Identify the correct passive form of the following sentence from the given options:-
Someone has stolen my purse.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → My purse has been stolen.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Someone has stolen my purse. | My purse has been stolen. |
Active to passive voice (present perfect):
- Object becomes subject: the object "my purse" becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- Tense kept: be + past participle in the same tense: present perfect "has stolen" → "has been stolen".
- Agent (by ...): "by someone" is left out, because the doer is unknown.
Example: Somebody has broken the window. → The window has been broken.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: My purse is stolen — Incorrect. "Is stolen" is the simple present passive; the active sentence is in the present perfect, which needs "has been stolen".
Option 2: My purse has stolen. — Incorrect. Without "been" the verb stays active: it would mean that the purse has stolen something.
Option 3: My purse was stolen. — Incorrect. "Was stolen" is the simple past passive; it changes the tense of the original sentence.
Contrast: the present perfect passive is has/have been + past participle; "is stolen" is the simple present and "was stolen" the simple past.