A sentence is given in Active/Passive voice. Out of the four alternatives…
2023
A sentence is given in Active/Passive voice. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Active/Passive voice.
His scores in the matches surprised me.
- A.
I was surprised by his scores in the matches.
- B.
I was surprised at his scores in the matches.
- C.
I was surprised on his scores in the matches.
- D.
I was surprised to his scores in the matches.
Attempted by 33 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Correct passive form: I was surprised by his scores in the matches.
Why this is correct:
Step 1: The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. ("me" → "I")
Step 2: Use the appropriate auxiliary + past participle. ("was surprised")
Step 3: Introduce the original subject (the cause/agent) with "by". ("by his scores in the matches")
Note on prepositions:
"Surprised by" is used to indicate the cause or agent of the surprise and is the expected form when directly converting the active sentence to passive.
"Surprised at" is also grammatical and commonly used to describe a reaction ("I was surprised at his scores"). It is acceptable in meaning but is not the literal passive transformation of the given active sentence.
"Surprised on" and "surprised to" before a noun phrase are incorrect here. "Surprised to" can appear before an infinitive (for example, "surprised to see"), but not before "his scores".
Examples:
Active: His marks surprised me.
Passive (direct conversion): I was surprised by his marks.
Alternative phrasing indicating reaction: I was surprised at his marks.