# Politics and the Passive Voice

Politicians often give vague answers to questions, so that they cannot be pinned on specific answers at a later point in time. They have coaches, personal assistants and speech writers; they go about the business of answering questions very carefully. One way of being evasive is by using the passive voice without mentioning the agent.

Money will be elocated to the Department of Education.

Since it doesn't say who will allocate the money, it is an action that nobody specific has been assigned to.

a) Rewrite the following statements using the passive voice and avoid the mentioning of agents.

b) Write five more passive statements of your own, which have to refer to politics.

1 The Secretary of State made a terrible mistake by underfunding the troops in Afghanistan.

2 The Republicans ousted Donald Trump.

3 The following three Members of Parliament voted against same-sex marriage.

4 The King declared war on terrorism.

5 The Prime Minister took advantage of his secretary.