Question

For clarity, writing instructors urge students to use the active voice. The passive voice, however, can be appropriate when describing a process or in scientific writing. Which sentence below uses the passive tense to describe a process? A. Professor Darwin gave Cindy an A. B. Cindy was given an A by Professor Darwin. C. The first coat of paint is applied after the primer dries. D. Apply the first coat of paint after the primer dries.

Answer 1

Sentence 'B' (Cindy was given an A by Professor Darwin) is in the passive voice because the phrase "was given" is used, thereby making the subject (Cindy) of the sentence acted upon by the verb rather than having the subject perform an action on the verb.