Learn English – “Receive” VS “Be Given”

active-voicepassive-voice

I have a question about the interchangeability of "receive" and "be given" in this context:

  1. He received substantial playing time in the game.
  2. He was given substantial playing time in the game.

It is well known that the active voice is preferred over the passive voice. So, sentence 1 seems to be better than sentence 2. But it seems that sentence 1 sounds (to my limited experience) weird compared to sentence 2. What do native speakers think? Should I use "receive" (active) or "be given" (passive)?

Best Answer

There's nothing particularly wrong with the first sentence.

However, if you feel it's not up to standards, dance around it: force the second sentence into the active voice:

The coach gave the player more playing minutes than the latter deserved in that game. Needless to say, the team lost, and, upon some reflection, the management fired the coach and gave the player a raise.

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