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Camel Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

Passive Verb Query

I'm doing a English course and one aspect is that I have to learn about passive and active verbs.

Obviously "The baby was fed" is passive since the subject of the sentence is being acted upon, but what about examples such as:

"Kate was overworked", "The premises staff cleaned the floor" and "the papers should be photocopied".

Sorry to sound so dumb, I can understand simple examples but I'm struggling to grasp identifying them by myself.

Thanks
  

Top answer

Camel "Kate was overworked", Maybe "passive" is the expected answer. But I'd like to take the pp "overworked" as an adj, and "was" as a linking verb. Camel "The premises staff cleaned the floor" active (I don't know what is premises staff ) Camel "the papers should be photocopied".

— Maple

  • Camel "Kate was overworked", Maybe "passive" is the expected answer.
  • But I'd like to take the pp "overworked" as an adj, and "was" as a linking verb.
  • Camel "The premises staff cleaned the floor" active (I don't know what is premises staff ) Camel "the papers should be photocopied".
  • passive
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5 Answers
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Camel "Kate was overworked",

Maybe "passive" is the expected answer. But I'd like to take the pp "overworked" as an adj, and "was" as a linking verb.
Camel "The premises staff cleaned the floor"
active (I don't know what is premises staff
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Kate was overworked; this is not passive voice since Kate was not acted upon. SV+ predicative adjective
The premises staff cleaned the floor. This is an active sentence where the verb is in past tense. SVO
The papers should be photocopied. This is a passive sentence: SV.
S = the papers = result (thing affected by the action); therefore, this sentence is passive
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Maple
Camel "Kate was overworked",
Maybe "passive" is the expected answer. But I'd like to take the pp "overworked" as an adj, and "was" as a linking verb.
Camel "The premises staff cleaned the floor"
active (I don't know what is premises staff
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Hi!

This is the closest meaning I've checked out for premises: office or building with the grounds belonging to it. Maybe that's it.
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by looking the meaning in the dictionary, I could say that First sentence is ok both way. Overvorked is an adj, or a verb

the meaning of the sentence same.
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