The Only Use
passive
in
The Grapes of Wrath
(Auto-generated)
- THE CONCRETE HIGHWAY was edged with a mat of tangled, broken, dry grass, and the grass heads were heavy with oat beards to catch on a dog's coat, and foxtails to tangle in a horse's fetlocks, and clover burrs to fasten in sheep's wool; sleeping life waiting to be spread and dispersed, every seed armed with an appliance of dispersal, twisting darts and parachutes for the wind, little spears and balls of tiny thorns, and all waiting for animals and for the wind, for a man's trouser cuff or the hem of a woman's skirt, all passive but armed with appliances of activity, still, but each possessed of the anlage of movement.†
Chpt 3
Definitions:
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(1)
(passive as in: she remained passive) accepting what happens without trying to take control or reacting strongly
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(2)
(passive as in: written using the passive voice) grammar: where the subject receives the action rather than doing it"The dog chased the cat." is written in the active voice where the dog is doing the action. "The cat was chased by the dog" is written in the passive voice where the cat is receiving the action.
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(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) More specialized senses of the word are found in chemistry, physics, electronics, and communications. All senses have to do with inactivity.