passive sentences

What are passive sentences?

Sentences can be passive or active.

Most sentences are active. Active sentences normally have a subject, a verb and an object, and the subject of the verb does the action the verb expresses.

subject
active verb
object
 
The police arrested 20 people at the demonstration.
Dr John Pemberton invented Coca Cola in 1886.


To form a passive sentence, you put the object of the active verb at the front of the sentence, you use a passive verb form, and you put the person who does the action after the verb. You use by to indicate the person who does the action.

subject
passive verb
person who does action
 
20 people were arrested by the police at the demonstration.
Coca Cola was invented by Dr John Pemberton in 1886.

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