Choose the correct passive form of the given sentence:
The hostel cook is frying pakoras for the evening snack.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Pakoras are being fried by the hostel cook for the evening snack.
Passive of the present continuous:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | pakoras | Pakoras | The pakoras receive the action, so they become the subject. |
| Tense kept | is frying | are being fried | “Is frying” is the present continuous, so the passive stays in the present continuous: is / are + being + past participle (V3). “Are” because the pakoras are many, though the cook is one. |
| Agent (by ...) | The hostel cook | by the hostel cook | The cook is named, so the doer comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | The hostel cook is frying pakoras for the evening snack. | Pakoras are being fried by the hostel cook for the evening snack. |
The past continuous works the same way: was / were + -ing → was / were being + V3. Example: Ravi was washing the car. → The car was being washed by Ravi.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Pakoras are fried by the hostel cook for the evening snack. — Incorrect. “Being” is dropped. “Are fried” is the simple present, so the idea of work going on now is lost.
Option 2: Pakoras were being fried by the hostel cook for the evening snack. — Incorrect. “Were being fried” is the past continuous. The active “is frying” is in the present.
Option 3: For the evening snack, pakoras is being fried by the hostel cook. — Incorrect. “Is” does not agree with the plural “pakoras”. It must be “are”.