1. Active and passive voice
Active voice is where the individual, animal or thing doing the action comes before
the verb.
The dog fetched the ball.
the one doing verb thing or person
the action it is done to
Passive voice is where the individual, animal or thing doing the action comes after
the verb.
The ball was fetched by the dog.
thing or person it verb the one doing
is done to the action
Generally, active voice is preferable. However, a writer may choose to use passive voice in a more
formal document or where there is a deliberate attempt to avoid stating who is responsible for an
action, eg: Your complaint has been received, but no decision has yet been reached about changing
the policy.
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