RATHEESH
how to use in passive voices
Jun 28, 2010 1:51 PM
Answers · 5
2
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action. Example: My bike was stolen. In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it. Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows: Example: A mistake was made. In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).
June 28, 2010
1
When the subject performs the action, it is active voice. When the subject receives the action, it is passive voice. "John ate five fish." - active voice; John performs the action. "John was eaten by five fish." - passive voice; John received the action. Poor John! It's also enough to say "John was eaten", ie. focus on what happened to John, not on who/what performed the action.
June 29, 2010
The passive voice consists of a form of " be+past participle" to give more emphasis to the action. eg: Mark opened the parcels. (Active sentence) The parcels were opened by Mark (Passive sentence)
June 29, 2010
eg * John gave Mary a book. → Mary was given a book by John. See here http://krasme.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=127&Itemid=23 Also Myths about passive voice So what is the passive voice? First, let's be clear on what the passive voice isn't. Below, we'll list some common myths about the passive voice: 1. Use of the passive voice constitutes a grammatical error. Use of the passive voice is not a grammatical error. It's a stylistic issue that pertains to clarity—that is, there are times when using the passive voice can prevent a reader from understanding what you mean. 2. Any use of "to be" (in any form) constitutes the passive voice. The passive voice entails more than just using a being verb. Using "to be" can weaken the impact of your writing, but it is occasionally necessary and does not by itself constitute the passive voice. 3. The passive voice always avoids the first person; if something is in first person ("I" or "we") it's also in the active voice. On the contrary, you can very easily use the passive voice in the first person. Here's an example: "I was hit by the dodgeball." 4. You should never use the passive voice. While the passive voice can weaken the clarity of your writing, there are times when the passive voice is OK and even preferable. 5. I can rely on my grammar checker to catch the passive voice. See Myth #1. Since the passive voice isn't a grammar error, it's not always caught. Typically, grammar checkers catch only a fraction of passive voice usage. Do any of these misunderstandings sound familiar? If so, you're not alone. That's why we wrote this handout. It discusses how to recognize the passive voice, when you should avoid it, and when it's OK.
June 28, 2010
active voice: I am supervising the site passive : The site is being supervised by me
June 28, 2010
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!