Kyoto was spared much of the bombing

[LewisJian]

Because Kyoto was spared much of the bombing during World War II, many historic buildings have remained in it to this day.


Hi,
The above is from a textbook for high school kids here. Is it right to rewrite it as the following? If not, how should I change it into the active voice sentence? Thanks.

Because they spared Kyoto much of the bombing during ...

 

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:

Because the bombers hit Kyoto to a minor extent compared to other Japanese cities, many historic buildings remain standing to this day.

 

[Tdol]

The active is OK, but I prefer the passive as the focus is on Kyoto.

Kyoto wasn't included on the list of possible targets for the atom bombs because someone in the US command had honeymooned there.

 

[GoesStation]

Because Kyoto was spared much of the bombing during World War II, many historic buildings have remained in it to this day.


Hi,
The above is from a textbook for high school kids here. Is it right to rewrite it as the following? If not, how should I change it into the active voice sentence? Thanks.

Because they spared Kyoto much of the bombing during ...

You would have to explain who they were.

 

[LewisJian]

To make sure I understand it completely, does the following sound right and about the same with the original sentence to you? Thanks,

Because the bombers spared Kyoto much of the bombing during World War II, many historic buildings have remained in it to this day.

 

[engee30]

Here, we still don't know which bombers you mean. Beleve it or not, but the passive voice in this particular context serves like a prime example for using it, the passive. It just fits there perfectly.

 

[Raymott]

Because Kyoto was spared the bombing, no-one bombed it. Since no-one bombed it, it's not necessary or relevant to the theme of the sentence to explain who didn't bomb Kyoto.

 

[Tdol]

There are many cases where the passive is better than the active, and this is clearly one.