Choose the most appropriate passive construction of the given sentence:
The farmers had harvested the paddy before the first rain came.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The paddy had been harvested by the farmers before the first rain came.
Passive of the past perfect:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | the paddy | The paddy | The paddy receives the action, so it becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | had harvested | had been harvested | “Had harvested” is in the past perfect, so the passive stays in the past perfect: had been + past participle (V3). “Had” is the same for one or many. |
| Agent (by ...) | The farmers | by the farmers | The farmers are named, so the doer comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | The farmers had harvested the paddy before the first rain came. | The paddy had been harvested by the farmers before the first rain came. |
The present perfect works the same way: has / have + V3 → has / have been + V3. Example: The cook has fried the pakoras. → The pakoras have been fried by the cook.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The paddy had harvested by the farmers before the first rain came. — Incorrect. The word “been” is missing. Without it, the paddy seems to do the harvesting.
Option 2: The paddy has been harvested by the farmers before the first rain came. — Incorrect. “Has been harvested” is the present perfect. The active “had harvested” is in the past perfect.
Option 3: The paddy was being harvested by the farmers before the first rain came. — Incorrect. “Was being harvested” is the past continuous. The active “had harvested” is in the past perfect.