Choose the correct passive form of the given sentence:
The workers were loading the sacks of wheat onto the truck when the rain began.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The sacks of wheat were being loaded onto the truck by the workers when the rain began.
Passive of the past continuous:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | the sacks of wheat | The sacks of wheat | The sacks receive the action, so they become the subject. |
| Tense kept | were loading | were being loaded | “Were loading” is in the past continuous, so the passive stays in the past continuous: was / were being + past participle (V3). “Were” because the sacks are many. |
| Agent (by ...) | The workers | by the workers | The workers are named, so the doer comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | The workers were loading the sacks of wheat onto the truck when the rain began. | The sacks of wheat were being loaded onto the truck by the workers when the rain began. |
Other past continuous verbs work the same way: was cooking → was being cooked, were cutting → were being cut. Example: Dadi was frying the pakoras when the guests came. → The pakoras were being fried by Dadi when the guests came.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The sacks of wheat were loaded onto the truck by the workers when the rain began. — Incorrect. “Were loaded” is the simple past. It loses the idea that the loading was going on when the rain began.
Option 3: The sacks of wheat had been loaded onto the truck by the workers when the rain began. — Incorrect. “Had been loaded” is the past perfect. It says the loading was already over before the rain began.
Option 4: The sacks of wheat was being loaded onto the truck by the workers when the rain began. — Incorrect. “Was” goes with one thing. The subject “the sacks of wheat” is plural, so it needs “were”.