Which option describes passive voice in a sentence?
1. The sentence uses present tense verbs.
2. The sentence uses past tense verbs.
3. The subject is acted upon by the verb.
4. The subject performs action stated by the verb.
3. The subject is acted upon by the verb.
Option 3 describes passive voice in a sentence.
The option that describes passive voice in a sentence is option 3: "The subject is acted upon by the verb."
In passive voice sentences, the subject is not performing the action stated by the verb; rather, the subject is being acted upon or receiving the action. This often results in a shift in focus from the subject to the object.
To identify if a sentence is in passive voice, you can follow these steps:
1. Look for a form of the verb "to be" (e.g., is, am, are, was, were, has been, have been, will be, etc.) followed by a past participle (typically ending in -ed or -en).
2. Determine if the subject is receiving the action rather than performing it.
For example, in the sentence "The cake was baked by Mary," the subject (the cake) is being acted upon (baked) by the verb. Therefore, this sentence is in passive voice.