Here is the structure of the Passive Voice: subject + auxiliary verb (be) + main verb (past participle).
After you have finished reading the structure read the short story, "Haunted House" and try to work out what the constructions in bold and italics mean.
Sometimes a modal verb can be used before the auxiliary verb: subject + modal verb (could)+ auxiliary verb (be) + main verb (past participle)
We use the passive when:
- we want to make the active object more important
- we do not know the active subject
English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England. Around 375 million people speak English as their first language, making it the largest language by number of native speakers after Mandarin Chinese.
However, when combining native and non-native speakers, English is the most commonly spoken language in the world. It is claimed that non-native speakers now outnumber native speakers by a ratio of three to one. Read the rest of the story, "English Around the World" here and get a free
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