Using passive voice
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Passive voice in context | page 3 of 4 |
Changing the topic
Consider the passive clauses in the following extract:
Diana on the shelf
Hong Kong is still very much in the grip of "Dianamania" with the Urban Council now thinking of ordering Andrew Morton's instant bestseller, "Diana, Her True Story", for their libraries. But for those who've been trying to get hold of the English version which sold out in Hong Kong weeks ago - you'll still have to borrow friends' dog eared copies as the Urban Council would only stock the Cantonese version.
The book was translated into Cantonese and published last month and according to bookstores around town, sales have been going well.
(SCMP 16/9/92)
The first paragraph tells us something about Hong Kong - that it is in the grip of "Dianamania" - and something about those people who have been trying to get hold of the English version (of Diana, Her True Story) - that they won't be able to borrow the book from an Urban Council library. The paragraph therefore introduces Diana, Her True Story, but the book itself is not the topic of the paragraph.
The second paragraph, however, tells us something about the book - that it was translated into Cantonese, published last month and is selling well. The book is the topic of this paragraph, and the use of passive voice allows it to be placed in an appropriate position at the beginning of the first clause.
It is quite common for something to be introduced in one bit of text and then to become the topic of the next bit of text in this way.
Introduction
Changing the topic
