Questions tagged [passive-voice]
The passive voice is a grammatical construction (a "voice") in which the subject of a sentence or clause denotes the recipient of the action (the patient) rather than the performer (the agent).
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"To be" in passive [closed]
How do I write this in the most correct form?
That sought to imitate the sound made by the ball striking the table.
Or
That sought to imitate the sound is made by the ball striking the table.
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Usage of Passive Voice [duplicate]
Recently, I got an internship as a Content Writer, and they issue a report for the work done using Grammarly for further corrections before finalizing. I have noticed that a lot of the suggested ...
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Is it idiomatic to say "Something is gotten from somebody"?
For a sentence
I got this book from Tom,
if we simply rewrite it with passive voice, it would seem to be like
This book was gotten from Tom.
But I haven't quite met such expressions as
Something ...
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"A value is trying to be set ..." [duplicate]
I've got this message from a quite respectful software library:
A value is trying to be set on a copy of a slice from a DataFrame.
Shouldn't it be something in passive voice, like "The value is ...
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"I was born in 1961" is ‘born’ past participle or an adjective here? [duplicate]
I was born in 1961.
Some dictionaries like Oxford Advanced dictionary, Collins and most other lexicographers say that born is the past participle form of the verb bear and they say that the sentence ...
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verb + object +(to be) p.p? [duplicate]
Can all verbs with to infinitives in the place of the object complement use both the past participle and to be p.p. form when the relationship between the object and the object complement is passive?
...
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Can we not use to be + v3 negatively [duplicate]
To be + v3
These clothes are to be washed.
These clothes are not to be washed.
Likewise,
These clothes have to be washed.
Now If I have to say it negatively, how can I?
These clothes have not to ...
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middle voice vs passive voice
Many verbs can be both transitive and intransitive.
The glass broke.
The glass was broken.
The door opened/closed.
The door was opened/closed.
And I was told there is a semantic difference in the ...
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How to change voice of sentence: Ram is fan of Sham [closed]
I want to change voice of following sentence (where Ram is a person, and Sham may be an artist):
Ram is fan of Sham
Is something like "Sham is fanned by Ram" correct? I am looking for a ...
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Passive of verb "let" : with or without "to"
Page 64 of the fourth edition of Practical English Usage reads
Verbs which can be followed, in active structures, by object +
infinitive without to, use to-infinitives in passive structures.
Compare:...
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How modal verbs change while converting active voice to passive voice? [closed]
We can buy electrical appliances from Amazon.
Electrical appliances can be bought from Amazon.
Electrical appliances could be bought from Amazon.
Which among the two is the correct passive voice of ...
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Is it right to use "is mixed" in this sentence?
The smoke of the factories, ships, and machines ____(mix) with the early rays of the sun to create a sort of beauty that is "both surprising and charming".
I filled in the blank with its ...
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How can we make passive out of perfect continuous tenses?
Can we make passive out of perfect continuous tenses as below?
English is being taught here since 2013
He is being beaten since morning
We are being taught this since February
It's just that "has ...
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Non-passive, active way of describing photos (or other things) on a wall
I write audio description for shows/TV and it is usually a firm rule not to use the passive voice, which can be arbitrarily frustrating (like how else are you supposed to say 'the door is locked?')
...
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Hung vs Hanged: “going to be hung” or “going to be hanged”? [closed]
Merriam-Webster defines hang
transitive verb
a: to fasten to some elevated point without support from below: SUSPEND
b: to suspend by the neck until dead —often hanged in the past
Thus the past ...
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Passive or Adjective 'respected' [closed]
Is the following sentence passive or is 'respected' used an adjective?:
He is respected.
And how would one know the difference?
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Assumption on Using to Get in the Passive Voice [duplicate]
Thank you.
Now, I've got a very interesting assumption on using to get in the passive voice: when it comes to Passive I (one of the three existing passive constructions), we can only use to get ...
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How to not use the passive voice in these cases?
In agriculture, the impartial care for both the production of edible biomass and sustainability is known as Agroecology.
When I write, I do this all the time and it sounds both repetitive and ...
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Function of "unattended" in "Luggage left unattended will be taken away by the police"
In the following sentence, does "unattended" function as a subject complement of "luggage"?
Luggage left unattended will be taken away by the police
P.S: I am well aware that the ...
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Ambiguity in the nature of the participle: an adjective, a verb or a non-finite participle clause [duplicate]
Is there ay test to differentiate between an adjective phrase, a participle clause and a verb phrase in the passive? I know they all function as modifiers to an NP. In the following examples I am a ...
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Money needs giving to me [duplicate]
I know that when need is used with a gerund, its meaning is passive. So, can I use prepositions in this case, or I cannot, and to be able to do that, I have to say need to be given/repaired to/by?
I ...
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Can 'is/are named' be a passive construction? [duplicate]
When you use the verb name denoting "give a name to", it certainly can be used in a passive construction, as in:
Taylor Swift has countless Grammys and American Music Awards, but this new ...
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Confusion in active voice to passive voice conversion
Convert the given sentence to passive voice.
She has learned many lessons in this camp.
I feel the answer is —
Many lessons were learned by her in this camp.
But the answer provided to me is —
...
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The definition of "active" as in "active voice"
The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar (2 ed.) by Bas Aarts defines "active" as follows:
active (adj.) Of a verb, clause, construction, etc.: designating an exponent of the grammatical ...
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The toy was the best and built last year. Is a second "was" necessary to create "was built"?
Which of the below sentences is grammatically correct?
(A) The toy was the best and built last year.
(B) The toy was the best and was built last year.
I believe that sentence (B) is correct, but is ...
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“The buildings are owned by him.” Is this a verbal stative passive or an adjectival passive?
In terms of what I’ve seen: “Adjectival passives always have stative interpretations, whereas verbal passives can either have a dynamic or a stative interpretation.”
So…. If I have a sentence, such as:...
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What prepositions does ‘are concerned’ take? [closed]
What is the most appropriate preposition to go with the verb phrase are concerned in the following sentence from some test or homework?
Although ballet and modern dance are both concerned [ in / to / ...
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Change of Voice [closed]
He slept on the floor.
Can the above sentence be changed to passive voice?
Or is it possible to change the voice at all?
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Is it correct to say "keep the wire covered by a insulating layer" or "keep the wire being covered by a insulating layer"? [closed]
As suggested by the title, I want to use "keep" followed by some passive voices. Thanks in advance!
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Use "hang" or "hung", when to use passive voice of "hang"?
In this example, "framed picture hung on wall". "hang" is passive.
However, in "a picture of a dinosaur hanging on the wall ." and "many umbrellas hanging from the ...
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Past Tense after "if" [duplicate]
“A letter?” repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. “Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He’ll be ...
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'have our destiny worked out' or 'work out our destiny'
have something done
We've been taught two usages of the structure.
A. the things that you have others do for you.
eg: I just went out to have my hair cut.
B. something bad happened to you
eg: I just ...
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The verb "mark" with events in time
The 19th century was marked by the abolition of slavery.
The 19th century marked the abolition of slavery.
Which is correct?
The meaning is that the abolition of slavery was an important event in the ...
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Passive structure with gerund [closed]
I was asked to convert the following active sentence into passive:
I admit taking the money without permission from his mom.
My first suggestion was:
It is admitted that the money has been taken ...
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Before proving or before being proven [closed]
Today I encountered this sentence.
Before him being proven guilty, everybody thought that he was innocent.
But I think there is another way to write it easily. Please correct me if I am wrong.
...
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Is "entitled" a passive voice verb or adjective in "everyone is entitled to respect"?
Adjective or verb passive form??
In the sentence
We teach our children that everyone is entitled to respect and dignity
is 'entitled' more likely an adjective or a verb?
A similar question appeared ...
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Perfect Continuous Passive Participle Clause?
Having been being lost in the woods for hours, he was finally found by emergency services.
Does this mean:
After he had been being lost in the woods for hours, he was finally found by emergency ...
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"A letter is written to inform" vs "A letter is written to be informed" [closed]
I write a letter to inform him
I want to convert this sentence into the passive voice. But then wrote down these three sentences. I can't understand the difference between these sentences. Can anyone ...
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Passive voice with ditransitive verb, which is the patient?
If I were to make the following constructions, how would I label the parts of the sentence using passive voice terminology? Alice seems to be the agent in both these constructions, but which is the ...
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Utilize the active voice in sentences when an actor is undefined [closed]
I am writing the technical documentation that describes some actions to be done.
For example:
The new sewer water line may be connected to the old one in room A546 or to the new one in room A549.
I ...
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descend from vs be descended from
Merriam-Webster gives two examples on the usage of "descend from" vs "be descended from" in https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descend%20from .
The plants descend from a ...
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I’m going to make sure the federal government does [what's needed to be done] in Kentucky
This is the first sentence from President Biden's tweet:
I’m going to make sure the federal government does what’s needed to be done in Kentucky.
By the emboldened phrase, I think he means "...
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Could you please help and explain to me how to correct the seemingly incorrect passive voice sentence pattern?
Could you please help and explain to me how to correct the seemingly incorrect passive voice sentence pattern?
I would prefer it if we could be sat next to a window.
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"Given are ..." or " ... are given" - what is the difference between these two?
Also I want to know what voice was used in "Given are ...". Was it passive voice?
Example:
Given are two tables referring to criminality in Britain.
&
Two tables referring to ...
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Why passive voice is not used here? [closed]
Basketball has not only become a popular sport to play , but it has also become a popular sport to watch.
I found the sentence above in a textbook. I'm wondering why passive voice is not used here? ...
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“Who are you known to”
My English teacher asked me to construct the passive voice of the sentence "Who knows you?". Then, I could immediately make up the sentence "To whom are you known?". My English ...
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How to make these sentences passive: 'People believe that Jenkins is the culprit.' and 'People believed that Jenkins was the culprit.' [closed]
How to make these sentences passive? 'People believe that Jenkins was the culprit.' and 'People believed that Jenkins was the culprit.'
I know it is
Jenkins is believed to have been the culprit.
...
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Multiple errors found VS multiple errors were found [duplicate]
I'm writing a website where people can enter data and I want to show an error message if the data is incorrect.
I am debating whether the error should be "multiple errors found" or "...
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can we use preposition "by" with past participles used as adjectives to give similar meaning of preposition "by" used with passive voice sentences?
I know that in passive voice sentences, "by" can be used to imply one making the action. For instance,
He was attacked by a lion. A lion attacked him so "by" shows the one making ...
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Is a report used to report, or does a report report? Active vs passive
PASSIVE VOICE - The Random Name Report (RANAR) is used to report the randomness and effectiveness of names.
vs.
ACTIVE VOICE - The Random Name Report (RANAR) reports the randomness and effectiveness ...
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