Explanations
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Using passive voice to organise information | page 3 of 4 |
The use of passive voice in How do plants survive drought?
The following text from a geography textbook tells how a natural phenomenon occurs. The
words in bold are verbs in passive voice 
.
How do plants survive drought?
| 1. | Long Roots. Plants must find water to survive. They live by taking
in water through their roots. The water also carries minerals from the soil into the
plants. As a result, those plants with long roots usually survive best. Some roots of
small plants are as long as two metres. |
| 2. | Short Life Cycle. After rain, the water often evaporates in a few
days. Plants must grow, flower and produce seeds in the few days which follow rain.
Because it does not rain very often, seeds must survive until the next time it rains. As a
result, seeds often have a hard shell. |
| 3. | Thick Stems. The plants in the desert must not lose too much
water. They develop special features in order to live in the dry conditions. An example of
a plant which adapts to drought is the cactus. It has a large stem which can store water. |
| 4. | Spiny Leaves. Plants live by taking in sunlight through their leaves. However, plants also lose water through very small holes in their leaves in a process called transpiration. If transpiration is faster than water is supplied, plants die. Therefore, instead of normal leaves, plants in the desert have spiny leaves, which lose less water than normal leaves. |
(Adapted from Stimpson, P. (1995) Patterns in Geography 2, Third Edition. Jing Kung Educational Press, pp 122-123.)
Introduction The use of passive voice in Cement 
The use of passive voice in How do plants survive drought? The use of passive voice in Immediate cause of revolution: The railway issue
