General English (AEC) — Q&A
Section C — Unit 3: Transformation
5 questions × 1.5 marks (all compulsory)
(i) A letter is written by her. (ii) A letter was written by her. (iii) A letter has been written by her. Rule: object of the active becomes the subject of the passive + be-form matching the tense + V3 (past participle); by + old subject in object form.
Object naya subject banta hai. Present simple me is/are + written, past simple me was/were + written, present perfect me has/have been + written. She ke baad by lag ke her banta hai.
(i) The sum can be solved by her. (ii) The work will be finished by her. (iii) Let the door be opened. Rule: after a modal or will, the passive uses be + V3 (can be solved, will be finished); an imperative in the passive begins with Let.
Modal ke baad be + V3 lagta hai — can be solved, will be finished. Imperative (Open the door) ka passive Let se shuru hota hai — Let the door be opened.
(i) He was given a pen. / A pen was given to him. (ii) Is a letter written by her? (iii) My bike was stolen. Rule: two objects give two possible passives; a yes-no question in the passive inverts the first auxiliary; the agent (by-phrase) is dropped when the doer is unknown or unimportant.
Do objects ho to do passive bante hain — He was given a pen ya A pen was given to him. Sawal wali line me pehla auxiliary aage aata hai — Is a letter written? Doer pata na ho to by-phrase hata do.
(i) She said that she was tired. (ii) She said that she had finished her work. (iii) She told me that she would come the next day. Rule: when the reporting verb is in the past, tenses step back one — present simple → past simple, present perfect → past perfect, will → would; said to + object becomes told; tomorrow becomes the next day.
Reporting verb past me ho to tense ek step peeche — am tired → was tired, have finished → had finished, will come → would come. Said to me → told me, aur tomorrow → the next day badal jaata hai.
(i) She asked if I was ready. (ii) She asked where I lived. (iii) She exclaimed that it was a very hot day. Rule: a reported question uses statement word order — yes-no questions take if/whether, wh-questions keep their wh-word and drop do/does/did; an exclamation becomes a that-clause with very.
Reported question me order statement jaisa — Are you ready → if I was ready; Where do you live → where I lived (do hat gaya). Exclamation (What a hot day) that-clause me — it was a very hot day.
(i) She told him to open the door. (ii) She told me not to wait for her. (iii) She said that the sun rises in the east. Rule: commands become told + to-infinitive (negative: not to + verb); a universal truth keeps its present simple tense — no backshift.
Order ho to told + to wala verb — Open the door → to open the door; Don't wait → not to wait. Par universal truth (sun rises) ka tense nahi badalta — backshift nahi hota.
(i) When she heard the news, she wept. (ii) She hoped that she would pass. (iii) Because he was ill, he stayed at home. Rule: a simple sentence has only one finite verb — expand a participle/infinitive phrase into a subordinate clause (when-, that-, because-clause) to make it complex.
Simple me ek hi finite verb hota hai. Participle ya infinitive phrase ko clause bana do — Hearing the news → When she heard the news; to pass → that she would pass; so wala compound → because wala complex.
(i) Hearing the news, she wept. (ii) In spite of being poor, she is honest. (iii) I met the teacher who teaches English. Rule: reduce a subordinate clause to a participle/prepositional phrase to make a simple sentence (Although she is poor → In spite of being poor); join two sentences about the same person with a relative pronoun (who) to make a complex sentence.
Clause ko participle ya phrase me chhota karo — When she heard → Hearing; Although she is poor → In spite of being poor. Do sentences jodne ke liye who lagao — the teacher who teaches English.
(i) She is poor but she is honest. (compound) (ii) He worked hard so that he might win the match. / He wanted to win the match, so he worked hard. (iii) Because she was tired, she slept early. Rule: a compound sentence joins two independent clauses with a coordinator (and/but/so/or); a participle phrase expands into a subordinate clause (Being tired → Because she was tired) to make a complex sentence.
Compound me coordinator lagta hai — and, but, so, or: She is poor but she is honest. Participle (Being tired) ko clause banao — Because she was tired, she slept early.
(i) She is not ready. (ii) She does not write a letter. (iii) She has not finished the work. (iv) She cannot swim. Rule: put not after an existing auxiliary (is not, has not, cannot); if there is no auxiliary, bring do/does/did and return the main verb to its base form (writes → does not write).
Auxiliary pehle se ho to not uske baad — is not, has not, cannot. Auxiliary na ho to does/did lao aur verb ko base form me wapas — writes → does not write.
(i) Is she a teacher? (ii) Did she write a letter? (iii) Does she have any paper? (iv) Will she come? Rule: bring the auxiliary before the subject (Is she…? Will she…?); with do-support, the main verb returns to the base form (wrote → did write) and some becomes any in questions.
Auxiliary ko subject se pehle lao — Is she…? Will she…? Did/dose ke saath main verb base form me — wrote → did write, has → does have. Question me some → any ho jaata hai.
(i) She is so tired that she cannot walk. (ii) He arrived and immediately it rained. / As soon as he arrived, it rained. (iii) Who does not love his country? Rule: too…to becomes so…that + not; no sooner…than becomes as soon as or two joined clauses; a universal affirmative (everybody/no one) becomes a negative rhetorical question (who does not…).
Too-to ka pattern — She is so tired that she cannot walk. No sooner did…than → As soon as he arrived, it rained. Everybody/no one wali line sawal me — Who does not love his country?