Select the correct passive form of the given sentence:
The old man filled the bucket with hot water.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The bucket was filled with hot water by the old man.
Active to passive (simple past):
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | the bucket | The bucket | “The bucket” becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | filled | was filled | Simple past “filled” becomes was + past participle: “was filled”. |
| Agent (by ...) | The old man | by the old man | “The old man” becomes “by the old man”. |
| Full sentence | The old man filled the bucket with hot water. | The bucket was filled with hot water by the old man. |
"With hot water" stays with the verb.
Example: Riya painted the wall. → The wall was painted by Riya.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The old man was filled the bucket with hot water. — Incorrect. The doer stays the subject and the object stays in place. "Was filled the bucket" is ungrammatical.
Option 2: The bucket is filled by the old man with hot water. — Incorrect. "is filled" is present tense. The active sentence is in the past.
Option 3: The bucket filled with hot water by the old man. — Incorrect. The helping verb "was" is missing, so it is not a passive.