Select the correct active form of the given sentence.

A statement had already been issued to the press on the lockdown by the authorities.

The authorities had already issued a statement to the press on the lockdown.

The correct active form of the given sentence is The authorities had already issued a statement to the press on the lockdown.

The original sentence is in the passive voice, with the subject "a statement" and the verb "issued." The passive voice is formed by putting the subject of the active sentence after the verb "to be" and the past participle of the main verb. In this case, the subject of the active sentence is "the authorities" and the main verb is "issue." The past participle of "issue" is "issued." So, the passive form of the sentence is A statement had already been issued to the press on the lockdown by the authorities.

The active form of the sentence puts the subject of the sentence, "the authorities," before the verb "issue." The verb "issue" is followed by the direct object, "a statement," and the prepositional phrase "to the press on the lockdown."

The other options are incorrect because:

• A statement had already issued the authorities to the press on the lockdown. is grammatically incorrect. The verb "issue" is followed by a direct object, but the phrase "a statement issued the authorities" does not have a direct object.
• The authorities have already issued a statement to the press on the lockdown. is in the present tense, while the original sentence is in the past perfect tense.
• The authorities are already issuing a statement to the press on the lockdown. is in the present progressive tense, while the original sentence is in the past perfect tense.