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In sentences with passive verbs, the subject receives the action: it is not
the "doer" of the verb's action. For that reason, the passive is most often used when the verb and the object are known, but the subject is either
unknown or unimportant. In situations such
as this, the emphasis is on
the object.
Examples:
A cure for cancer has not yet been discovered. (unknown subject, emphasis on the
object)
Bob's car was stolen yesterday. (unknown subject, emphasis on the
object)
Tomorrow's Hint isn't yet written. (unimportant
subject, emphasis on the object)
This Hint is being created on a Mac. (unimportant
subject, emphasis on the object)
The Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago.
(unknown subject, emphasis
on the object)
Fluorescent lamps were invented in 1938. (unknown subject,
emphasis on the object)
The modern Olympic Games have been held since
1896. (unknown subject, emphasis on the
object)
The 250th birthday of the
U.S. will be celebrated in 2026. (unknown subject, emphasis on the object)
In 1960, the Internet hadn't yet been invented. (unknown subject, emphasis on the
object)
In January 2003, the seventh
anniversary of Dave's ESL Cafe
will have been
observed. (unknown subject, emphasis on the object)
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Special Notes:
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"Unimportant subject," above, means that
the subject is not important in the sentence.
In other words, the
speaker or writer chooses
to emphasize the verb and the object even
if the actual subject is known. |
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| 2. |
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"Unknown subject," above, can also mean
that there is a subject, but the identity
of the subject is not known, or that the identity
of the subject is very general--such as "people." |
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