Answer 23

[유진승]

The point of this series of lessons is to raise your awareness of the two different options in English, passive and active voices, to express the same voice in Korean. For instance, to say “주소가 바뀌었어요”, you can say either “The address has changed” or “The address has been changed”, and the two voices have different focuses.

The active voice focuses on the address change itself. Hence, for instance, this form is preferable when you simply want to inform the new address. In contrast, the passive voice, which naturally brings out the question “changed by whom?” focuses on the one who changes the address—his action, intention, purpose, reason, etc. Hence, someone who is explaining why the address has been changed is more likely to use the passive voice. In this case, Korean may prefer to say, “주소를 바꿨어요”. 

1.      In November the temperatures drop and the days shorten. (짧아진다) (Oxford)  

Alternative: get shorter

Error: are shortened

Shortening days is a natural phenomenon, and so nobody can shorten them, but saying "days are shortened" would imply that someone shortens them. Get shorter is OK, but less preferable because shorten makes one-word symmetry with drop.

2.      The trading day is shortened in observance of the Labor Day holiday. (짧아진다) (Collins)

Alternative: has been shortened, is being shortened

Error: shortens, is getting shorter

Here, we are talking about the government shortening the trading day for a specific reason (Labor Day). So the passive form better reflects this focus. “Is being shortened” means it will be shortened in the near future, and “is [has been] shortened” means today is the trading day. “Is shortened” can also mean that this is a general practice.

3.      My weight reduces when I stop eating sugar. (줄어든다) (Cambridge)

Alternative: drops, goes down

Error: loses, is lost, lessens

My weight reduction is a natural process like the days’ shortening in 1. 

4.      The number of employees was reduced from 40 to 25. (감축되었다) (Ox)

Alternative: reduced, dropped, decreased   

Alternative: was cut  

A.      Apart from decreasing material costs, staff reduction measures are also taking effect as planned. Compared to the previous year, the number of employees was reduced to 34,123 at the end of March 2004. (allianzgroup.com)  

B.      In the rest of the European Union the number of Danfoss employees decreased from 31% in 2001 to 30% in 2002. The number of employees reduced slightly in 2002 in USA and Canada, but slightly increased in Latin America, the Pacific region ...

C.    The highest growth rate (18.3 %) was shown by the retail trade, repairs of motor vehicles, and consumer goods sectors, while the number of employees dropped most (11.7 %) in agriculture and forestry. (ceroi.net)  

These examples show the difference between using the passive and active voices. A is explaining how the “staff reduction measures” reduced the number of employees, so the passive is used to keep the focus on the measure. In contrast, B and C are focusing on economic phenomena rather than what reduced or dropped the number of employees. Sentence 4 can fit in either kind of context, and so either voice is possible.

5.      His quality of life has improved dramatically since the operation. (향상되었다) (Ox)

Error: has been improved

The improvement of his quality of life through the operation is a natural phenomenon. 

6.      Your Yahoo! Mail service has been improved. (향상되었습니다) (Yahoo)

Error: has improved

In telling you about the service improvement, Yahoo wants you to know that it came through their efforts and not automatically. So they use the passive voice to turn your attention to their efforts.

7.      This house doesn't compare with our previous one. (비교가 되지 않는다 ) (Ox)

Error: is not compared, can’t be compared

Error: cannot compare, doesn’t match  

First of all, doesn’t compare is a fixed expression‎. Collins Dictionary says: “If you say something does not compare with something else, you mean that it is much worse”. It uses the active voice because it is just describing the worse quality, and it does not matter who is doing the comparison. Finally, match is used without with, so you can say, “This house does not match our previous one.”

8.      The information will also be compared with national and regional data to identify priority areas in the area. (비교될 것이다) (BNC)

Error: compare

The focus is on the purpose of the one who compares the information--identifying priority areas.

9.      The cost is only $18 a year, which breaks down to $1.50 a month. (환산된다) (metal-reviews.com)  

Alternative: converts to, comes to

Error: is broken down to, is converted to

It doesn’t matter who breaks down the cost or how it happens; the sentence is simply describing what the cost includes. 

10.  Each lesson is broken down into several units. (나누어져 있다) (Ox)

Alternative: is divided

Error: breaks down

Error: is classified, is sorted (분류), is separated (분리), is allotted,  is apportioned (할당), is cut (절단, 삭감)

Here the focus is the author’s intention and plan in organizing the lessons.

11.  This carpet stains easily. (얼룩이 잘 진다) (Oxford)

Error: is stained, gets stained

Error: smudges, smears

It doesn’t matter who stains the carpet or how it happens; the sentence is simply describing the carpet’s property. Words smudge and smear refer to putting and rubbing dirt on a surface. Search Google with “carpet stains [smudges, smears, gets stained] easily” and see which one is used.

12.  Windows is shutting down. (종료되고 있습니다) (Microsoft)

Alternative: closing

Error: being shut down, being closed

It doesn’t matter who is closing the Windows or how it happens; the focus is simply what is happening to the Windows.

13.  I hope all the hard work will translate into profits. (환산/전환 되어지기를) (Ox)

Alternative: turn

Error: be translated, be turned  

It doesn’t matter who’s translating the hard work into profits or how it happens; the focus is simply the result of the work.

14.  While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. (삶아지는 동안) (Ox)

Error: being cooked

Error: boiling (끓고있는 동안)

Saying “pasta is cooking” implies that it is cooking on its own, while saying “pasta is being cooked” includes the cook in the focus and implies that he is doing something to cook it. Sentence 14 is saying that the pasta cooks on its own and leaves the cook free so that he can do something else--prepare the sauce. So we need the active voice.   

[하늘으뜸]

오늘 하루 정말 공부 많이 했습니다. 덕분에..............

[이준호]

정말 유익하네요...감사합니다.

[유진승]

이준호님. 오늘 들어와봤는데 열심히 공부를 하셨군요. 감사드립니다. 기왕이면 다른 게시판에도 모습을 보여주셨으면 합니다. ^^

[눈만뜨면영어]

전 오늘부터 Task 1부터 열심히!! ^^

[소리71]

우와 이런 차이가...그저..기계적으로 외웠는데..감사요.

[IamRobin]

진짜 조아요!!!!

[반달]

Thank you.

[C_o_o_L]

감사합니다~동사들에 대해 다시 한번 생각 해 볼 수있었고 많은 도움 되었습니다!! 하하..11번에서 이 카펫은 얼룩이 잘 지워진다로 생각해버렸다는..왜 그랬을까..암튼 카펫을 주어로 무지하게 고민했네요..ㅡㅡ;;

[-솔이공주-]

와~ 요것 너무 재미 있어요.. 맞는 답이 있으면 완전 기분 좋고..틀린 것은 거의 비슷햇는데 하며..아쉽고..진작에 좀 해볼껄..

[jeahee]

정말 많이 도움되요^^ ㄳㄳㄳ~~~~