These are word's grammars related to passive. Click on any word to go to its word's detail page. Or, go to the definition of passive.
We use the terms active voice and passive voice to talk about ways of organising the content of a clause:
We use the preposition by to introduce the doer or the agent of the action. We use this structure when the agent is important:
Passive structures without an agent are very common. We use these structures when an agent is not important, or is unknown or obvious:
Using the passive allows the speaker or writer to make choices about what is important.
Other structures that have passive characteristics are the get-passive and get/have something done:
There are a number of ways in which we can arrange subjects, verbs, objects, complements and adjuncts within a clause. Depending on how we arrange them, we can focus on certain elements over others, especially if we arrange them in an unusual way.
There are a number of options which we can use to add emphasis or focus within a clause.
10 Indirect object versus prepositional complement
When we talk about someone receiving something, we can express it using the typical word order: indirect object (io) + direct object (do).
Active voice is the typical word order. That is when we put the subject (the doer) first, followed by the new information (which is the focus):
Cleft means ‘divided’ and in a cleft sentence a single message is divided across two clauses. We use cleft sentences, especially in speaking, to connect what is already understood to what is new to the listener. By doing this we can focus on the new information. There are different types of cleft sentence.
14 Passive: active and passive
We use the terms active voice and passive voice to talk about ways of organising the content of a clause:
We use the preposition by to introduce the doer or the agent of the action. We use this structure when the agent is important:
Passive structures without an agent are very common. We use these structures when an agent is not important, or is unknown or obvious:
Using the passive allows the speaker or writer to make choices about what is important.
Other structures that have passive characteristics are the get-passive and get/have something done:
There are a number of ways in which we can arrange subjects, verbs, objects, complements and adjuncts within a clause. Depending on how we arrange them, we can focus on certain elements over others, especially if we arrange them in an unusual way.
There are a number of options which we can use to add emphasis or focus within a clause.
23 Indirect object versus prepositional complement
When we talk about someone receiving something, we can express it using the typical word order: indirect object (io) + direct object (do).
Active voice is the typical word order. That is when we put the subject (the doer) first, followed by the new information (which is the focus):
Cleft means ‘divided’ and in a cleft sentence a single message is divided across two clauses. We use cleft sentences, especially in speaking, to connect what is already understood to what is new to the listener. By doing this we can focus on the new information. There are different types of cleft sentence.
