Exclamation and active voice

Question

Exclamation and active voiceThe passage below comes from The 48 Laws Of Power By Robert Greene.https://books.google.co.kr/books?id=P_zMW3EHnTEC&pg=PR21&lpg=PR21&dq=%22in+games+you+do+not+judge+your+opponents+by+their+intentions+but+by%22&source=bl&ots=hdjrmoPURi&sig=PHJkKY3a51swbL3cdKEU00fCUfU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAGoVChMI0ZiJk7v_yAIVyJqUCh2fSwqy#v=onepage&q=%22in%20games%20you%20do%20not%20judge%20your%20opponents%20by%20their%20intentions%20but%20by%22&f=falsePower is a game - this cannot be repeated too often - and in games you do not judge your opponents by their intentions but by the effect of their actions. You measure their strategy and their power by what you can see and feel. How often are someone's intentions made the issue only to cloud and deceive!How often are someone's intentions made the issue only to cloud and deceive!? Someone's intentions are made the issue only to cloud and deceive very often.This sentence above is exclamation of the one further above.(Am I right?)? You made the issue only cloud and deceive very often by someone's intentions.And then, I made an active structure above from the sentence further above.(Am I right?)One last question but not least one, bare infinitive (i.e. cloud and deceive) was used because the verb of the sentence was 'made'.(Am I right?)Regards.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

The original paragraph is okay.

The sentence, "Someone's intentions are made the issue only to cloud and deceive very often.", is ungrammatical.

The sentence, "You made the issue only cloud and deceive very often by someone's intentions.", is also ungrammatical.

Stenka25 · Answer

Thanks a lot for your immediate reply.

But can you give me an explanation, if you can, for how the two sentences are ungrammatical?

I don't think the parsed sentences that I made are good ones but they were made to explain the tricky original sentence.

Thanks a lot again.

CalifJim · Answer

Stenka252 How often are someone's intentions made the issue only to cloud and deceive!
? 1 Someone's intentions are made the issue only to cloud and deceive very often.
This sentence above is exclamation of the one further above.(Am I right?)

I think you've reversed it. I think you meant to say The sentence further above is the exclamative form of the sentence above. In the future, consider numbering your sentences to avoid all this confusion.

1 Someone's intentions are very often made the issue only to cloud and deceive.
2 How often are someone's intentions made the issue only to cloud and deceive?
3 How often someone's intentions are made the issue only to cloud and deceive!
4 How often are someone's intentions made the issue only to cloud and deceive!

1 is the statement form.
2 is the question form.
3 is the exclamative form.
4 is the question form mistakenly written as and intended to be an exclamative form in the text you quoted.

Stenka25? You made the issue only cloud and deceive very often by someone's intentions. ... an active structure

No. The active form of 1 above is as follows:

5 [Someone / George / Oscar / Mr. Jones] very often made someone's intentions the issue only to cloud and deceive.

Stenka25One last question but not least one, bare infinitive (i.e. cloud and deceive) was used because the verb of the sentence was 'made'.(Am I right?)

No. The verb "made" is irrelevant. This structure (to cloud ...) is an infinitive of purpose, and any verb is possible in the preceding clause.

Judy lied about the missing money only to deflect the blame from herself.
(solely for the purpose of deflecting the blame from herself)

CJ

GPY · Answer

Stenka25? Someone's intentions are made the issue only to cloud and deceive very often.This sentence above is exclamation of the one further above.(Am I right?)

Your idea is correct, but just the word order is a bit awkward (and also I think you got mixed up about which is the exclamatory sentence). It is better to say:

Very often someone's intentions are made the issue only to cloud and deceive.

Stenka25? You made the issue only cloud and deceive very often by someone's intentions.

This makes no sense, and I can't really see what you are trying to do with it. The active sentence (with your subject "you") would be:

You very often make someone's intentions the issue only to cloud and deceive.

Stenka25One last question but not least one, bare infinitive (i.e. cloud and deceive) was used because the verb of the sentence was 'made'.

"to" means "in order to". Other verbs, both active and passive, can be followed by "(in order) to". It is not specific to "make".

Stenka25 · Answer

Thanks a lot as always, CJ.
Your reply made everything clear I had doubted.

Stenka25 · Answer

Thanks a lot as always, GPY.
Your reply made me understand what I got mixed up.

Exclamation and active voice

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions