Voice, articles and prepositions form the grammatical backbone of English sentence construction and appear consistently in MAHA TET Paper I and Paper II. These topics test a candidate's ability to recognise correct sentence structure, transform sentences between active and passive forms, and apply articles and prepositions accurately in context.
For TET aspirants, this topic carries direct marks in the grammar section and also underpins comprehension passages where incorrect usage can lead to misinterpretation. Mastery here requires understanding the rules rather than rote memorisation, as exam questions often present tricky exceptions or context-dependent choices.
The three sub-topics are interconnected: voice transformation often requires changing prepositions (e.g., "by" in passive), while articles interact with nouns that follow prepositions. A systematic grasp of all three ensures confidence across multiple question types.
Key Concepts
**Active Voice** places the doer (subject) before the action: Subject + Verb + Object. The focus is on who performs the action.
**Passive Voice** places the receiver before the action: Object + Auxiliary Verb + Past Participle + by + Subject. The focus shifts to what is acted upon.
**Voice transformation preserves tense**: The auxiliary verb in passive must match the tense of the active sentence (is/are for simple present, was/were for simple past, etc.).
**Articles are determiners**: "A" and "an" are indefinite (one of many), while "the" is definite (specific or already known).
**"A" vs "an" depends on sound, not spelling**: Use "an" before vowel sounds (an hour, an MBA) and "a" before consonant sounds (a university, a European).
**"The" marks uniqueness or prior mention**: Use with superlatives, ordinals, unique nouns (the sun, the Ganga), and when the noun has already been introduced.
**Zero article** applies to uncountable nouns in general sense (Water is essential), plural nouns in general sense (Dogs are loyal), and proper nouns (India, Mount Everest).
**Prepositions show relationships** of time, place, direction, manner or cause between a noun/pronoun and other parts of the sentence.
Formulas / Key Facts
### Voice Transformation Formula
Active: Subject + Verb + Object Passive: Object + Auxiliary (be) + Past Participle + by + Subject
**Tense-wise Auxiliary Selection:**
| Tense | Active Verb | Passive Auxiliary | |-------|-------------|-------------------| | Simple Present | writes | is/are written | | Simple Past | wrote | was/were written | | Present Continuous | is writing | is/are being written | | Past Continuous | was writing | was/were being written | | Present Perfect | has written | has/have been written | | Past Perfect | had written | had been written | | Simple Future | will write | will be written | | Modals | can write | can be written |
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Choose the correct passive form of the sentence:
"The teacher is explaining the grammar rules to the students."
Q2 · Voice, Articles and Prepositions · MEDIUM
Fill in the blank with the correct article:
"She is _____ honest woman who always speaks _____ truth."
Q3 · Voice, Articles and Prepositions · MEDIUM
Select the sentence where the preposition is used correctly:
Q4 · Voice, Articles and Prepositions · HARD
Identify the sentence where both active-passive conversion and article usage are correct:
Active: "The committee has not taken a decision on the matter yet."
Passive: "A decision on the matter has not been taken by the committee yet."
Q5 · Voice, Articles and Prepositions · MEDIUM
Convert the following sentence to passive voice: 'The principal announced the results yesterday.'
A/An + singular countable noun (first mention or general)
The + singular/plural noun (specific, unique, superlative, ordinal)
No article + uncountable/plural nouns in general sense
No article + most proper nouns (except rivers, mountain ranges, newspapers, holy books)
### Common Prepositions by Category
**Time:** at (specific time), on (days/dates), in (months/years/seasons), by (deadline), since (point in past), for (duration)
**Place:** at (point), in (enclosed space), on (surface), above/below, between/among, beside/behind
**Direction:** to, towards, into, onto, through, across
**Agent in Passive:** by (the doer)
**Other Common:** with, without, about, of, from, for
Worked Examples
### Example 1: Voice Transformation (Simple Past)
**Active:** The teacher corrected the papers. **Step 1:** Identify subject (The teacher), verb (corrected), object (the papers). **Step 2:** Object becomes subject: The papers **Step 3:** Add auxiliary for simple past: were **Step 4:** Add past participle: corrected **Step 5:** Add "by" + original subject: by the teacher **Passive:** The papers were corrected by the teacher.
### Example 2: Article Selection
**Sentence:** ___ honest man is respected everywhere.
**Analysis:** "Honest" begins with a vowel sound (the "h" is silent in standard pronunciation). The noun "man" is singular countable, mentioned in a general sense. **Answer:** An honest man is respected everywhere.
### Example 3: Preposition Choice
**Sentence:** She has been working here ___ 2015.
**Analysis:** 2015 is a point in the past from which the action started and continues. Use "since" for point in time. **Answer:** She has been working here since 2015.
**Contrast:** She has been working here ___ five years. **Answer:** for five years (duration, not a specific point).
Common Mistakes
**Wrong:** "The papers were corrected from the teacher."
**Correct thinking:** The agent in passive voice takes "by," not "from." → "by the teacher."
**Wrong:** "He is a honest person."
**Correct thinking:** "Honest" starts with a vowel sound despite the letter "h." → "an honest person."
**Wrong:** "I reached at the station on time."
**Correct thinking:** "Reach" is transitive and does not take a preposition before the destination. → "I reached the station on time."
**Wrong:** "She goes to school by the bus."
**Correct thinking:** "By bus" (mode of transport) takes no article. → "by bus."
**Wrong:** "The man whom I met him was kind."
**Correct thinking:** In passive/relative constructions, do not repeat the object. → "The man whom I met was kind."
**Wrong:** Using "the" with general plurals: "The dogs are loyal animals."
**Correct thinking:** General statements about a class need no article. → "Dogs are loyal animals."
Quick Reference
**Passive formula:** Object + be (tense-matched) + past participle + by + subject.
**"An" before vowel sounds:** an hour, an MLA, an umbrella.
**"A" before consonant sounds:** a university, a one-rupee coin, a European.
**"The" with unique/specific:** the sun, the first, the tallest, the boy I saw.
**Since = point in time; For = duration.**
**At = point (at 5 pm, at the corner); In = enclosed (in the room); On = surface (on the table, on Monday).**
**No preposition after "reach," "enter," "resemble," "discuss."**