Question

The sentence similar in meaning to, “A bridge is being constructed across the river” is

• A. They have constructed a bridge across the river
• B. They constructed a bridge across the river
• C. They construct a bridge across the river
• D. They are constructing a bridge across the rive

Answer 1

Answer:

D. They are constructing a bridge across the rive

Understanding Active and Passive Voice in English Grammar

• The question tests your understanding of the transformation between active and passive voice in English sentences.
• Active Voice: The subject performs the action. (e.g., The boy kicked the ball.)
• Passive Voice: The subject receives the action. (e.g., The ball was kicked by the boy.)

Key Differences and Transformation Rules

• Original Sentence: "A bridge is being constructed across the river."
  • This sentence is in the present continuous passive voice.
  • The structure is: Subject + am/is/are + being + past participle + (by + agent).
  • The 'agent' (the one doing the constructing) is omitted, which is common in passive voice when the agent is unknown or unimportant.
• Corrected Sentence: "They are constructing a bridge across the river."
  • This sentence is in the present continuous active voice.
  • The structure is: Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing + object + (prepositional phrase).
  • The pronoun "They" is used as the subject, implying the people or organization responsible for the construction. This is a common way to convert passive sentences to active when the agent is implied.
• Transformation Process:
  1. Identify the subject, verb, and object in the passive sentence.
  2. Make the object of the passive sentence the subject of the active sentence (here, 'a bridge').
  3. Change the verb form to active voice (here, 'is being constructed' becomes 'are constructing').
  4. Introduce an appropriate subject (like 'They', 'People', 'Workers') for the active sentence.
  5. Keep the rest of the sentence structure the same.

Why this transformation is correct for competitive exams:

• Meaning Preservation: Both sentences convey the same core information: the action of building a bridge across the river is currently happening.
• Common Usage: Active voice is generally preferred for its directness and conciseness. Converting a passive sentence to an active one with an implied agent like "They" is a frequent requirement in grammar exercises.
• Identifying Errors: Recognizing when a sentence needs to be converted from passive to active (or vice-versa) to maintain clarity and appropriate emphasis is a crucial skill tested in competitive exams.