is the sentence in active voice or passive voice?

我都認用hk的講法, 這後半句句子是 active voice,

(They) ... suffered shock and smoke inhalation but were otherwise unhurt. (active voice)
他們受驚及吸入濃煙, 但幸好沒有受傷。

其實從中文的意思上來看都清楚知道, 這是 active voice, 只不過那是外語, 加上這句子中, 同一個 subject 前半句用 passive voice, 而後半句用 active voice, 令你有所誤會。有時要分辨, 亦要睇上文下理。

但係hk所講, 一定要有 by someone/ something, 我就認為不一定。例如:

He was killed last week.
可能只係證實到他並非自殺, 而是被殺, 但不知兇手是誰。就不可能提及 by someone。

有時, 根本「誰人做」並不是重點所在, 又或者係人都知「誰人做」, 都唔會提及by someone。 例如:

Anyone who violates the laws will be prosecuted.
You are fired.


圖片參考：http://tw.yimg.com/i/tw/ugc/rte/smiley_1.gif



2008-08-08 18:17:42 補充：
hk, 唔好意思! 原來我睇錯你意思, 你只係作假設去解釋, 並無講過passive voice 一定要有 by someone/ something。

另外一提, 有少数的 verb 係用唔到passive voice, 或者甚少人用佢做passive voice。

He died last week. (died 轉唔到 passive voice)

2008-08-08 22:26:25 補充：
其實, 你話分唔到active 定係 passive voice, 即是下一次亦有機會發生同樣的情況, 所以我建議你由個動詞本身著手, 針對性了解佢的意思和用法的特點, 去判斷佢係active 定係 passive voice。當你知道它的正常用法係點, 你就唔會因為複雜的句子結構而令你混淆。

2008-08-08 22:26:31 補充：
suffer = 受到 (某D o野的)痛苦, 遭受…
一般係指「人受到某種痛苦」 e.g. They suffered serious injury/ pain. (這是active voice的用法)

例句中, 個subject (they) 已經放在句子的開頭(而唔係後面), 所以這用法一定係active voice.

The family were checked over by paramedics and suffered shock and smoke inhalation but were otherwise unhurt

The sentence can be split into 2 sentences, BUT it should be as follow:

1. The family were checked over by paramedics

2.The family suffered shock and smoke inhalation

NOT "The family WERE suffered shock and smoke inhalation"

NOTICE that "were" should NOT appear in the sentence because the sentence is in ACTIVE voice.

Think about this, if sentence 2 is in passive voice, then you can add "BY SOMEONE / SOMETHING" at the end of the sentence. But in this case, you CANNOT do so.

It is like saying "he suffered from diseases".
You don't say "he suffered from diseases by the doctor".

Therefore, the part "suffered shock and smoke inhalation" must be in ACTIVE voice.

The family were checked over by paramedics and suffered shock and smoke inhalation but were otherwise unhurt

As shown above , the verbs checked and suffered are in parallel , which can be considered as two sectences.
1.The family were checked over by paramedics .
2.The family were suffered shock and smoke inhalation .
On the other hand , the family didn't get in touch with the shock and smoke inhalation voluntarily , so we don't use active voice.

It is passive voice.