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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

are + now + past participle

could someone kindly clarify that the following sentence uses the past participle as a completed event in the past AND a continuous ongoing event,

"The pictures are now displayed in the gallery".
  

Top answer

The 'past' part of the label 'past participle' is not really relevant when we are dealing with passive forms. If the goods are now displayed, then common sense tells us that they were put on display at some time in the past, but the verb form does not explicitly tell us that. Equally, the present simple passive, rather than the present progressive passive, is not placing any particular emphasis on the ongoing-ness of the display.

— Fivejedjon

  • The 'past' part of the label 'past participle' is not really relevant when we are dealing with passive forms.
  • If the goods are now displayed, then common sense tells us that they were put on display at some time in the past, but the verb form does not explicitly tell us that.
  • Equally, the present simple passive, rather than the present progressive passive, is not placing any particular emphasis on the ongoing-ness of the display.
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2 Answers
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The 'past' part of the label 'past participle' is not really relevant when we are dealing with passive forms.

If the goods are now displayed, then common sense tells us that they were put on display at some time in the past, but the verb form does not explicitly tell us that. Equally, the present simple passive, rather than the present progressive passive, is not placing any particular em
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Anonymousclarify that the following sentence uses the past participle as a completed event in the past
It doesn't have to do with an event.
Anonymousa continuous ongoing event,
It's not an event.
AnonymousThe pictures are now displayed in the gallery.
You could just as easily have The p
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