Is + past tense, why it is correct?

Question

Dungeons are used when they are generally deemed safe.

Why this sentence is correct even though "are" being a present tense and deemed being a past tense, and "they are generally deemed safe" is not passive?

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

keyboard hat 11 "they are generally deemed safe" is not passive

It is passive voice.

Some dungeons are deemed (to be) safe by official dungeon inspectors.

CalifJim · Answer

keyboard hat 11
Dungeons are used when they are generally deemed safe.
Why this sentence is correct even though [1] "are" ~~being~~ is a present tense and [2] "deemed" ~~being~~ is a past tense, and [3] "they are generally deemed safe" is not passive?

Of your three claims, only [1] is correct.

Separate verb forms within a verb phrase do not each have a tense. It is the whole verb phrase that has tense.

So "are deemed" only has one tense. Tense is always determined by the first verb form in a group, so this is present tense. "deemed" is a past participle, not a past tense, because it is preceded by auxiliary be (are).

When auxiliary be is followed by a past participle, you have passive voice (although the past participle may be an adjective). In this sentence it's passive voice.

CJ

Is + past tense, why it is correct?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions