The passive voice transformation of "Does he eat a mango?" is Is a mango eaten by him?
Understanding how to convert active interrogative sentences into passive voice involves a few key steps that apply the general rules of passive voice to a question format. This transformation shifts the focus from the doer of the action (he) to the receiver of the action (a mango).
Understanding Passive Voice for Questions
Passive voice allows you to emphasize the action's recipient rather than the performer. When dealing with questions, the auxiliary verb (like 'is,' 'are,' 'was,' 'were') plays a crucial role in forming both the active and passive interrogative structures.
Here’s a breakdown of the transformation process for a simple present interrogative sentence:
Steps to Convert Active Interrogative to Passive Interrogative
- Identify the Tense: The original sentence "Does he eat a mango?" is in the simple present tense because of the auxiliary verb "does" and the base form of the main verb "eat."
- Identify Subject, Verb, and Object:
- Subject (Active): he
- Verb (Active): eat
- Object (Active): a mango
- Determine the New Subject: In the passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject. So, "a mango" is the new subject.
- Choose the Correct 'Be' Form: For the simple present tense passive voice, we use "is," "am," or "are" followed by the past participle. Since the new subject is "a mango" (singular), we use "is."
- Form the Past Participle: The past participle of "eat" is "eaten."
- Add 'by' and the Original Subject: The original active subject ("he") becomes the object of the preposition "by," changing to its object pronoun form ("him").
- Construct the Passive Question: Combine these elements, placing the auxiliary verb "is" at the beginning to form the question.
Active Voice Structure (Simple Present Interrogative):
| Auxiliary | Subject | Main Verb (Base Form) | Object |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does | he | eat | a mango? |
Passive Voice Structure (Simple Present Interrogative):
| Auxiliary | New Subject | Main Verb (Past Participle) | Agent Phrase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is | a mango | eaten | by him? |
This directly results in the passive sentence: Is a mango eaten by him?
Examples for Clarity
To further illustrate the concept, consider these examples:
- Active: Do they play football?
- Passive: Is football played by them?
- Active: Does she write a letter?
- Passive: Is a letter written by her?
- Active: Do we read books?
- Passive: Are books read by us?
These examples demonstrate how the auxiliary verb (is/are) changes based on the new subject (singular vs. plural) in the passive voice. The core structure of Auxiliary Verb + New Subject + Past Participle + by + Agent remains consistent.
