Select the option that expresses the given sentence in active voice.
The patient’s wound was being dressed by the nurse when the doctor walked in.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → The nurse was dressing the patient’s wound when the doctor walked in.
Active form of the past continuous passive:
| Change | Passive | Active | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doer becomes subject | by the nurse | The nurse | The nurse does the dressing, so she becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | was being dressed | was dressing | “Was being dressed” is the past continuous passive: was / were being + past participle (V3). So the active stays in the past continuous: was / were + -ing. “Was” because the nurse is one person. |
| Subject becomes object | The patient’s wound | the patient’s wound (after the verb) | The wound receives the action, so it goes after “was dressing”. |
| Full sentence | The patient’s wound was being dressed by the nurse when the doctor walked in. | The nurse was dressing the patient’s wound when the doctor walked in. |
Other past continuous passives change back the same way: was / were being + V3 → was / were + -ing. Example: The fields were being ploughed by the farmers at dawn. → The farmers were ploughing the fields at dawn.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The nurse dressed the patient’s wound when the doctor walked in. — Incorrect. “Dressed” is the simple past. It loses the idea that the work was going on when the doctor came.
Option 2: The nurse had been dressing the patient’s wound when the doctor walked in. — Incorrect. “Had been dressing” is the past perfect continuous. The passive “was being dressed” is the past continuous.
Option 4: The nurse is dressing the patient’s wound when the doctor walked in. — Incorrect. “Is dressing” is the present continuous. The passive “was being dressed” is in the past.