Choose the correct passive form of the given sentence:
The hostel warden saw two students leave the campus through the side gate after midnight.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Two students were seen by the hostel warden to leave the campus through the side gate after midnight.
Passive of “see + object + verb”:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | two students | Two students | The two students are the ones seen, so they become the subject. |
| Tense kept | saw | were seen | “Saw” is in the simple past, so the passive stays in the simple past: was / were + past participle (V3). “Were” because there are two students. |
| “To” added | leave | to leave | In the active, “leave” comes without “to” after “saw two students”. In the passive, “to” must come before it. |
| Agent (by ...) | The hostel warden | by the hostel warden | The warden is named, so the doer comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | The hostel warden saw two students leave the campus through the side gate after midnight. | Two students were seen by the hostel warden to leave the campus through the side gate after midnight. |
“Hear” and “make” work the same way: heard + object + verb → was heard to + verb, made + object + verb → was made to + verb. Example: The teacher made Ravi rewrite the essay. → Ravi was made to rewrite the essay.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Two students were seen by the hostel warden leave the campus through the side gate after midnight. — Incorrect. The word “to” is missing before “leave”. In the passive, “were seen” must be followed by “to + verb”.
Option 3: Two students had been seen by the hostel warden to leave the campus through the side gate after midnight. — Incorrect. “Had been seen” is the past perfect. The active “saw” is the simple past, so the passive needs “were seen”.
Option 4: The hostel warden was seen by two students to leave the campus through the side gate after midnight. — Incorrect. This turns the meaning around. Now the students saw the warden leave.