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Kjs980508 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Isn't this correct?
Example sentence:
The teacher told us when the festival will take place and what we should do.
I'm going to make two passive forms of the sentence above..... and those are;
#1. We were told when the festival will take place and what we should do by the teacher.
#2. When the festival will take place and what we should do were told to us by the teacher.
I think both of them are correct and natural, but my grammar book doesn't consider #2 to be the right answer. How about your opinions, experts? Thanks.
The teacher told us when the festival will take place and what we should do.
I'm going to make two passive forms of the sentence above..... and those are;
#1. We were told when the festival will take place and what we should do by the teacher.
#2. When the festival will take place and what we should do were told to us by the teacher.
I think both of them are correct and natural, but my grammar book doesn't consider #2 to be the right answer. How about your opinions, experts? Thanks.
Top answer
The teacher is too far at the end of the sentence. This is possible but not very natural: We were told by the teacher when the festival would take place and what we should d o. #2 is ungrammatical.
- The teacher is too far at the end of the sentence.
- This is possible but not very natural: We were told by the teacher when the festival would take place and what we should d o.
- #2 is ungrammatical.
- CB
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7 Answers
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The teacher is too far at the end of the sentence. This is possible but not very natural:
We were told by the teacher when the festival would take place and what we should do.
#2 is ungrammatical.
CB
We were told by the teacher when the festival would take place and what we should do.
#2 is ungrammatical.
CB
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Could you explain to me why sentence #2 is ungrammatical? Thanks a lot!
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kjs980508Could you explain to me why sentence #2 is ungrammatical? Thanks a lot!A temporal clause and a relative clause cannot be the subject of an English sentence.
CB
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Cool BreezeA temporal clause and a relative clause cannot be the subject of an English sentence.When he leaves is of no interest to me.
What he did was wrong.
Are they not acceptable to you?
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fivejedjon Cool BreezeA temporal clause and a relative clause cannot be the subject of an English sentence.When he leaves is of no interest to me.What he did was wrong. Are they not acceptable to you?Yes. My ear dislikes the original poster's sentence, though.
CB
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Cool Breeze My ear dislikes the original poster's sentenceI agree. When the festival will take place and what we should do were told to us by the teacher is horrible. Indeed, even Many things were told to us by the teacher is pretty grim.I do not share the modern distaste for passives, but I do not recommend using them when the active is simpler
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When I write my replies, I don't necessarily have the time to think of all the information and rules I have seen in the dozens of grammar books I have read in my lifetime. As the original poster's passive sentences were clearly wrong, I jumped to the wrong conclusions. No big deal.
CB
CB
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