Change to Active Voice. Choose the correct option :
Harsh sentences were pronounced on the offenders.

Question

Accepted Answer

Option 3, "The judge pronounced harsh sentences on the offenders," is the correct active voice conversion of the passive voice sentence "Harsh sentences were pronounced on the offenders."

Here's why:

*   **Active Voice Structure:** Active voice follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure. In this case, the subject (the one performing the action) is "the judge," the verb (the action) is "pronounced," and the object (receiving the action) is "harsh sentences." The phrase "on the offenders" clarifies who received the sentences.

*   **Passive Voice to Active Voice Conversion:** The original sentence is in passive voice because the subject ("harsh sentences") is receiving the action. To convert it to active voice, we need to identify the actor (who pronounced the sentences) and make them the subject. The most logical actor in this context is "the judge."

Now, let's examine why the other options are incorrect:

*   **Option 1: The judge were pronounced harsh sentences on the offenders.** This is grammatically incorrect. "Judge" is singular, so the verb should be "was," not "were." Furthermore, the sentence implies the judge *received* the sentences, which doesn't make logical sense.

*   **Option 2: Harsh sentences were pronounced by the judge.** This sentence, while grammatically correct, remains in the passive voice. The focus is still on the "harsh sentences" being acted upon, rather than the judge performing the action. The phrase "by the judge" indicates the agent of the action in a passive construction.

*   **Option 4: The offenders were pronounced harsh sentences.** This sentence is grammatically awkward and doesn't make logical sense. It implies that the offenders themselves were pronounced, rather than receiving a sentence. It also doesn't accurately reflect the meaning of the original sentence.

Therefore, only Option 3 correctly transforms the passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence with a clear subject, verb, and object, while maintaining the original meaning.