{"id":15651,"date":"2015-03-21T12:51:49","date_gmt":"2015-03-21T12:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eoisabi.org\/?p=15651"},"modified":"2020-12-05T23:17:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-05T23:17:43","slug":"passive-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/englishroam.com\/?p=15651","title":{"rendered":"Passive Voice"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a4  ACTIVE & PASSIVE TENSES CHART…  \u21d2 [01]<\/a> \u21d4  [02]<\/a> \u21d0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

We find an overabundance of the passive voice in sentences created by self-\"\"protective business interests, magniloquent educators, and bombastic military writers (who must get weary of this accusation), who use the passive voice to avoid responsibility for actions taken.<\/p>\n

Thus \u00abCigarette ads were designed to appeal especially to children\u00bb<\/em> places the burden on the ads \u2014 as opposed to \u00abWe<\/em> designed the cigarette ads to appeal especially to children,\u00bb in which \u00abwe\u00bb<\/em> accepts responsibility.<\/p>\n

At a White House press briefing we might hear that \u00abThe President was advised that certain members of Congress were being audited\u00bb<\/em> rather than \u00abThe Head of the Internal Revenue service<\/em> advised the President that her agency was auditing certain members of Congress\u00bb because the passive construction avoids responsibility for advising and for auditing.<\/p>\n

One further caution about the passive voice: we should not<\/strong> mix active and passive constructions in the same sentence: \u00abThe executive committee approved the new policy, and the calendar for next year’s meetings was revised\u00bb should be recast as \u00abThe executive committee approved the new policy and revised the calendar for next year’s meeting.\u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>    That’s a quotation from . . .<\/p>\n

 \u2194 http:\/\/grammar.ccc.commnet.edu\/grammar\/passive.htm<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

   Go there \u2191 for more explanations, charts and a quiz<\/p>\n

\u25ca  Easy introduction to Passive  \u2193<\/h5>\n