Choose the most appropriate passive construction of the given sentence:
The municipality is going to plant two hundred saplings along the canal this monsoon.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Two hundred saplings are going to be planted by the municipality along the canal this monsoon.
Passive of be going to + verb:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | two hundred saplings | Two hundred saplings | The saplings receive the action, so they become the subject. |
| Plan kept | is going to plant | are going to be planted | “Is going to plant” shows a plan. The passive keeps the plan: is / are going to be + past participle (V3). “Are” because the saplings are many. |
| Agent (by ...) | The municipality | by the municipality | The municipality is named, so the doer comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | The municipality is going to plant two hundred saplings along the canal this monsoon. | Two hundred saplings are going to be planted by the municipality along the canal this monsoon. |
Other “going to” sentences change the same way: is / are going to + verb → is / are going to be + V3. Example: Papa is going to sell the old car. → The old car is going to be sold by Papa.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Two hundred saplings is going to be planted by the municipality along the canal this monsoon. — Incorrect. “Is” does not agree with the plural “saplings”. It must be “are”.
Option 2: Two hundred saplings are going to plant by the municipality along the canal this monsoon. — Incorrect. “Be” and the V3 are missing. “Are going to plant” is active, as if the saplings will do the planting.
Option 3: This monsoon, two hundred saplings are being planted by the municipality along the canal. — Incorrect. “Are being planted” is the present continuous. It says the planting is going on now, not that it is planned.