active or passive voice

Question

EX.'The troops lay in the ambush in the dense wood''The troops were laid in the ambush in the dense wood'Which one is correct?? i think The troops is object and much prefer the second one.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

bmojtaba'The troops lay in the ambush in the dense wood'

This is in active voice, simple past tense. (It can't be "converted" to passive voice, because "to lie" is an intransitive verb.)

bmojtaba'The troops were laid in the ambush in the dense wood'

I suppose this works as passive voice, but it would be uncommon.
It would mean that the officers in charge had figuratively laid them there.

Note that "to lie in ambush" is a fixed expression, or idiom, and the article is not used.
"To be laid in ambush" is a stretch. I won't say it's impossible.
Sometimes the words in an idiom can simply be used in their "dictionary" meanings."
You can use "the ambush" just as you would use "the trap." The ambush was carefully laid/planned.

You can use the active voice, past continuous tense: The troops were lying in ambush in the dense wood.

Bmojtaba · Answer

thank you for your good answers,what about 'place' & 'reserve' in the following sentences:

EX.

'A quota of jobs placed on the number of people'

'A qouta of jobs reserved for students for college students.'

I think 'were placed' ' & ' were reserved' ' are correct......

Avangi · Answer

bmojtaba'A quota of jobs placed on the number of people'

I'm not sure what your intended meaning is here. (Of course, it's not a sentence.)

A quota of jobs based on the number of people? ("Based on the number of people" is a participial phrase.)
"The quota was based on the number of people." ("Was based" is a passive voice verb. This is a sentence.)

"A quota of jobs were reserved for college students." is a correct passive voice sentence.
("Were reserved" is a passive verb.)

The jobs reserved for college students have all been taken. In this case, "reserved" functions as an adjective.
(It would be more accurate to say that the participial phrase "reserved for college students" functions adjectivally.)

"A quota of jobs were placed on reserve for college students." also works.

As an aside, I find this exact use of "quota" to be a bit unnatural. I'm not saying it's necessarily incorrect.
I'm more comfortable with "a number of jobs were placed etc." (or "were reserved etc.")

We say things like "The job quota has been met." "What is the quota for jobs [to be] reserved for college students?"
I tend to think of a quota as a formula, or percentage; although it can also be a specific number.
("the/a quota of" doesn't seem quite right.)

Bmojtaba · Answer

I have found above examples in 504 absoloutely essential book ....and the full examples for the word quota are as follows:

There was a quota placed on the number of people who could migrate here from China.
The company revealed a quota of jobs reserved for college students

I think in above examples were palced on& were reserved are correct ,what do u think??

BarbaraPA · Answer

bmojtabaI have found above examples in 504 absoloutely essential book ....and the full examples for the word quota are as follows:

There was a quota placed on the number of people who could migrate here from China.

The company revealed a quota of jobs reserved for college students

I think in above examples were palced on& were reserved are correct ,what do u think??

Those examples are correct.

In the first one, someone - the government? We don't know who did it - placed the quota. This is in the passive.
The second example is not passive - the "reserved for college students" modifies the word "jobs."

Bmojtaba · Answer

I got it ,thank you very much

active or passive voice

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