Is ironed well

Question

Hello...I'd like to know if the two sentences below have the same meaning...Rather, if natives think these two sentences have the same meaning...*********This clothes is ironed well.   This clothes irons well.

GPY · Accepted Answer

Some adjustments are needed since "clothes" is plural:

"These clothes are ironed well" = someone has ironed them, and done that well
"These clothes iron well" = generally speaking, they are easy to iron; ironing them produces good results

Pructus · Answer

Thanks GPY for the explanation and CJ for verification....

Some native speakers seem to think that "This clothes are ironed well" can mean "This clothes iron well".

In the same light(correct choice of word?), I understand that "The book is read by many people" can mean "The book is already read by many people"

But can it also mean "The book is being read by many people"?

GPY · Answer

pructusSome native speakers seem to think that "This clothes are ironed well" can mean "This clothes iron well".

These clothes are ironed well.
These clothes iron well.

I do not agree with the speakers who say that. Of course, both statements can be true at the same time.

pructusIn the same light(correct choice of word?), I understand that "The book is read by many people" can mean "The book is already read by many people" But can it also mean "The book is being read by many people"?

"The book is read by many people" has a fairly loose time sense. "The book is being read by many people" has a stronger sense of reading activity in progress at the present time, possibly with the implication of this continuing into the future. "The book is already read by many people" feels awkward. You can say "The book has already been read by many people".

Perfect Stranger · Answer

Hmm...

Which one would be better?

BMWs are produced in Germany.
BMWs are being produced in Germany.

Mister Micawber · Answer

As a statement of fact: BMWs are produced in Germany.
As an indication of current activity: BMWs are being produced in Germany.

CalifJim · Answer

pructusthink that "These clothes are ironed well" can mean "These clothes iron well".

I don't know why people would think this. Neither statement is particularly idiomatic in any case. The first amounts to "[You / I / He / ...] ironed these clothes well"; the second amounts to "It is easy to iron these clothes".

pructus I understand that "The book is read by many people" can mean "The book is already read by many people"

That doesn't seem quite right to me. The first is "A lot of people read this book". The second doesn't even seem completely grammatical. It should be "The book is already being read by many people" / "People are already reading the book", or maybe you meant "The book has already been read by many people".

CJ

Pructus · Answer

Thanks so much, CJ!!

I seem to understand your explanation...
But to make it sure...

"The dog is killed" means "Somebody killed the dog" and it cannot mean "Somebody is killing the dog"?

"The bridge is broken" means "Someone or some force broke this bridge" and cannot mean "Someone or some force is breaking this bridge"?

But, unlike above examples, I guess that "He is loved by everybody" means "Everybody loves him" not "Everybody loved him"....

GPY · Answer

"be-verb + past participle" can be construed in various ways, depending on the particular verb and the context. For example,

(i) The past participle can be adjectival, in which case it describes the present state of something, with only a diminished or background sense that something caused it to be that way. For example, "The window is broken" would normally be construed this way.

(ii) It can be a passive verb describing general or habitual activity, or what "usually happens". For example, "In a battery, chemical energy is converted to electrical energy".

(iii) It can be a passive verb describing an activity happening now. This is relatively unusual, but might be used in a present-tense narrative; for example, "The cops smash down the door. I'm bundled into a police car and driven away at high speed."

"The dog is killed" is a fairly unusual thing to say, and most probably only fits usage (iii). If you want to describe the present state of the dog then you would say "The dog is dead". If you want to describe what has happened, you would say "The dog has been killed". "He is loved by everyone" is usage (ii).

GPY · Answer

GPY"be-verb + past participle"

I forgot to say that I mean simple present tense be-verb.

CalifJim · Answer

pructus"The dog is killed" means "Somebody killed the dog" and it cannot mean "Somebody is killing the dog"?

Yes, more or less.

The dog is killed ~ Somebody (regularly) kills the dog. (This is not really a very useful sentence, because you can't kill the same dog again and again.) Here's a more useful sentence with the same structure:

The shop is opened at 8 o'clock every morning. ~ Somebody opens the shop (for business) at 8 ....

Note how you need a few more words to complete the thought. Just The shop is opened is a little difficult to understand.

pructus"The bridge is broken" means "Someone or some force broke this bridge" and cannot mean "Someone or some force is breaking this bridge"?

As above, but broken can be interpreted both as a verb and as an adjective, so there are two ways to think of that sentence.

1. broken as verb. The bridge is broken ~ Somebody (or something) (regularly) breaks the bridge. (As above, this is not a very useful sentence.)
2. broken as adjective. The bridge is broken ~ Somebody (or something) caused the bridge to break, so it is now in the state of being broken.
______________________________

Sometimes a past participle can be understood in two ways, like 'broken'. Sometimes the past participle is a verb (killed) and another word is used as the corresponding adjective (dead).

The bridge is broken (every day) / The dog is killed (every day). (Not useful sentences.)
The bridge is broken. (You can't go across it.) / The dog is dead. (Useful sentences.)

Here is another case where the past participle of the verb and the adjective are two different words. In this case, both sentences can be very useful.

The shop is opened at 8 every day.
The shop is open now.

pructus I guess that "He is loved by everybody" means "Everybody loves him" not "Everybody loved him"

Yes. This one is different because 'kill' and 'break' are actions, and 'love' is a feeling.
_________________

This post touches on several different concepts. I hope you will be able to keep them separate.

past participle as verb / past participle as adjective or different word / usefulness of resulting sentences / actions vs non-actions

CJ

Is ironed well

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