Choose the correct Passive Voice form of the given sentence
'They offered him a job.'
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → He was offered a job by them.
Passive of a verb with two objects:
Either object can become the subject:
- Person first: He was offered a job by them.
- Thing first: A job was offered to him by them.
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | him | He | “Offer” takes two objects, a person (him, the indirect object) and a thing (a job, the direct object), and either can become the subject of the passive. |
| Tense kept | offered | was offered | Simple past “offered” becomes was offered. |
| Agent (by ...) | They | by them | The doer “they” becomes by them. |
| Full sentence | They offered him a job. | He was offered a job by them. |
Example: The teacher gave us a test. → We were given a test by the teacher.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: He offered them a job. — Incorrect. It is still in the active voice and reverses the roles: "he" becomes the one who offers.
Option 3: They were offered a job by him. — Incorrect. It reverses the roles: in the original they made the offer, here they receive it.
Option 4: A job was offered by him to them. — Incorrect. It also reverses the roles: "by him to them" makes him the giver. The correct thing-first form is "A job was offered to him by them".
Note: The actual question was dropped by NTA. For the benefit of the students and to give additional practice, the original question has been replaced with a new question.