Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.
The flood has damaged several houses in the lower part of the village.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Several houses in the lower part of the village have been damaged by the flood.
Passive of the present perfect:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | several houses in the lower part of the village | Several houses in the lower part of the village | The houses receive the action, so they become the subject. |
| Tense kept | has damaged | have been damaged | “Has damaged” is in the present perfect, so the passive stays in the present perfect: has / have been + past participle (V3). “Have” because the houses are many. “Has” went with the flood. |
| Agent (by ...) | The flood | by the flood | The flood is named as the doer, so it comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | The flood has damaged several houses in the lower part of the village. | Several houses in the lower part of the village have been damaged by the flood. |
Other present perfect verbs work the same way: has opened → has / have been opened. Example: The storm has uprooted two old trees. → Two old trees have been uprooted by the storm.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Several houses in the lower part of the village has been damaged by the flood. — Incorrect. “Has” goes with one thing. The new subject “several houses” is plural, so it needs “have”.
Option 3: Several houses in the lower part of the village were damaged by the flood. — Incorrect. “Were damaged” is the simple past. The active “has damaged” is the present perfect.
Option 4: Several houses in the lower part of the village have damaged by the flood. — Incorrect. The word “been” is missing. Without it, the houses become the ones that damaged something.