Difference between "They are transformed" Vs "They Transformed"

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CalifJim · Accepted Answer

dave1985
Difference between "They are transformed" Vs "They Transformed"

They are passive and active forms, respectively, of the same idea.

In simple terms, active and passive are opposites in terms of who does the action and what receives the action.

Somebody acts on something in either case, but it's expressed differently. You can put the person who acts first in the sentence (active), or you can put the thing that the person acts on first in the sentence (passive).

Person who acts first: Steven threw the ball. (active sentence)
Thing the person acts on first: The ball was thrown by Steven. (passive sentence)

So in your sentences it's like this:

They transformed means "they" acted on something, like
The gardeners (they) transformed the landscapes.

They are transformed means "they" are acted on, like
The landscapes (they) are transformed by the gardeners.

[ Note that you changed tenses. One of your sentences is in the present; the other, in the past. Usually we compare active and passive pairs in the same tense. It's easier to understand that way.]

CJ

Difference between "They are transformed" Vs "They Transformed"

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