Is aimed /aims

Question

HiCould you tell me the difference between them?A reform movement is aimed at changing limited spaces of a society.A reform movement aims to changing limited spaces of society.My questions:I think the difference is primarily to do with active and passive voice.Are the actors in the first sentence the members who constitute the movement?And, in the second sentence, does the term" reform movement" denote the members who constitute it?

Teechr · Accepted Answer

vsuresh
Hi.
Could you tell me the difference between ~~them~~ the following?
A reform movement is aimed at changing ~~limited spaces of~~ norms in a society.
A reform movement aims to ~~changing~~ change ~~limited spaces of~~ perceptions in a society.

My questions:
I think the difference is primarily to do with active and passive voice.
Are the actors in the first sentence the members who constitute the movement?
And, in the second sentence, does the term" reform movement" denote the members who constitute it?

Note that "aims to changing" is incorrect.

Otherwise, yes, the first is a passive structure, and the second is active. I don't understand your supplementary questions.

CalifJim · Answer

vsureshI think the difference is primarily to do with active and passive voice.

As 'is aimed' is the passive of 'aims', certainly voice is a factor. However, the two sentences have the same subject, so they can't be a true example of an active-passive pair of sentences, as you already know.

"the movement is aimed at" stresses that the purpose of the movement is to change something (whatever it is they want to change).
"the movement aims at" emphasizes the desire of the movement's members to put their energy into changing something (whatever it is they want to change).

You might say that the first example is a weaker statement; the second example is stronger. The first example seems to make the charter or written constitution of the movement the subject of the sentence. It is this (inanimate, nonagentive) set of principles that is aimed. The second example seems to make the people who belong to the movement the subject, so the subject is more truly agentive in the second case. It is the people who aim.

CJ

Is aimed /aims

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