passive voice

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Contents

[edit] English

[edit] Noun

Examples
  • "The ball was kicked by Fred." (as opposed to "Fred kicked the ball.")

passive voice

  1. (grammar) The form of a transitive verb in which its subject receives the action.
    The passive voice is sometimes criticized for de-emphasizing the actor.
    Many languages, including English, use auxiliary verbs in constructing the passive voice.
  2. (proscribed) Any construction that obscures the agent of an action, or the agency of said agent.

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[edit] Translations