Choose the option which best expresses the same sentence in Passive voice:
Every Monday, she paid him rent without fail.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Every Monday, he was paid rent by her without fail.
Active to passive voice (verb with two objects, simple past):
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | him | he | “Pay” has two objects, him (the person) and rent (the thing). The person object becomes the subject: “him” becomes “he”. |
| Tense kept | paid | was paid | Be + past participle in the same tense: simple past “paid” becomes “was paid”. The other object “rent” stays after the verb. |
| Agent (by ...) | she | by her | The doer “she” goes after the verb as “by her”. |
| Full sentence | Every Monday, she paid him rent without fail. | Every Monday, he was paid rent by her without fail. |
"Every Monday" and "without fail" stay as they are.
Example: The manager gave her a bonus. → She was given a bonus by the manager.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: She had paid him rent every Monday without fail. — Incorrect. It is still in the active voice, and it changes the simple past into the past perfect "had paid".
Option 3: Every Monday, he has been paid rent by her. — Incorrect.
- "has been paid" is the present perfect, not the simple past.
- It drops "without fail" from the original.
Option 4: He is paid rent by her, every Monday without fail. — Incorrect. "is paid" is the simple present passive. The active sentence is in the simple past, which needs "was paid".