What is the difference between Passive voice and Reported speech?

Passive voice and reported speech are two distinct grammatical concepts in English, and they serve different purposes.

  1. Passive Voice:

    • Definition: In a sentence using passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the receiver of the action, not the doer. The focus is on the action or the result of the action, and the doer may be either not mentioned or placed at the end of the sentence.
    • Example:
      • Active Voice: "The cat chased the mouse."
      • Passive Voice: "The mouse was chased by the cat."
  2. Reported Speech (Indirect Speech):

    • Definition: Reported speech is used to convey what someone else has said without quoting their exact words. The reporting is usually done in a separate clause, and the tense, pronouns, and other elements may change from the original statement.
    • Example:

      • Direct Speech: She said, "I am going to the store."
      • Reported Speech: She said that she was going to the store.

In summary, passive voice involves the restructuring of a sentence to emphasize the action or the result by making the subject less prominent, while reported speech involves conveying someone else's statement in one's own words, often leading to changes in tense and pronouns. They are distinct concepts, but they can be used in combination. For example, you might report a statement originally in the passive voice using reported speech.

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