Choose the correct passive form of the given sentence:
The hostel warden dealt with the noisy students firmly.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The noisy students were dealt with firmly by the hostel warden.
Passive of a verb with a preposition (deal with):
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | the noisy students | The noisy students | The students receive the action, so they become the subject. |
| Tense kept | dealt with | were dealt with | “Dealt with” is in the simple past, so the passive stays in the simple past: was / were + past participle (V3). “Were” because the students are many. |
| Preposition kept | with | with | “Deal with” works as one verb. So “with” stays with “dealt”. |
| Agent (by ...) | The hostel warden | by the hostel warden | The hostel warden is named, so the doer comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | The hostel warden dealt with the noisy students firmly. | The noisy students were dealt with firmly by the hostel warden. |
Other verbs with a preposition work the same way: look into → be looked into, run over → be run over. Example: The police looked into the complaint. → The complaint was looked into by the police.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The noisy students were dealt firmly by the hostel warden. — Incorrect. The word “with” is dropped. “Dealt” alone does not mean “handled”.
Option 2: The noisy students was dealt with firmly by the hostel warden. — Incorrect. “Was” is singular, but “the noisy students” is plural.
Option 3: The noisy students had been dealt with firmly by the hostel warden. — Incorrect. “Had been dealt with” is the past perfect. The active “dealt with” is in the simple past.