It + passive+ that+ Clause form and sentences without passive voice

We have found three texts that include passive voice with the following form:

Analysis

In this text we can identify a sentence with this form of passive: It is said that science is openminded

The author use this form of passive voice in the text to express that other people say about science , but we know that we can say the same with other form of passive voice like following:

Passive (2) Science is said to be openmindedThe active form of this sentence is:

People say that science is openmindedIn this case the direct object of this sentence is “science”, that’s why in the passive voice, science becomes in subject, but we should recognize that some sentences can´t have passive voice, only for the fact that this sentences don´t have direct object, in the text What Science and Religion are, we found the following sentence without direct object:

This latter question is especially important for our purposes

Source: Capek I. Nanocomposite Structures and Dispersions-Science and Nanotechnology-Fundamental Principles and Colloidal Particles. Studies in interface Science. Elsevier. First edition 2006.

Analysis

In the text “Nanoscience and Nanotechnology” we can identify two sentences in passive voice:

1. Since everything is made of atoms and molecules, nanoscience and nanotechnology could, in principle, be thought to cover all the branches of science and technology.

2. It is thought that chemistry will play a role

In the first sentence the passive voice is in the present simple tense, the second sentence have the It +passive+that –clause form, the active form of this sentence is:

People think that chemistry will play a role

We identified two sentences with passive voice with the following form: It +passive+that –clause:

1. It is said that chemistry is reducible to physics.2. It is said that thermodynamics is reducible to the kinetic theory.

In both cases it is observed the “It is said that” form, the active forms are:

1. People say that chemistry is reducible to physics.2. People say that thermodynamics is reducible to the kinetic theory.

Conclusions

We can use passive voice in the following form “it +passive+that+ clause “ to express what other people say specially in a formal style , that’s why we found this form of passive voice in Scientific texts.

The It+pasive+that-clause form is used when the author needs to express something about other people think.

The following form of passive voice: “to have + past participle” expresses an earlier action, that’s why we found this form in news, diaries and texts that describe actions in the past.