(active or passive voice) This sentence is quite confusing. I'm looking for the subject and verb but I'm not sure whether or not the sentence is in active or passive voice
2007-02-20 13:45:59 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
It is a passive sentance as the woods were inhabited -by- the Jersey devil
The subject is the woods
the action is inhavited by
Examples:
active - John ate the apples.
John, the subject, is the one performing the action of the verb.
passive - The apples were eaten by John.
The apples, the subject in this sentence, are receiving the action of the verb.
2007-02-20 13:51:21 · answer #1 · answered by Rocklyn80 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's passive. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Where is the action? Inhabited. Something is "inhabiting" something. There is another verb in there (is), but it isn't the main action (it's actually part of what makes this sentence passive).
2. WHO is inhabiting? Hmm... looks like that Jersey Devil is the one doing the inhabiting.
3. What is the Jersey Devil inhabiting? "One pine-forested area"
Now that we have the answers to those questions, you can identify the subject and verb. If the sentence is active, the answer to number 2 above SHOULD be the subject. Since it isn't, we know the sentence must be a passive sentence. The verb was identified in question 1 above.
You can make an active sentence (it's simplified) by putting the person or thing DOING the verb (inhabiting) in the subject place, by putting it in the front of the sentence:
The Jersey Devil inhabits one area.
One element that makes spotting some passive sentences easy is the "by," although in many cases, this is optional:
The ball was hit out of the park. (By the batter, obviously, although that information is not necessary for the sentence to be understood.)
2007-02-24 12:19:25 · answer #2 · answered by xgravity23 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ahh the good ole' Pine Barrens, thats where all the rednecks of NJ live. I stay away from that, I'll stick to the Jersey Shore and North Jersey. Sorry if my answer has nothing to do with anything, I saw NJ so I got all excited.
Everything is past tense BTW, its not happened at the exact moment, PASSIVE!
2007-02-20 13:57:06 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Passive
2007-02-20 13:49:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋