What is passive voice?

Definition
	Passive voice is a voice that indicates that the subject is the patient or recipient of the action denoted by the verb.

Example (English)
	Here is an example of a construction in passive voice:
	The man was nudged by a passer-by.
	The above example contrasts with the one below, which is in active voice:
	A passer-by nudged the man.

Kind
	Here is a kind of passive voice:
	What is mediopassive voice?

Generic
	Passive voice is a kind of
	What is voice?

Sources
	Crystal 1980 259
	Pei and Gaynor 1954 161
	Hartmann and Stork 1972 252
	Nida 1949 1689
	Mish 1991 860
	Crystal 1985 222

Context for this page:

Concept module: passive voice
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): P
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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