open

Question

What is the difference between1. The door opened.2. The door was opened.                                                 ?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

The first is active voice and the 2nd is passive voice.

Contraposition · Answer

I already know grammatical facts. What is the different in connotation and nuance?

Mister Micawber · Answer

None: they are what they are.  The door opened or someone opened the door.  Please review the uses of active and passive voice.

Anonymous · Answer

Hello, Contraposition:

Here is how I interpret your sentences.

1. The door opened. = I was walking to the hotel entrance. A few feet before I reached the door, the door opened.

As you know, the doors of many big buildings have sensors. If the sensors "see" that a person is approaching, the

door will automatically open. ***** Here's another way to use No. 1. I went to visit a friend. I was ready to knock on

the door when the door opened. My friend had looked out the window and had seen me approaching, so he opened the door before

I had to knock on it. (As you know, "opened" is the past tense of "open.")

2. The door was opened. = I was walking toward the door of a bank. Mona saw me. She was thinking: "Look at that

old man. He must be 100 years old. I am going open the door for him." So I did not have to open the door because

the door was opened for me by Mona.(As you know, "was opened" is the passive of "opened.")

*****

3. The door was open. = Be very careful. "Open" here is not a verb. It is an adjective. It describes the condition of the

door. Let's say that Martha opened the door two hours ago, but she did not close it. So when I arrived, the door was

still open. I just walked in. ***** When you call a restaurant, you would ask: "Are you open?" The manager might

answer, "Sorry! We closed 15 minutes ago."

HAVE A NICE DAY!

CalifJim · Answer

contraposition What is the difference between1. The door opened.2. The door was opened. ?

1. The door did this by itself automatically (like an elevator door) or in a situation where the cause of the opening was unseen.
2. Someone opened the door.

CJ

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