Choose the most appropriate option to change the following sentence into the Passive Voice :
He handed her a cheque.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → She was handed a cheque by him.
Active to passive voice (verb with two objects, simple past):
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | her | She | “Hand” has two objects: her (the person) and a cheque (the thing). The person object usually becomes the subject: “her” becomes “She”. |
| Tense kept | handed | was handed | Be + past participle in the same tense: simple past “handed” becomes “was handed”. The other object “a cheque” stays after the verb. |
| Agent (by ...) | He | by him | The doer “He” goes to the end as “by him”. |
| Full sentence | He handed her a cheque. | She was handed a cheque by him. |
Example: The teacher gave him a prize. → He was given a prize by the teacher.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: She is handed by him a cheque. — Incorrect.
- "is" changes the simple past into the present.
- "by him" is placed before the object, which breaks the normal word order.
Option 3: A cheque was handed over to her. — Incorrect. It adds "over", which is not in the active sentence, and it drops the doer "by him", who is named in the original.
Option 4: A cheque been handed to her. — Incorrect. "Been" cannot stand without a helping verb (has been, had been). The sentence has no finite verb, and the agent is missing.