Forming passive sentences

Question

Hi,I am studying the book "Advanced Grammar In Use".1. In Unit 23C it says here that verbs which in the active are followed by an object consisting of a noun phrase and -ing clause usually have no passive.She dreads him finding out. (not He is dreaded fing out.) But in Unit 23A it says that the active pattern verb + object + ing is made passive with 'be' + past participle + ing.They saw the monkey (noun) climbing (-ing) over the fence.  =The monkey was seen climbing over the fence.So what is the difference?

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Anonymous. . . . verbs which in the active are followed by an object consisting of a noun phrase and -ing clause usually have no passive.

This seems to be an attempt to define a category of verbs of which "to dread" is a member. Are other similar verbs listed in the text?
If the above quote refers only to the syntactical pattern, then it's not grammatical.

The example for 23C is not very convincing. The thing she dreads is his act of finding out. Of course "his" is not a noun phrase. (I suppose "him" is a noun phrase according to some modern authorities.)
"His finding out is dreaded [by her]." This works, but like many similar transformations, it's very bad style.

"She dreads him finding out" is good common English, but the grammar is convoluted. I've seen attempts by experts to explain it, and they seem arbitrary to me.

"Him finding out is dreaded [by her]" is a valid transformation, but it's even less usable than the one with "his."

Perhaps that's your author's point. These transformations are not practical.

Of course "He is dreaded finding out" is absurd. It may be an attempt to follow some rule introduced earlier in the text.
But "He" is not the thing that is dreaded, and there's no earthly justification for making it the subject of the passive version.
(Are you sure that's in the book?)

It makes no sense to me to say that the verb "to dread" has no passive usage.
She dreads this man! This man is dreaded by her!

AnonymousSo what is the difference?

Anonymous Unit 23A it says that the active pattern verb + object + ing

AnonymousUnit 23C it says here that verbs which in the active are followed by an object consisting of a noun phrase and -ing clause

I'd say 23A is talking about an active verb plus a gerund. I hate studying.
But it could be talking about the object doing something. (The monkey example)
I found the ice cream melting. .

In 23C, the active verb is followed by a noun phrase as object.
If "him" can be a noun phrase, so can "monkey." We saw a monkey. .
The object also includes an "-ing" clause. If "finding out" can be an "ing clause," so can "climbing a tree."
So "We saw a monkey climbing a tree" is an example of the specifications in 23C, as well as 23A.

According to what you've told us, the only difference is that the "-ing clause" is optional in 23A and required in 23C.

Obviously, the presence of the "-ing clause" climbing a tree doesn't prevent our making a passive transformation in 23A.
Why should it do so in 23C?
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Forming passive sentences

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