0
Jigneshbharati Posted 7 years ago
Grammar

Has been declared

An outbreak of dengue fever in the Philippines has been declared a national epidemic after causing hundreds of deaths this year in the wake of a government ban on the vaccine.
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/07/philippines-declares-epidemic-after-dengue-fever-kills-more-than-600
Please explain the use of present perfect- has been declared- in the given context. Can't we just say "has declared..." ? Do we need " been" to form passive?

  

Top answer

Jigneshbharati Do we need " been" to form passive? Yes. Active "has declared" does not make sense.

  • Jigneshbharati Do we need " been" to form passive?
  • Yes.
  • Active "has declared" does not make sense.
  • The outbreak of fever cannot itself declare a national epidemic.
  • Present perfect tense is appropriate because something done in the relatively recent past has present effect/relevance.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
JigneshbharatiDo we need " been" to form passive?

Yes. Active "has declared" does not make sense. The outbreak of fever cannot itself declare a national epidemic.

Present perfect tense is appropriate because something done in the relatively recent past has present effect/relevance.

0

You can use active voice, but you have to change the sentence:

The government in the Philippines declared an outbreak of dengue fever to be a national epidemic after it caused hundreds of deaths this year in the wake of a government ban on the vaccine.

Related Questions