I sent is active

answer send in my email addres:wahhab4320@yahoo.com

1. Kerrie has paid the bill.
2. I have eaten a hamburger.
3. We have cycled five miles.
4. I have opened the present.
5. They have not read the book.
6. You have not sent the parcel.
7. We have not agreed to this issue.
8. They have not caught the thieves.
9. Has she phoned him?
10. Have they noticed us?

should i change the ‘Listen to’ to something else? i am not sure if that is active or passive? if i need to change it, what to???

thanks for your input……….

Glad to see you’re enjoying the Grok! Just a point of clarification, though… We’re not recommending people use the passive voice example. So, it’s not a solution we’re providing; rather, it’s an example of what NOT to do.

For the examples in passive voice, we’re providing an active voice solution. For the examples already in the active voice, we’re showing count-examples. I see how the layout makes it a bit confusing, though.

(By the way, your explanation of why that sentence is broken was much more elegant and thorough than our framing it only in terms of passive/active voice. Just trying to keep it simple!)

-Robert
Blog Ediot

However, there’s a minor problem with your solution to 3.b.:

“Writing it in passive voice: To quickly provide a solution to your request, you will be contacted via email or by telephone by the first available specialist within one business day.”

Stated thusly, the introductory phrase with the implied subordinator of purpose “(In order) to quickly provide a solution to your request” is confusing– the subject usually follows it, but the reader (”you”) is not going to provide a solution to his own request.

I’d recommend dropping the phrase altogether, for clarity (or relegating it to a separate sentence).

You will be contacted via email or by telephone by the first available specialist within one business day.

That’s what happens when you change subjects in a sentence with a subordinator of purpose. “In order to” phrases usually refer to why subject A does action B. When you change subject A, and make the action passive, the phrase breaks down.

Ach, the hazards of constructing copy!

Dig your articles, btw– I read them as time allows via RSS on my LJ FP.