How can we report ideas and facts with the passive voice?
Two types of passive constructions exist: action passives and non-action passives. While action passives show actions, non-action passives express findings, ideas, beliefs, opinions, and facts.
The ingredients for the potion were put into the cauldron. (The action is that the ingredients were put into the cauldron)
A person's smile is considered to be one of the most important facial features. (This sentence expresses the findings of the mouth)
Non-action passives
We use non-action passives for reporting the news and in academic writing. These sentences are formed with be + past participle. Some common non-action passive verbs that are used to report ideas, beliefs, and opinions are "think", "consider", "regard", "say", "allege", "believe", "claim", and "suggest".
Ice hockey is regarded as Canada's favorite pastime.
Nutritionists have suggested that eating pomegranates is good for your heart.
Non-action passives can take a "by" phrase, as seen in the example below:
People who have alcoholism are often regarded by society as unapproachable.
Unlock full access by logging in. Registered users can explore the entire lesson and more.