Rewrite the following sentence to eliminate passive voice: "The book was read by him."

Rewrite the following sentence to eliminate passive voice: "The book was read by him."

• A. He read the book.
• B. The book was his to read.
• C. He was reading the book.
• D. The book is read by him.

Answer: (A)

The correct sentence, "He read the book," effectively transforms the original passive voice into an active voice. In active voice constructions, the subject of the sentence performs the action rather than receiving it. In this instance, "He" becomes the subject who is directly doing the reading, and "read the book" denotes the action taken. This shift clarifies who performs the action and creates a more dynamic and straightforward expression, which is generally preferred for clear communication. Other choices do not capture the same meaning or do not shift to active voice effectively. For example, stating "The book was his to read" changes the focus entirely and does not maintain the original action context. Similarly, "He was reading the book" implies an ongoing action rather than a completed one and doesn't directly modify the original structure to eliminate passive voice. Finally, "The book is read by him" retains a passive structure instead of converting it to active voice.

The correct sentence, "He read the book," effectively transforms the original passive voice into an active voice. In active voice constructions, the subject of the sentence performs the action rather than receiving it. In this instance, "He" becomes the subject who is directly doing the reading, and "read the book" denotes the action taken. This shift clarifies who performs the action and creates a more dynamic and straightforward expression, which is generally preferred for clear communication.

Other choices do not capture the same meaning or do not shift to active voice effectively. For example, stating "The book was his to read" changes the focus entirely and does not maintain the original action context. Similarly, "He was reading the book" implies an ongoing action rather than a completed one and doesn't directly modify the original structure to eliminate passive voice. Finally, "The book is read by him" retains a passive structure instead of converting it to active voice.