Choose the correct passive form of the given sentence:
Someone left a bag of mangoes outside our door last night.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A bag of mangoes was left outside our door last night.
Passive when the doer is not known (simple past):
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | a bag of mangoes | A bag of mangoes | The bag receives the action, so it becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | left | was left | “Left” is in the simple past, so the passive stays in the simple past: was / were + past participle (V3). “Was” because the main word is “bag”, and it is one. |
| Doer dropped | Someone | (left out) | “Someone” does not tell us who did it, so no “by someone” is added. |
| Full sentence | Someone left a bag of mangoes outside our door last night. | A bag of mangoes was left outside our door last night. |
Other sentences with someone, people or they as the doer work the same way. Example: Someone has switched off the main fuse. → The main fuse has been switched off.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: A bag of mangoes were left outside our door last night. — Incorrect. “Were” does not agree with “bag”, which is one. It must be “was”.
Option 3: A bag of mangoes has been left outside our door last night. — Incorrect. “Has been left” is the present perfect. The active “left” is the simple past, and “last night” also needs the simple past.
Option 4: Last night a bag of mangoes left outside our door. — Incorrect. “Was” is missing. Without it the bag seems to have left by itself, so the sentence is active.