Understanding Active and Passive Voice Transformation

The question asks us to convert a sentence from active voice to passive voice. The given sentence is: "My mother will bake two dozen cookies for the bake sale."

Understanding the difference between active and passive voice is crucial for this transformation.

• Active Voice: In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. The structure is typically Subject + Verb + Object. In the given sentence, "My mother" is the subject performing the action "will bake" on the object "two dozen cookies".
• Passive Voice: In passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. The structure is typically Object + helping verb + past participle of the main verb + by + Subject (optional). The focus shifts from the doer of the action to the action itself or the receiver of the action.

Analyzing the Original Sentence and Tense

The original sentence is in the Simple Future Tense:

"My mother (Subject) will bake (Simple Future Verb) two dozen cookies (Object) for the bake sale (Rest of the sentence)."

The structure for Simple Future Tense in active voice is: Subject + will/shall + base form of verb + Object.

Converting Simple Future Tense to Passive Voice

To convert a sentence from Simple Future Active to Simple Future Passive voice, we follow these steps:

1. Identify the object of the active sentence. This object will become the subject of the passive sentence.
2. Use the appropriate helping verb for the passive voice in the simple future tense, which is will/shall + be.
3. Convert the main verb into its past participle form (V3).
4. Add "by" followed by the original subject (the doer of the action). This part is often optional if the doer is unknown or unimportant, but it is included in this case based on the options provided.
5. Add any remaining parts of the sentence.

Applying these steps to "My mother will bake two dozen cookies for the bake sale":

• Object: "two dozen cookies" becomes the new subject.
• Helping verb: "will be" (since 'will' is used in the active voice, 'will be' is used in the passive voice for most subjects).
• Past participle of "bake": "baked".
• Original subject with "by": "by my mother".
• Rest of the sentence: "for the bake sale".

Putting it all together, the passive voice sentence is: "Two dozen cookies will be baked by my mother for the bake sale."

Evaluating the Options for Passive Voice

Let's examine each option provided:

1. Two dozen cookies shall be baked by my mother for the bake sale.

   This option uses "shall be baked". While "shall" can be used for future tense, "will" is more standard with subjects other than 'I' and 'we' in modern English, especially for simple future actions. It's grammatically possible but less common than using "will" here.

2. Two dozen cookies will be baked by my mother for the bake sale.

   This option uses "will be baked". It perfectly matches the Simple Future Passive structure (Object + will + be + V3 + by + Subject) derived from our conversion steps. The subject "Two dozen cookies" is followed by "will be" and the past participle "baked", and includes "by my mother" and the rest of the sentence.

3. Two dozen cookies will baked by my mother for the bake sale.

   This option uses "will baked". It is missing the crucial "be" between "will" and the past participle "baked". This is incorrect grammar for passive voice.

4. Two dozen cookies will have been baked by my mother for the bake sale.

   This option uses "will have been baked". This is the structure for the Future Perfect Passive tense, not the Simple Future Passive tense. The original sentence is in Simple Future, so the passive conversion should also be in Simple Future Passive.

Based on the analysis, Option 2 correctly expresses the given active voice sentence in passive voice using the appropriate structure for the Simple Future Tense.

Revision Table: Key Points for Voice Conversion

Additional Information on Voice in Grammar

Understanding voice helps in constructing sentences effectively. While active voice is generally preferred for clear and direct communication, passive voice is useful in specific situations:

• When the action is more important than the doer (e.g., "The decision was made yesterday.").
• When the doer is unknown or irrelevant (e.g., "The treasure was hidden centuries ago.").
• To maintain objectivity or formality (common in scientific writing or reports).
• To avoid mentioning the doer explicitly.

However, overuse of passive voice can make writing sound weak, indirect, or awkward. For most general writing, active voice is recommended.