Passive Voice

The passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence receives the action of the verb rather than performing the action themselves. In a passive sentence, the subject is usually the receiver of the action, while the doer of the action may be mentioned using the preposition "by" or omitted altogether.

Identifying the Passive Voice

To identify a sentence in the passive voice, there are a few key indicators to look for:

1. The sentence starts with the object or receiver of the action.
2. The verb is in a passive form, typically using a form of the verb "to be" (e.g., is, am, are, was, were, has been, have been, etc.) followed by the past participle of the main verb.
3. The subject performing the action may be mentioned using the preposition "by" or may be left out.

Example Sentences

Let's analyze each option to determine which one is an example of a sentence in the passive voice:

a) The students were taught well by the teacher.
- This sentence starts with the object "The students" and uses the passive form "were taught" to indicate that the students received the action of being taught. The subject performing the action, "the teacher," is mentioned using the preposition "by." Therefore, this sentence is in the passive voice.

b) The teacher taught the students well.
- This sentence starts with the subject "The teacher" and uses the active form "taught" to indicate that the teacher performed the action of teaching. The subject is the doer of the action, so this sentence is in the active voice.

c) The students learn from the teacher.
- This sentence starts with the object "The students" and uses the active form "learn" to indicate that the students are actively engaged in learning. The subject is the doer of the action, so this sentence is in the active voice.

d) The teacher will teach a new lesson tomorrow.
- This sentence starts with the subject "The teacher" and uses the active form "will teach" to indicate a future action. The subject is the doer of the action, so this sentence is in the active voice.

Conclusion

After analyzing each option, it is clear that option A, "The students were taught well by the teacher," is the only example that fits the criteria for a sentence in the passive voice. This sentence starts with the object, uses the passive form "were taught," and includes the subject performing the action using the preposition "by."