Choose the most appropriate passive construction of the given sentence from the options given below:-
The owner himself showed them the house.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → They were shown the house by the owner himself.
Active to passive voice (verb with two objects, simple past):
Other standard changes: is/am/are + V3 (simple present), was/were + V3 (simple past), has/have been + V3 (present perfect), is being + V3 (present continuous), will be + V3 (simple future).
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | them | They | “Show” has two objects, them (the person) and the house (the thing). The person object becomes the subject: “them” becomes “they”. |
| Tense kept | showed | were shown | Be + past participle in the same tense: simple past “showed” becomes “were shown”. The other object “the house” stays after the verb. |
| Agent (by ...) | The owner himself | by the owner himself | The doer goes after the verb as “by the owner himself”. The emphatic “himself” stays with “the owner”. |
| Full sentence | The owner himself showed them the house. | They were shown the house by the owner himself. |
Example: The teacher gave us a test. → We were given a test by the teacher.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The owner himself showed them his house. — Incorrect.
- It is still in the active voice.
- It changes "the house" to "his house".
Option 3: The house was shown by the owner. — Incorrect. It drops the person object "them" and the emphatic "himself".
Option 4: They were shown the owner's house. — Incorrect. It drops the agent "by the owner himself" and changes "the house" to "the owner's house".