Select the correct passive form of the given sentence.
He did not ring the bell.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The bell was not rung by him.
Passive of a simple past negative:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | the bell | The bell | The bell receives the action, so it becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | did not ring | was not rung | “Did not ring” is in the simple past, so the passive stays in the simple past: was + not + past participle (V3). "Did" is dropped, and "ring" becomes "rung". |
| Agent (by ...) | He | by him | The doer goes after "by". "He" becomes "him". |
| Full sentence | He did not ring the bell. | The bell was not rung by him. |
In the simple present, does/do not + V1 becomes is/are not + V3. Example: She does not clean the room. → The room is not cleaned by her.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: The bell is not rung by him. — Incorrect. "Is not rung" is the simple present. The active "did not ring" is the simple past.
Option 3: The bell has not been rung by him. — Incorrect. "Has not been rung" is the present perfect. It would come from "He has not rung the bell".
Option 4: The bell had not been rung by him. — Incorrect. "Had not been rung" is the past perfect. It would come from "He had not rung the bell".