The girl loved to read stories to the dog.

Meaning: The girl found great enjoyment in reading narratives to the dog.

Choice of Words: Girl refers to a young female person. Loved means to have a strong affection for something. Read means to look at and understand written or printed matter. Stories are narratives that tell about events or experiences. Dog refers to a common pet animal.

Alternative Expressions

The girl read stories to the dog.

Meaning: This means that the girl is currently reading stories to her dog. We don't know if she enjoys it or not.

Choice of Words: The girl is still the one doing the action of reading. The dog is still the one receiving the action of being read to. However, the verb "read" is in the present tense, meaning that the action is happening now. It does not tell us whether the girl enjoys reading to the dog or not.

The dog was read stories by the girl.

Meaning: This means that the dog had stories read to him by the girl. We don't know if he enjoyed it or not.

Choice of Words: The dog is now the subject of the sentence, because it is the one receiving the action of being read to. The girl is now the object of the sentence, because she is the one doing the action of reading. The verb "was read" is in the passive voice, which means that the action is being done to the subject (the dog) rather than by the subject.

Related Expressions