Change the following sentence into Active Voice:
You are ordered not to make a noise
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Don't make a noise
Passive of an order back to the active voice:
| Change | Passive | Active | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | You | (you understood) | An order in the active voice is an imperative sentence: it begins with the verb, and the subject “you” is understood. |
| Passive of an order | You are ordered not to make | Don’t make | Its passive form uses “You are ordered to / not to ...” (or “Let ... be ...”). “You are ordered not to make a noise” is the passive of a negative order, so the active voice is “Don’t make a noise.” |
| Full sentence | You are ordered not to make a noise. | Don’t make a noise |
Example: You are ordered to shut the door. → Shut the door.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: You please do not make a noise — Incorrect. "Please" turns the order into a request, whose passive would be "You are requested ...", and "You please do not" is not standard word order.
Option 3: You are making a noise — Incorrect. It is a statement in the present continuous, not an order, and the "not" is lost.
Option 4: You make a noise — Incorrect. It is a positive statement. Both the order and the negative are lost.