You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post. Please note, all posts are moderated by our in-house language experts, so make sure your suggestions, help, and advice house the kind of information an international language teacher would offer. If not, and your posts do not contribute to the topic in a positive way, they will be subject to deletion.
When I write' Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in the year 1975',Microsoft Word prompts me to change it to' Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in the year 1975'. What is the matter?
Last edited by balakrishnanijk; 11-Oct-2007 at 14:21.
Reason: spelling
Nothing is wrong. It's just that many teachers and writers prefer the active voice, and that is how MS Word is programmed. Take for example the classic song "I Heard it Through the Grapevine." The title is stated in the active voice. In the passive voice, it becomes "It Was Heard by Me through the Grapevine" which is far more wordy and not nearly as succinct.
passive and active 
Linear Mode
