Select the option that best expresses the given sentence in Passive Voice.
"Why are you making a hole in the wall" ?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Why is a hole being made in the wall ?
Passive voice of a present continuous question:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | a hole (object) | a hole (subject) | The object “a hole” becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | are making | is being made | Present continuous passive = is/are + being + past participle. “A hole” is singular, so “is”. The past participle of make is “made”: “being made”. |
| Word order | Why are you making | Why is a hole being made | The question word stays at the start: “Why”. The helping verb comes before the subject, as in any question. |
| Agent (by ...) | you | – (dropped) | “By you” is usually dropped. |
| Full sentence | Why are you making a hole in the wall? | Why is a hole being made in the wall? |
Example: What are they building here? → What is being built here?
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Why is a hole being make in the wall ? — Incorrect. The passive needs the past participle made, not the base form "make".
Option 2: Why was a hole being make in the wall ? — Incorrect.
- "was" changes the present tense into the past.
- "make" should be the past participle "made".
Option 4: Why was a hole being made in the wall ? — Incorrect. The form is right, but "was" puts the action in the past. The active sentence is in the present continuous ("are making").