Mark the correct Active Voice of the following:
"The wall is being built by the mason."
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The mason is building the wall.
Passive to active (present continuous):
| Change | Passive | Active | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent (by ...) becomes subject | by the mason | The mason | “The mason” becomes the subject. |
| Subject becomes object | The wall | the wall | “The wall” becomes the object. |
| Tense kept | is being built | is building | Passive is being + past participle (is being built) is the present continuous. So the active form is is + -ing: “is building”. |
| Full sentence | The wall is being built by the mason. | The mason is building the wall. |
The article stays as it is: "the wall" is not changed to "this wall".
Example: The song is being sung by the children. → The children are singing the song.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The mason has built this wall. — Incorrect.
- "has built" is the present perfect: it shows a finished action, while the work is still going on.
- "this wall" changes "the wall".
Option 3: The mason was building the wall. — Incorrect. "was building" is the past continuous. The passive "is being built" is in the present.
Option 4: The mason built this wall. — Incorrect. "built" is the simple past, a completed action, and "this wall" again changes the article.