Passive Voice

Example

Explanation

Popcorn is sold in movie theaters.
Old movies were filmed in black and white.
Many movies have been made in Hollywood.

Passive verb = a form of be + past participle

 

Active: the children saw the movie.

Passive: the movie was seen by the children.

 

Compare active and passive. The object of the active sentence ( movie ) is the subject of the passive sentence.

If the agent of the action ( the person who performs the action ) is mentioned, it follows by.

Exercise 1: Read the following sentences. Decide if the sentence is active or passive.

1. The actress received an Oscar.

Active
Passive

2. The actress was given an Oscar.

Active
Passive

3. Many actros live in California.

Active
Passive




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