The passive voice in English is used when the focus is on the action. It doesn't matter how the action is performed or who or what performs it.
For example: My bike was stolen.
In the given example, the focus is on the fact that the bike was stolen. We don't know who stole it or how.
Sometimes a sentence in the passive voice is more polite than in the active voice – as in the following example:
A mistake was made.
In this case, the focus is on the fact that a mistake has been made, but we don't blame anyone.
In the following posts we will examine the passive voice in English in individual verb tenses:
- Present Simple Tense.
- Past Simple Tense.
- Will / Future.
- Present Perfect Tense.
- Progressive Tenses.
More articles on English grammar
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