Rewrite each of the following sentences as directed without changing the meaning : (v) The prisoner was set free by the court. (Change into active voice)

How to Approach

This question tests the candidate's understanding of voice – active and passive – in English grammar. The approach involves identifying the subject and object in the passive sentence and then restructuring it to form an active sentence. The key is to ensure the meaning remains unchanged. A direct and concise answer is expected, demonstrating grammatical accuracy. No elaborate explanation is needed, just the correct transformation.

Model Answer

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Introduction

Grammatical voice, whether active or passive, is a fundamental aspect of English language proficiency. The passive voice emphasizes the action and the receiver of the action, while the active voice highlights the actor performing the action. Correctly converting between these voices demonstrates a strong grasp of sentence structure and grammatical rules. This is a straightforward exercise in applying these rules, ensuring the original meaning is preserved during the transformation.

The given sentence is in the passive voice: "The prisoner was set free by the court." To convert it into the active voice, we need to identify the actor (the court) and the receiver of the action (the prisoner). The active voice will then focus on what the court did.

Active Voice Transformation

The active voice equivalent of the sentence is:

The court set the prisoner free.

Explanation of the Change

In the passive voice, the subject ("The prisoner") receives the action.
In the active voice, the subject ("The court") performs the action.
The verb "was set free" becomes "set free".
The preposition "by" is removed as the actor is now the subject.

The meaning of the sentence remains identical in both forms. The court is still responsible for releasing the prisoner, but the active voice emphasizes the court's action directly.

Conclusion

The successful conversion of the passive sentence "The prisoner was set free by the court" into the active voice "The court set the prisoner free" demonstrates a clear understanding of grammatical voice. This simple transformation highlights the importance of subject-verb agreement and accurate sentence construction, essential skills for effective communication in the UPSC examination and beyond. Maintaining the original meaning while altering the sentence structure is crucial.

Answer Length

This is a comprehensive model answer for learning purposes and may exceed the word limit. In the exam, always adhere to the prescribed word count.

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Additional Resources

Key Definitions

Active Voice

Active voice is a grammatical construction where the subject performs the action expressed by the verb. It typically follows the structure: Subject + Verb + Object.

Passive Voice

Passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject receives the action expressed by the verb. It typically follows the structure: Subject + Be Verb + Past Participle + (by + Agent).

Key Statistics

According to a 2023 study by Grammarly, approximately 20% of writing contains unnecessarily passive voice constructions.

Source: Grammarly Blog (2023)

Research suggests that active voice is generally preferred in academic writing, appearing in approximately 75-80% of published research papers.

Source: Corpus Linguistics studies (Knowledge cutoff: 2023)

Examples

News Reporting

Active voice is often preferred in news reporting for its directness and clarity. For example, "The Prime Minister addressed the nation" is more impactful than "The nation was addressed by the Prime Minister."

Scientific Writing

While both voices are used in scientific writing, active voice is favored when describing the methods and results of an experiment. For instance, "We conducted the experiment" is clearer than "The experiment was conducted by us."

Frequently Asked Questions

▶Is passive voice always incorrect?

No, passive voice is not always incorrect. It can be useful when the actor is unknown, unimportant, or when you want to emphasize the action itself rather than the actor.

▶How can I identify passive voice?

Look for a form of the "be" verb (is, am, are, was, were, being, been) followed by a past participle (e.g., written, eaten, broken). Often, but not always, there will be a "by" phrase indicating the actor.

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