Grammar Guide

Active and Passive voice Events may be related in the active or the passive voice. In the passive, the person or thing receiving the action becomes the grammatical subject.

For example (the entity receiving the action is in boldface): active voice: Eric Rohmer made this film. passive voice: This film was made by Eric Rohmer.

One forms the passive by conjugating the verb "to be" before the past participle of the principal verb. the tense of the verb "to be" will determine the tense of action. When an agent of the action (that is, the person or entity performing the action) must be described, one does so by using the preposition "by": This industry will soon be developed in the third world.

Sorry, but this car has been purchased by another customer.

English uses the passive voice frequently, although it is best to avoid it when possible. An option is to use an impersonal subject, such as "one" or "someone" (passive voice): This job needs to be done. (active voice): Someone needs to do this job.

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