1. Dynamism and Reporting

2.  Sakuya pinched Meiling’s cheek.  Meiling’s cheek was pinched by Sakuya.  Do both sentences have the same meaning?  What’s the difference?  Which of the two seems to denote more action?

3. Sakuya pinched Meiling’s cheek. This is called the active voice. The subject of the sentence is the doer of the action. Denotes action and dynamism. Is meant to immerse the reader in the action. Is usually found in novels and stories. Meiling’s cheek was pinched by Sakuya. Passive voice. The subject of the sentence is instead the receiver of the action. Is meant to distance the reader from the action. Is usually found in news articles and lab reports.

4. Consider the following:  The angel struck down King Sennacherib’s army of 185,000 soldiers.  King Sennacherib’s army of 185,000 soldiers was struck down by the angel. ◦ What is the difference in the “feel” given by the sentences? ◦ The passive voice sometimes ends up slightly awkward, especially if the sentence is meant to be action-packed. ◦ It sounds like a news report, which is typically not very exciting if compared to a novel.

5. Consider the following:  The scientists mixed 500 ml of HCl into 1 liter of H 2 0.  500 ml of HCl was mixed into 1 liter of H 2 O.  In this case, the first sentence sounds awkward because it “tries” to be exciting, yet the presence of the chemical symbols and measurements makes it come off as unnecessarily detailed for a literary narration.  The second is more proper for a scientific lab report, as it has a more objective tone.