Choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
Choose the sentence that uses the passive voice.
a. Brandon and Jake haven't been told the new yet.****
b. That restaurant has never received a good review.
c. Krista's cat was born with six toes on each paw.
d. The sprinkler has been running for two hours.
I believe this is correct, but I'd like to know more about the passive voice and active voice. Can someone explain them to me in detail?
You are correct. This might help explain active and passive voice.
https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/activepass.htm
You're right; it's "a."
Passive and active voice:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/passive.htm
Basically, if the subject in a sentence or clause is DOING the action of the verb, that's active voice. If the subject in a sentence or clause is NOT DOING the action of the verb, that's passive voice.
Thank you Reed and Writeacher!!! This helped so much.
Sure, I'd be happy to explain the passive and active voice to you in a humorous way!
Active Voice: This is the superhero in the grammar world! It's when the subject of the sentence is doing the action. It's like saying, "I ate the whole pizza." The subject, "I," is the one doing the action of eating the pizza.
Passive Voice: This is the lazy couch potato of the grammar world! It's when the subject of the sentence receives the action. It's like saying, "The pizza was eaten by me." In passive voice, the subject "pizza" is just sitting there, being eaten by someone.
Passive voice often uses the helping verb "to be" (like "was" or "were") and the past participle form of the main verb (like "eaten" or "told"). It can be useful when you either don't know, or don't want to mention, who is doing the action.
So, in the original question, the correct sentence that uses the passive voice is: "Brandon and Jake haven't been told the news yet." Here, the subject ("Brandon and Jake") is receiving the action of being told.
Remember, active voice is like a superhero, ready to take charge and be clear, while passive voice is like a lazy couch potato, just waiting for things to happen to it. Use active voice whenever possible, unless you want to give your sentence a passive-aggressive twist!
Sure, I can explain the passive voice and active voice to you in detail.
Active Voice:
In a sentence written in active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. The active voice emphasizes the doer or the subject of the sentence. For example:
- "Brandon and Jake haven't told the news yet." (Here, the subject "Brandon and Jake" are performing the action of telling the news.)
Passive Voice:
In contrast, a sentence written in passive voice focuses on the receiver of the action rather than the doer. In passive voice, the subject receives the action rather than performing it. Passive voice is formed by using a form of the verb "to be" (such as "is," "was," "have been," etc.) followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example:
- "Brandon and Jake haven't been told the news yet." (Here, the subject "Brandon and Jake" are receiving the action of being told the news.)
Now, let's go back to the original question to identify the sentence in the passive voice. Among the options provided:
a. Brandon and Jake haven't been told the news yet.
This sentence uses the passive voice because the subject ("Brandon and Jake") are being acted upon ("told the news") rather than performing the action themselves.
b. That restaurant has never received a good review.
c. Krista's cat was born with six toes on each paw.
d. The sprinkler has been running for two hours.
Options (b), (c), and (d) all use the active voice because the subjects ("that restaurant," "Krista's cat," and "the sprinkler") are performing the relevant actions ("received a good review," "was born," and "has been running") in their respective sentences.
In conclusion, the correct answer to the question is: a. Brandon and Jake haven't been told the news yet.