|
American English Grammar |
|
Passive voice |
| Learning objectives |
 In
this lesson you will learn the definition of
passive voice and study examples of passive voice. |
|
| Definition of
passive voice |
- Passive voice is:
- when the action described by the
verb is not
performed by the
subject of the
sentence
-
active voice: Mary teaches English.
- passive voice: English was taught by Mary.
-
active voice: Elsa ate the cake.
- passive voice: The cake was eaten by Elsa.
- The passive voice is often a good choice
when you want to put the emphasis on what has been done instead
of on who performed the action, or if you want to convey a
message in a more formal and detached style
- Overall the
active voice is more widely used
than the passive voice
- Generally you should try to use the
active voice over the passive voice, because the
active voice is easier
to understand
- The passive voice is used in writing much
more often than in speech
- The passive voice can be found in newspapers and magazines
or articles, and it is very common in scientific and technical
writing
|
|
| Examples of
passive voice |
- English was taught by Mary.
- The cake was eaten by Elsa.
- The computers were repaired by Chuck.
- The yogurt was served by Sarah.
- The microphones were used by John.
- Science was studied by Jill.
|
|
|
|
|
POST YOUR COMMENTS about this page |
|
|
|
|
|
PLEASE
Visit Our Other Sites |
|
|
|
|
| Fun Easy English Community |
|
|
Copyright © 2003-2012 Fun Easy English All rights reserved
