Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure:
The cake was baked by Mary for her brother's birthday party.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Conversion from passive to active voice:
Subject and Object Swap: In the original passive sentence, "The cake" was the subject and "Mary" was the agent (object of the preposition "by"). In the active voice, the agent "Mary" becomes the subject who performs the action.
Verb Tense Alignment: The passive verb "was baked" is in the simple past tense. To maintain the same meaning, the active verb must also be in the simple past tense, which is "baked".
Direct Object: The original subject "the cake" becomes the direct object in the active sentence, receiving the action of the verb.
Prepositional Phrase: The phrase "for her brother's birthday party" remains unchanged as it provides additional context (purpose) to the action regardless of the voice used.
Active voice: Mary baked the cake for her brother's birthday party.