Is "you'd be" passive voice?

Question

That is all, thank you.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

AnonymousIs "You'd be." passive voice?

No. It's active, intransitive.

Only transitive verbs can be used in passive voice.

It could be passive in answer to a question:
If You were to die, who would be in charge? (reply) You'd be.
(Like, "Who will help me carry the wheat to the mill?" - "I will!" The missing words are "understood".)

That's all.

If you say, "Well, I'll be!", that's something else.

Edit. I think I'm wrong. "You would be in charge" is still active voice.

If you say, "Who would be hurt by this?" (reply) "You'd be."
Then "You would be [hurt]." could be passive, or "hurt" could be a subject complement.

CalifJim · Answer

It is impossible to say if "You'd be" (equivalent to "You would be") is active or passive.

be as a main verb may introduce a noun or adjective. In that case it's active.

You'd be the director of finance, I presume.
You'd be tired too if you had carried those packages.

be as an auxiliary may introduce a present participle. In that case it's active.

You'd be going with us if you'd bought a ticket in time.

be as an auxiliary may introduce a past participle used as an adjective. In that case it's active.

You'd be worried too if it had happened to you.
_____________________

be as an auxiliary may introduce a past participle that is not an adjective. In that case it's passive.

You'd be seen by the doctor immediately if you were to go there now.

CJ

Avangi · Answer

CalifJimbe as an auxiliary may introduce a past participle that is not an adjective. In that case it's passive.

If I hadn't just been thinking about all this, I probably wouldn't have any questions.

The OP seems delibrately succinct, if not deliberately puzzling. "Cogito ergo sum" always comes to mind in these cases - or sometimes Neil Diamond's "I Am . . . I Said."

If your opening remark implies that "You'd be" may not be used alone, then that could be the end of it. I've never read anything comprehensive about the analysis of "short answers" to questions, but I'm sure such exists. If the question is included in the analysis, then I suppose "missing" words may be inserted.

If you treat the example as a fragment, or treat its elements as particles or auxilliaries, that doesn't seem to address the question. It seems strange to me to say that "be" itself is active or passive when included in an active or passive structure. Is this true of all auxilliaries, including modals?
("Can" is active in "I can see the ocean," and passive in "I can be had?")

Best regards, - A.

Edit. After a break, I realize I'm probably wrong. If the poster had intended "you'd be" as a stand-alone, he would have at least used a capital letter.

CalifJim · Answer

You are right to point out that "be" itself is not the entity I am calling "active" or "passive", though it certainly looks that way from what I wrote. It's the whole verb phrase I'm referring to when I say "is active", "is passive".

Avangi("Can" is active in "I can see the ocean," and passive in "I can be had?")

Thus, here "can see" is the active element; "can be had" is the passive element -- not "can" in itself.

AvangiIf your opening remark implies that "You'd be" may not be used alone

I didn't mean to give that impression. It may be a short answer to any number of questions.

-- Who would be going ...?
-- You'd be.

-- Who would be seen ...?
-- You'd be.

I'd call that 'being used alone', but you may object because of the presence of the question that provides context. It certainly can't be used alone as a conversation starter!

-- Hello! I haven't seen you in a while. You'd be. ( ! )
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I'm not sure I've addressed all your concerns. Does that do it?

CJ

Avangi · Answer

CalifJim Does that do it?

[Y] Thanks.

CalifJimI'd call that 'being used alone', but you may object because of the presence of the question that provides context.

I don't object at all.
From a prescriptive point of view, I'd think the relation between the short answer and its question would be codified somewhere. I've never heard this issue mentioned around the camp.

I never did figure out how the original poster was looking at it.

Is "you'd be" passive voice?

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