Passive voice or adjective

gramcram

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Joined
Jun 20, 2025
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Armenian
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Armenia
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Armenia
Hello everyone!
I need a thorough explanation whether these sentences are of passive construction or the participles are adjectives!

📌 Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” is one of the most performed works in literary history.
📌 The Louvre Museum in Paris is the most visited museum in the world.
Thank you
 
Last edited:
I need a thorough explanation whether these sentences are of passive construction or the participals are adjectives!
For what purpose? Is this a homework assignment?
 
For what purpose? Is this a homework assignment?
This is taken from a test and the sentences were considered to be passive construction .
 
This is taken from a test and the sentences were considered to be passive construction .
Why don't you have a go first? Tell us how you think they are passive.
 
Why don't you have a go first? Tell us how you think they are passive.
Hello!
Thanks for the feedback!
Actually, this is not a home assignment, it's been taken from a test. The problem is that the sentence - Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” is one of the most performed works in literary history. - was considered to be a passive construction, which I don't agree with. Could you please give me a detailed explanation whether it is or is not one?
Thank you!
 
Hello!
Thanks for the feedback!
Actually, this is not a homeWORK assignment, it's been taken from a test. The problem is that the sentence - Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” is one of the most performed works in literary history. - IS considered to be a passive construction, which I don't agree with. Could you please give me a detailed explanation whether it is or is not one?
[...]
I'm not sure why it's considered passive. Is it because the verb "is" is in there? 🤔
 
Moderators: In case you missed it, this is practically speaking a duplicate of another live thread.
 
I would ask myself (which I did) what is the active voice version. In other words, if that one is passive voice, what is active voice? To me it would be the one they are calling passive voice. The presence of "is" does not make the sentence passive voice. Instead, it's something else. (That something else isn't coming to me right now. 🤔)

Active voice: I saw Johnny running down the street.
Passive voice: Johnny was seen (by me) running down the street.
 

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