Anonymous  +  487773 Wed, 12 Mar 08 04:57 AM Are these sentences in passive tense? How can I tell ? 1) Rick Martin was appointed to the group's executive committee. 2) Beijing tightens safety inspections. Japanese  importers are  worried this may reduce seafood supplies Anonymous Tenses

	Mister Micawber  +  487781 Wed, 12 Mar 08 05:22 AM  .1) Rick Martin was appointed to the group's executive committee. -- Passive.  An agent of the action can easily be inferred (...was appointed [by the chairman]...).  The action, not the condition is the point of the statement. 2)  Japanese importers are worried this may reduce seafood supplies. -- Not passive but a linking verb + complement, though I suppose a case could be made for passive voice by the eager.  Here, worried is a predicate adjective: it is the condition (worriedness) that is meant, not the action of worrying.     Mister Micawber Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004 Yokohama Veteran Member 30,769 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.' Verbs, Predicates

	Goodman  +  487793 Wed, 12 Mar 08 05:54 AM Here are the 2 different concepts taught depending on where you learn it. I am exhausted, interested, bored, tired, drained etc. are all past participles used as adjectives. But some chose to see it as passive voice which is also true. That was how it was explained to me and it seemed to work for me.  In the case of "worried", it's passive voice in my view because something caused  the Japanese importors to worry, or they were made worried. In the other concept, "worried" can be viewed as adjective. Goodman Joined on Mon, Nov 7 2005 Senior Member 3,816 The name says it all!