Declare Open

Question

“I declare open the Games of Tokyo celebrating the thirty-second Olympiad of the modern era.”

The above declaration style is designated by the IOC.

I have a question. Is "declare open" grammatically correct?

Shouldn't it be "declare opening the Games..." or "declare the opening of the Games..."?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

SnappyI have a question. Is "declare open" grammatically correct?

Yes, but it's very formal and ceremonious.

The underlying structure is S V O C_o.
(subject verb object object-complement)
I declare the Games open.

Also, I declare the Games to be open, an alternate way of expressing I declare that the Games are open.

But the last two components are inverted: S V C_o O
I declare open the Games.

(By the way, this usage of declare is called 'performative'. By saying the words, the action is performed, i.e., by declaring the Games open, the Games are open, i.e., the saying of it constitutes its happening.)

SnappyShouldn't it be "declare opening the Games..." or "declare the opening of the Games..."?

No.

CJ

Declare Open

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