CSEET · Business Communication · Essentials of Good English
Which sentence is the correct passive of: "Who taught you to draft such formal letters?"
The correct passive is 'By whom were you taught to draft such formal letters?' The agent 'who' becomes 'by whom', the past tense is kept as 'were taught', and question inversion places the auxiliary before the subject 'you'.
- ABy whom were you taught to draft such formal letters?Correct
- BBy whom you were taught to draft such formal letters?
- CWho was taught you to draft such formal letters?
- DBy whom are you taught to draft such formal letters?
Explanation
The active verb 'taught' is simple past, so the passive is 'were taught' with 'you' as the subject. The question word comes first as 'By whom', followed by the auxiliary before the subject. Option 2 lacks inversion, and option 4 changes the tense to present.
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