not been clearly mentioned in the original sentence. (4) is incorrect because a wrong tense has been used. Correct option is (2) 

Multiple choice

Directions: Select the correct direct form of the following indirect form:

She asked the gardener if he had brought flowers.

  1. She said to the gardener, “Do you bring flowers?”

  2. She asked the gardener, “See you bringing flowers?”

  3. She says to the gardener, “Have you brought flowers?”

  4. She said to the gardener, “Have you brought flowers?”
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

"Have" is changed to "had" when the reporting verb is in past tense.

Multiple choice

The party's posture of self-righteousness had been punctured and a _________ of suspicion _______ around its president.

Directions for the question:
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 labeled (A) to (E). Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Example:
After having a _________ journey, we had a ___________ food.
(A) persistent, musty                                          (B) frightful, terrific
(C) congenial, palatable                                      (D) tiresome, common
(E) expedition, brisk

Answer: (C)

  1. miasma, lingers

  2. concert, hatches

  3. concoction, owns up

  4. haze, thickness

  5. cloud, roams
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'Miasma' means 'unwholesome atmosphere'. This sentence implies that party's image has been distorted and there is mistrust hanging around the party president.

Multiple choice

Faced with accusations of being parochial, the political party's strategy was to revamp image, recruit new party-members, and initiate public contact missions.

  1. the political party's strategy was to revamp image, recruit new party-members, and initiate public contact missions

  2. the strategy of the political party was to project revamped image, recruit new party-members, and initiate public contact missions

  3. the political party decided on a strategy to revamp image, recruit new party-members, and initiate public contact missions

  4. the political party launched on a strategy to revamp image, and recruit new party- members while initiating public contact missions
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Correct; removes Error of modifier. Who or what is faced with the accusations? The answer is the political party. The modified clause should begin with the subject. And the subject cannot be the possessive 'the political party's', but the subjective 'political party'.

Multiple choice

The floods in 1984 displaced more than a million people and most devastating since the floods of 1951.

  1. The floods in 1984 displaced more than a million people and most devastating since the floods of 1951.

  2. Since 1951, no floods until 1984 had devastated more than a million people and left them displaced.

  3. Most devastated since 1951, the floods of 1984 displaced more than a million people.

  4. The floods in 1984 displaced more than a million people and were the most devastating since the floods in 1951.

  5. The floods of 1984, most devastating from 1951, displaced more than one million people.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Correct; the sentence is clear and unambiguous about the devastation and about the comparison of the magnitude of the floods of 1951 and 1984.

Multiple choice

It is probable that France would be allowed to tour England at the beginning of the next year.

  1. It is probable that France would be allowed to tour England at the beginning of the next year.

  2. France will be allowed to probably tour England at the beginning of the next year.

  3. Its probable that France will be allowed to tour England around the beginning of next year.

  4. It's probable that France will be allowed to tour England in approximately the beginning of next year.

  5. It is probable that France will be allowed to tour England at the beginning of the next year.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Correct; removes the tense error by using 'will' to refer to a future tour

Multiple choice

Believing in his client and in the justice of the claim, he pressed the matter in court and was about to obtain a judgment when he had accidentally discovered, among his client's papers, a receipt which the plaintiff had signed for the very claim under consideration.

  1. when he had accidentally discovered, among his client's papers

  2. when he discovered accidentally, amongst his client's papers

  3. when he had accidentally discovered, amongst his client's papers

  4. when he accidentally discovered, among his client's papers

  5. when he had accidentally discovered, among his clients papers
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

(D) corrects the tense error