Friday, 26 June 2015

grammar - How to change a passive sentence having transitive verb to active voice?

Part of the problem is the difference between open and opened. The first is an adjective meaning




not closed or barred: the door is open




The second is a participle, a verb form




to move (as a door) from a closed position




As a verb it can be active




He opened the door




It can be passive




The door was opened by him




Using your original sentence, the better form would be




The door is open




In this case, the verb is does not really convey active or passive. Rather, it is a state of being. There is no action. The predicate adjective makes sense.



If you want to emphasize the action, you need an actor.




The door was opened by him




or




He opened the door




In these cases, opened is part of the verb conveying the action of opening rather than the state of being open.

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