1

How to solve this problem?

Can we make its Passive form?

I changed it like this,

How is this problem to be solved?

Correct me, please.

Improve this question
3
  • Your sentence is idiomatic and needs no correction.
    – Tᴚoɯɐuo
    Jun 15, 2015 at 13:03
  • How to make its Passive voice?
    – I don't know who I am.
    Jun 15, 2015 at 13:10
  • 2
    "This problem is solved how?" though this would be very non-standard. How to solve this problem? itself is a problem, because it is not a complete sentence. Normally it might be "How do you solve this problem?", since problems generally don't solve themselves.
    – user3169
    Jun 15, 2015 at 15:30

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
5

I'd go with

How is this problem solved?

No "to be".

To be passive only requires "problem" to be the object of the verb ("solved"). It's over complicating it to also make the verb an infinitive ("to be").

Improve this answer
4
  • Could you please give us some idea as to why?
    – Chenmunka
    Jun 15, 2015 at 15:18
  • How this problem to solved? I think, this is a correct passive voice. Or how should this problem be solved?
    – I don't know who I am.
    Jun 15, 2015 at 16:43
  • Sorry, How this problem to be solved? Correct
    – I don't know who I am.
    Jun 15, 2015 at 16:44
  • 1
    @user124234: Unless that's just another typo on your part, you need to know that "How this problem to be solved?" is not valid English at all. You must include the finite verb form is after how, regardless of whether you follow Dylan's sound advice to forget about the pointless verbosity of the additional infinitive.
    – FumbleFingers
    Jun 15, 2015 at 18:02

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .