Pariksha SaathiPassive Voice: Questions & Negatives
Converting a statement to passive voice is routine — converting a question or a negative sentence adds one extra move: the auxiliary verb has to come along to a new position instead of just swapping with the subject. Here’s the approach, six fully worked examples, and a few to try yourself.
Written by Mahesh Srivastava, Founder of Pariksha Saathi. Published: 2026-10-05. Editorial standards & corrections
The approach, quickly
- For a Yes/No question, the auxiliary moves to the front of the passive sentence too: "Does she clean the room?" → "Is the room cleaned by her?" — the auxiliary changes to match the new passive subject, but still leads the sentence.
- For a Wh-question, the wh-word stays first, the auxiliary comes right after it, then the new subject: "What did he write?" → "What was written by him?"
- For a negative sentence, "not" stays attached to the auxiliary verb in its new passive position: "She does not clean the room." → "The room is not cleaned by her."
- The core passive transformation (object becomes subject, verb becomes "be + past participle", original subject becomes "by + agent") still applies underneath — questions and negatives just change where the pieces sit, not the underlying rule.
- A question built with a modal (can, must, should, will) keeps the modal in front and simply inserts a bare "be" before the past participle: "Can she finish the work?" → "Can the work be finished by her?" And when the wh-word itself is the subject (asking who did something), it becomes "by whom," placed right after the moved auxiliary: "Who wrote this novel?" → "By whom was this novel written?"
Worked examples
1. Change to passive voice: "Does she clean the room?"
Solution
- The object "the room" becomes the subject, and the auxiliary "does" becomes "is", staying at the front: "Is the room cleaned by her?"
Answer: Is the room cleaned by her?
2. Change to passive voice: "What did he write?"
Solution
- The wh-word "What" stays first, "did" becomes "was", and "he" becomes "by him": "What was written by him?"
Answer: What was written by him?
3. Change to passive voice: "She does not clean the room."
Solution
- "Not" stays attached to the auxiliary in its new position: "does not" becomes "is not": "The room is not cleaned by her."
Answer: The room is not cleaned by her.
4. Change to passive voice: "Why did they cancel the meeting?"
Solution
- The wh-word "Why" stays first, "did" becomes "was", and "they" becomes "by them": "Why was the meeting cancelled by them?"
Answer: Why was the meeting cancelled by them?
5. Change to passive voice: "Must he submit the report today?"
Solution
- The modal "must" stays in front, and a bare "be" is inserted before the past participle: "Must the report be submitted by him today?"
Answer: Must the report be submitted by him today?
6. Change to passive voice: "Who wrote this novel?"
Solution
- Here the wh-word "who" is itself the subject (the writer), so it becomes "by whom," placed right after the moved auxiliary "was": "By whom was this novel written?"
Answer: By whom was this novel written?
Try these yourself
Identify the auxiliary (or modal) verb and where it needs to move, then check against the answer.
1. Change to passive voice: "Did they complete the project?"
Answer: Was the project completed by them?
2. Change to passive voice: "He does not water the plants."
Answer: The plants are not watered by him.
3. Change to passive voice: "Where did she buy this dress?"
Answer: Where was this dress bought by her?
4. Change to passive voice: "Can you solve this puzzle?"
Answer: Can this puzzle be solved by you?
5. Change to passive voice: "Who designed this building?"
Answer: By whom was this building designed?
All 11 practice questions on Passive Voice: Questions and Negatives, with answers →
Where this comes up
Passive Voice for Questions and Negative Sentences is tested directly in the English Language section of exams Pariksha Saathi covers — SSC CGL, SSC MTS, SSC CHSL, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO and SBI Clerk — building on the standard Active and Passive Voice lesson.
Keep practising
Solve the questions above before opening the answers. Explain each step in your own words, then revisit any mistakes.
Go to practice questions →