Need advise from you please

Question

Can you tell me which of these is better English please?

“I found it broken” active form I think so.

“I found it was broken” passive form I believe.

I wonder, are they exactly same meaning?

Cheers

Aki

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

advice

John AkiCan you tell me which of these is better English please?

They are both good.

John Aki“I found it broken” active form I think so.

Not active or passive. "Broken" acts as an adjective in the sentence. It was broken, and that's how it was when you found it.

John Aki“I found it was broken” passive form I believe.

Not passive. "It was broken" is a "that" clause without the "that": "I found that it was broken." You examined it and determined that it was broken.

John AkiI wonder, are they exactly same meaning?

Not at all. They use two different definitions of "find".

1. To come upon or discover by searching or making an effort.

2. To perceive to be, after experience or consideration.

(AHD)

AlpheccaStars · Answer

I found it broken. = The state the object was in was "broken." There is no implication of how it got to be that way.

I found it had been broken. = Focus on the observation that someone did the act of breaking it.

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