Choose the correct passive form of the given sentence:
The villagers looked after the injured deer until it could walk again.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The injured deer was looked after by the villagers until it could walk again.
Passive of a verb with a preposition (look after):
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | the injured deer | The injured deer | The deer receives the action, so it becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | looked after | was looked after | “Looked after” is in the simple past, so the passive stays in the simple past: was / were + past participle (V3). “Was” because the deer is one animal. |
| Preposition kept | after | after | “Look after” works as one verb. So “after” stays with “looked”. |
| Agent (by ...) | The villagers | by the villagers | The doer comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | The villagers looked after the injured deer until it could walk again. | The injured deer was looked after by the villagers until it could walk again. |
Other verbs with a preposition work the same way: laugh at → be laughed at, send for → be sent for. Example: The neighbours sent for the doctor. → The doctor was sent for by the neighbours.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The injured deer was looked by the villagers until it could walk again. — Incorrect. The word “after” is dropped. Without it, “was looked” does not mean “was cared for”.
Option 3: The injured deer had been looked after by the villagers until it could walk again. — Incorrect. This is the past perfect. The active sentence is in the simple past, so the passive needs “was looked after”.
Option 4: The injured deer was being looked after by the villagers until it could walk again. — Incorrect. This is the past continuous. The active “looked after” is simple past, not “were looking after”.