Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of each sentence.
Last night’s dinner was cooked for us by father. (Begin: Father ..................)
Topic: Passive to active voice
Answer
Father cooked last night’s dinner for us.
The instruction makes the agent the subject, so this is PASSIVE into ACTIVE.
Passive: Last night’s dinner WAS COOKED for us BY father. Active: Father COOKED last night’s dinner for us.
THE RULE: keep the tense. "Was cooked" is simple past, so the active verb is "cooked" — not "has cooked" or "had cooked".
The word BY disappears in the active voice, because the agent has become the subject and no longer needs marking. The phrase "for us" stays where it is — it is not the agent and takes no part in the conversion.
A useful check after any voice change: count the facts. The original has a cook (father), a meal (last night’s dinner) and beneficiaries (us). All three must survive.