Can you tell me why these sentencies are passive and how i can change them so that they are "active". The parts in parenthises abouve each sentence is the part that Microsoft Word is telling me is passive.
2006-11-12 09:15:08 · 3 answers · asked by LITTLE GREEN GOD 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Other - Education
(can't be predicted or controlled)
*The genetically modified organisms can spread through nature and interbreed with regular organisms, messing up non-‘GE’ environments and future generations in ways that can’t be predicted or controlled.*
(are reserved)
They’re tampering with powers that are reserved for God and crossing a boundary not meant to be crossed.
(can be used)
A number of people against genetic engineering believe some of the processes of obtaining stem cells and ways they can be used are ethically questionable.
2006-11-12 09:15:40 · update #1
do i even need to change them? my teacher said its ok to have some passive sentences in cerian kinds of writing for their "effect", but you don't want to over do it.
i'm writing a persuasive essay and i don't know wether or not to change these or leave them. as wells as how to change them if i need to.
2006-11-12 10:03:34 · update #2
The passive voice is used without a subject (do-er), usually because the subject is unknown, unimportant or obvious. For example 'He was arrested'. In this case, he is the object (the person having something done to him). The subject would probably be the police (obvious subject so it is omitted).
'can't be predicted or controlled' is passive so to make it active, we need a subject so maybe 'messing up non--‘GE’ environments and future generations in ways that we(or people or scientists) cannot predict or control.
This one sounds much better staying in the passive but you could say 'They’re tampering with powers that someone (people,nature) reserve for God and crossing a boundary not meant to be crossed. ('not meant to be crossed' is also passive here)
A number of people against genetic engineering believe some of the processes of obtaining stem cells and ways people (or scientists or society use then) are ethically questionable.
These sentences all sound better in the passive because this sounds like a formal text and passive is often used in formal/scientific/academic writing. Sorry about the convoluted explanation. It's difficult to explain in writing.
2006-11-12 09:36:40 · answer #1 · answered by Katya-Zelen 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Passive voice conveys that the subject of the sentence is on the receiving end of the action that the verb implies, as opposed to active voice, in which the subject of the sentence performs the action.
Example:
Active voice: God reserved the powers that they are tampering with. They are crossing a boundary not meant to be crossed.
Passive voice:They’re tampering with powers that are reserved for God and crossing a boundary not meant to be crossed.
active voice: I sent a message to you
passive voice: A message was sent to you by me
2006-11-12 09:23:14 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your two previous answerers have both hit the nail on the head with their definitions. MS Word hates the passive voice, for some reason. Ignore it. Every time it tells me that, I say, "Yes, so it is. I wrote it that way on purpose.".
(I know you shouldn't animise computers, as they really hate it, but I can't help it!)
2006-11-12 10:03:05 · answer #3 · answered by ~jve~ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋