Question

The horse was tied to a tree.
The verb in the above sentence is in passive voice.
(a) True
(b) False

Answer 1

Hint: The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. Keeping this in mind look into the sentence and find if it is in passive voice or not.

Complete answer : We must understand that to form a passive voice sentence we must (follow few simple rules or regulations) –
> Move the receiver of the action from the direct object position of the sentence to the subject position of the sentence.
> Insert the verb BE in agreement in number with the new subject and in the appropriate tense.
> Change the verb to its past participle form.
> Optionally place the actor of the verb in the object position after the preposition ‘by’.

In the above given statement – the horse was tied to a tree, the verb - tied is in its past participle form therefore, it is in passive voice. If it was an active voice sentence then the verb would have been – tie.

So, what do we get from the above explanations, we get that the correct solution for this question would be option – ‘a’, i.e. true, the verb in the above sentence is in passive voice and not active voice.

Hence option ‘a’ is the correct answer.

Note: If you are familiar with the rules of passive voice you will find it easier to solve the above question as the answer lies in knowing the basic rules. The basic construction for passive voice is - subject + to be + past participle + by + object.