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Derevenshina Posted 6 years ago
Grammar

Complex object

There is the structure in English consisting of a verb of perception and a bare infinitive. For example:

I heard him come in the house

I saw her sing in the shower

But I'm curious if this structure can be made passive, like:

I saw him be forced to do his household chores (the whole event of his being forced)

Maybe it is better to use "being" in this sentence? Or paraphrase it using "that"? Is it appropriate to say such sentences at all?

  

Top answer

Yes: it is, but you don't need "be". I saw him be forced to do his household chores . This is called a 'bare' passive construction.

— BillJ

  • Yes: it is, but you don't need "be".
  • I saw him be forced to do his household chores .
  • This is called a 'bare' passive construction.
  • "See" is a catenative verb whose complement is the past-participial clause "forced to do his household chores", which has a passive interpretation.
  • Not all passives require "be".
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1 Answers
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Yes: it is, but you don't need "be".

I saw him be forced to do his household chores.

This is called a 'bare' passive construction. "See" is a catenative verb whose complement is the past-participial clause "forced to do his household chores", which has a passive interpretation. Not all passives require "be".


A possible alternant is to use a b

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