Identify the options in which the following sentence has been correctly transformed into Passive Voice:
Who taught you English?
A. By whom were you taught English?
B. English was taught to you by who?
C. Who were you taught English by?
D. By whom was English taught to you?
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A, C, and D only
Passive voice of a "Who" question:
- Object becomes subject: "Who taught you English?" has two objects, you and English. Either can become the subject of the passive.
- Tense kept: the verb "taught" is simple past, so the passive is was/were + taught.
- Agent (by ...): the doer "who" becomes the agent:
- placed straight after "by", it takes the object form whom: "By whom ...?"
- when "by" moves to the end of the question, everyday English keeps who: "Who ... by?"
A. By whom were you taught English? — Correct.
- "You" is the subject, the verb is "were taught", and the agent is "by whom".
B. English was taught to you by who? — Incorrect.
- Straight after the preposition "by", the pronoun must be "whom".
- The sentence also keeps statement word order instead of the form of a question.
- Correct form: By whom was English taught to you?
C. Who were you taught English by? — Correct.
- This is the everyday form, with "by" at the end of the question.
D. By whom was English taught to you? — Correct.
- Here "English" is the subject, with "was taught" and the agent "by whom".