Learn English – Is the following sentence in the passive voice

passive-voice

I'm curious if the sentence below is in the passive voice and if the tense of the passive is correct.

The Pediatrician will want to see whether the grasp of your baby is
being developed well.

If it is passive voice, is it possible to rearrange this sentence into the active voice?

Best Answer

It is hard to understand why the second clause of the sentence is in passive voice: maybe the context would make it clear. Does the baby have developmental issues, and needs help from a physiotherapist to develop its grasp?

When you turn an active voice sentence to passive voice, the subject of the active voice sentence (the doer, known as the agent in a passive voice sentence) does not appear in the passive voice sentence unless you add a by .. phrase. Your sentence does not have a by phrase, so we do not know who the agent is: the baby, the parent, a healthcare professional?

Fortunately, you can turn this particular sentence to active voice without specifying the agent, by making grasp the subject of the clause.

The Pediatrician will want to see whether the grasp of your baby is developing well.

or even..

The Pediatrician will want to see whether your baby's grasp is developing well.

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