Sure. There was a man named Tom. A prank was played on him by his friends. His clothes were swapped while he was sleeping. When he woke up, he found that his shirt was changed into a girl's dress and his pants were replaced with a pair of shorts that were much too small. He looked so funny that everyone around him couldn't stop laughing.
Once upon a time, a joke was made about a lazy student. The student's homework was always done by his parents. One day, his teacher said in class, 'Your homework has been done very well recently.' And then the student replied proudly, 'Yes, it has been done by my parents.' All the classmates burst into laughter. Because he didn't realize how silly his statement was.
There was a little dog. A big bone was given to it by its owner every day. One day, the bone was hidden by the owner as a joke. The dog searched everywhere for the bone. It looked so confused. Its nose was sniffing around the whole house. Finally, when the owner showed the bone again, the dog's happy face was really amusing. It was like it had found the greatest treasure in the world.
A cat's tail was tied with a ribbon by a little kid. The cat didn't understand what had happened to its tail. It ran around the room trying to catch its own tail. The cat's bewildered look was hilarious as it was being chased by its own ribbon - tied tail.
Yes. But be cautious. The passive voice can sometimes make the action less clear or slow down the pace. Use it when it adds emphasis or when you want to focus on the recipient of the action rather than the doer.
Yes, it can be okay. Sometimes, using the passive voice adds emphasis or creates a certain tone that works for the story.
Here's one. In a shared apartment, one roommate was always leaving the dishes dirty in the sink. The other roommate didn't say anything directly but started piling up the dirty dishes on the offender's bed. When asked why, the roommate just said 'Well, the sink was full, and I thought your bed was the next best place for them'. It was a very passive - aggressive yet humorous solution to the problem.
It depends. In moderation, passive voice can add variety and emphasis. But if it dominates the writing, it can make the story less dynamic and harder to follow.
The key is to be conscious of your verb choices. Choose strong, active verbs. And when you review your work, look for forms like 'was + past participle' or 'were + past participle' and try to rephrase them. For instance, 'The door was opened' could become 'He opened the door'.
Passive voice in fiction can affect the pacing. Since it often makes the sentence a bit more complex, it can slow down the reading speed, which might be useful when the author wants to build tension. Also, it can be used to avoid naming the doer when the author wants to keep the reader guessing. For instance, 'The message was delivered, but no one knew who did it.' This adds an element of intrigue to the story.
In fiction, passive voice can be used to shift the focus. For example, 'The door was opened by the detective.' Here, the focus is on the door rather than the detective who opened it. It can create a sense of mystery or draw attention to an action's result.
The main issue with passive voice in fiction is that it can make the action less clear and direct. It adds more words and complexity without adding much value. Also, it can distance the reader from the characters and events.
Just focus on using active verbs instead. Make the subject do the action. For example, say 'She wrote the letter' instead of 'The letter was written by her'.