From the given alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the sentence in Active/Passive voice.
She spoke to the manager on duty.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The manager on duty was spoken to by her.
Passive of a verb with a preposition (spoke to):
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | the manager on duty | The manager on duty | The whole object, with “on duty”, comes to the front. |
| Tense kept | spoke to | was spoken to | “Spoke to” is in the simple past, so the passive stays in the simple past. The passive form is was + past participle (V3), and “to” stays with the verb. |
| Agent (by ...) | She | by her | The doer moves to the end with “by”. “She” becomes “her”. |
| Full sentence | She spoke to the manager on duty. | The manager on duty was spoken to by her. |
Other verbs that keep their preposition in the passive: laugh at, look after, send for. Example: The nurse looked after the baby. → The baby was looked after by the nurse.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: The manager was spoken to by her on duty. — Incorrect. Moving “on duty” changes the meaning. Now it seems that she was the one on duty.
Option 3: She was spoken to by the manager on duty. — Incorrect. The roles are swapped. Now the manager is the one who speaks.
Option 4: She was the manager to be spoken to on duty. — Incorrect. This is a new sentence with a new meaning. It says she was the manager, which the active sentence does not say.