Choose the most appropriate active construction of the given sentence:
His son was cast in the leading role by the director in his upcoming film.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The director cast his son in the leading role in his upcoming film.
Passive to active voice (simple past):
Other standard changes: is/am/are + V3 → simple present, has/have been + V3 → present perfect. Was/were being + V3 → past continuous, will be + V3 → will + V1.
| Change | Passive | Active | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent (by ...) becomes subject | by the director | The director | The agent after “by”, “the director”, becomes the subject: The director. |
| Tense kept | was cast | cast | “Was cast” is was + past participle, the simple past passive. The active verb is the simple past cast (cast – cast – cast). |
| Subject becomes object | His son | his son (object) | The passive subject “his son” becomes the object, and “by” is dropped. |
| Full sentence | His son was cast in the leading role by the director in his upcoming film. | The director cast his son in the leading role in his upcoming film. |
The rest of the sentence stays as it is.
Example: The letter was written by Rita. → Rita wrote the letter.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: His son has been cast as the lead of the director’s upcoming movie. — Incorrect.
- It is still in the passive voice ("has been cast").
- It changes the simple past into the present perfect.
Option 3: The director will cast his son in the leading role in his upcoming films. — Incorrect.
- "will cast" changes the tense to the future.
- "films" changes one film into many.
Option 4: The leading role in the director’s film has been given to his son. — Incorrect.
- It is still in the passive voice ("has been given"), in the present perfect.
- It changes the verb "cast" to "given".