Choose the correct passive form of the given sentence:
The new principal has done away with the old practice of fining students for coming late to the morning assembly.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The old practice of fining students for coming late to the morning assembly has been done away with by the new principal.
Passive of a three-word verb (do away with) in the present perfect:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | the old practice of fining students ... | The old practice of fining students ... | The practice receives the action, so it becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | has done away with | has been done away with | “Has done away with” is in the present perfect, so the passive stays in the present perfect: has / have been + past participle (V3). “Has” because “practice” is singular. |
| Small words kept | away with | away with | “Do away with” works as one verb that means “end”. So both “away” and “with” stay with “done”. |
| Agent (by ...) | The new principal | by the new principal | The new principal is named, so the doer comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | The new principal has done away with the old practice of fining students for coming late to the morning assembly. | The old practice of fining students for coming late to the morning assembly has been done away with by the new principal. |
Other three-word verbs work the same way: put up with → be put up with, look down upon → be looked down upon. Example: The villagers looked down upon the new tenant. → The new tenant was looked down upon by the villagers.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The old practice of fining students for coming late to the morning assembly has been done away by the new principal. — Incorrect. The word “with” is dropped. “Done away” alone does not mean “ended”.
Option 2: The old practice of fining students for coming late to the morning assembly had been done away with by the new principal. — Incorrect. “Had been done away with” is the past perfect. The active “has done away with” is in the present perfect.
Option 3: The old practice of fining students for coming late to the morning assembly has done away with by the new principal. — Incorrect. The word “been” is missing. “Has done away with” is still active, so the practice now seems to do the ending.