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).
665
questions
0
votes
0
answers
9
views
What is the voice in the sentence? [migrated]
You are not supposed to do this.
Is it active or passive voice?
- 1
-2
votes
0
answers
23
views
Which statement is more correct? [migrated]
The parameters is getting updated when you change the project rate.
The parameters is being updated when you change the project rate.
Is there a difference between these two statements? Which ...
- 1
4
votes
0
answers
55
views
Easier said than done vs. Easier to say than do
As a speaker of English as a second language, I've long been curious to know why English speakers would choose to say "Easier said than done" over "Easier to say than do".
Why ...
- 473
1
vote
0
answers
10
views
What will be the passive voice sentences for these sentences? [closed]
How many men are there?
How much milk he buys?
There are books.
It is a toy.
Books are there.
0
votes
1
answer
59
views
A linking verb or a part of the verb phrase?
I just came across the following sentences, and it just kept me thinking for hours and searching up grammar rules, but it was in vain. The question is about identifying verbal phrases:
The apples ...
1
vote
0
answers
58
views
The vaccine has shown VS The vaccine has been shown [migrated]
I'm writing a report with the sentence:
The vaccine has been shown to reduce diarrhea in an in vivo model.
Colleagues use a sentence starting with
The vaccine has shown to reduce...
In my opinion, ...
- 11
0
votes
2
answers
133
views
How do sentences like 'he is said to' work?
People say that he steals motorcycles -> He is said by people to steal motorcycles
People say that he will steal motorcycles -> He is said by people to steal motorcycles
People say that he ...
- 169
1
vote
3
answers
93
views
Is it grammatical to say "a request met with refusal"?
I've been going over some English comprehension tests with my students and I've stumbled upon a sentence that's been bugging me.
(Jack / request / have) ______ a day off met with his employer’s ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
20
views
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 ...
- 11
0
votes
2
answers
101
views
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 ...
- 101
0
votes
0
answers
26
views
"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 ...
- 101
0
votes
1
answer
112
views
"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 ...
- 2,714
0
votes
0
answers
20
views
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?
...
- 101
0
votes
0
answers
24
views
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 ...
- 1
0
votes
3
answers
78
views
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 ...
- 5
1
vote
2
answers
51
views
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 ...
- 119
0
votes
1
answer
129
views
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:...
- 2,433
-1
votes
1
answer
85
views
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 ...
0
votes
1
answer
81
views
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 ...
- 17
0
votes
1
answer
53
views
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 ...
-3
votes
3
answers
80
views
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?')
...
- 1
0
votes
2
answers
283
views
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 ...
- 583
1
vote
0
answers
71
views
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?
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
25
views
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 ...
user41064
1
vote
2
answers
53
views
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 ...
- 11
2
votes
2
answers
91
views
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 ...
- 45
0
votes
0
answers
38
views
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 ...
- 45
0
votes
0
answers
20
views
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 ...
- 77
-1
votes
1
answer
57
views
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 ...
- 6,481
0
votes
2
answers
117
views
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 —
...
1
vote
3
answers
140
views
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 ...
- 6,481
2
votes
2
answers
80
views
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 ...
- 21
2
votes
0
answers
109
views
“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:...
- 31
-1
votes
0
answers
328
views
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 / ...
0
votes
2
answers
22
views
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?
- 3
-2
votes
3
answers
49
views
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!
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
231
views
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 ...
- 137
0
votes
0
answers
61
views
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 ...
0
votes
1
answer
58
views
'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 ...
2
votes
2
answers
129
views
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 ...
- 21
0
votes
5
answers
151
views
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 ...
0
votes
1
answer
52
views
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.
...
- 3
5
votes
7
answers
1k
views
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 ...
- 141
0
votes
3
answers
133
views
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 ...
- 281
0
votes
2
answers
204
views
"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 ...
- 3
2
votes
0
answers
82
views
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 ...
0
votes
1
answer
38
views
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 ...
- 103
1
vote
1
answer
225
views
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 ...
- 237
0
votes
0
answers
57
views
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 "...
- 1,430
0
votes
1
answer
69
views
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.
- 11