[Grammar] Would you mind telling me how to use passive voice correctly?

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improver

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I have questions of these following sentences.

Senior students should be blamed.
Senior students should be criticized.
Senior students should be accused.
Senior students should be charged.

Which one is correct or all these sentences are wrong?

I know that all verbs have vt and vi.
I don't know how to identify the use of such a verb completing the sentence.Thanks:up:
 

bhaisahab

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Re: Would you mind telling me how to use of passive voice correctly?

I have questions of these following sentences.

Senior students should be blamed.
Senior students should be criticized.
Senior students should be accused.
Senior students should be charged.

Which one is correct or all these sentences are wrong?

I know that all verbs have vt and vi
I don't know how to identify the use of such a verb completing the sentence.

Thanks:up:

They are all correct sentences but they are not passive voice.
 

improver

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Re: Would you mind telling me how to use of passive voice correctly?

They are all correct sentences but they are not passive voice.

They are active voice?
Actually, why they are not passive voice?
The following sentence is passive voice or not?
Divorce has been on the increase all over the world over the past decade.
 

Barb_D

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Re: Would you mind telling me how to use of passive voice correctly?

Well, I must disagree with my colleague (a rare thing) because I think they are passive. They feel incomplete, though, unless the context makes it quite clear. Accused of what? Criticized for what? Blamed for what?

Your last sentence in post #3 is not passive. No one is "increasing" the divorce rate; it's happening on its own.
 

improver

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Re: Would you mind telling me how to use of passive voice correctly?

In fact, I really don't know how to write a sentence with passive voice.
However, these following sentences are passive voice or not?

Senior students should be criticized for speaking bad language .

Tony is taught by me.

Thanks
 

Barb_D

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Re: Would you mind telling me how to use of passive voice correctly?

In fact, I really don't know how to write a sentence with passive voice.
However, these following sentences are passive voice or not?

Senior students should be criticized for [strike]speaking[strike] using bad language .

Tony is taught by me.

Thanks

There is rarely a need to write in the passive.
You need to when you don't know who did someting. "The vase was broken while you boys were playing in the living room." (Actually, you could say "One of you boys must have broken the vase.")

You can when you want to hide who did something. "Mistakes were made, but we are ensuring they won't be repeated."

You should when the recipeint of the action is more important than the doer. "Maria was hit by a car! She's going to be okay, but she's really banged up."

As for you examples, who should be doing the criticizing? Is it a command? A suggestion? "We should be more aware of the bad language our students are using, and criticize them when we hear them using it." "We should criticize our students when we hear them use bad language."

The second is very awkward. "Tony is one of my students," if you need to emphasize Tony. "I teach Tony" if you want a simple statement.
 
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