passive

Question

1. I was kept waiting for an hour by Julie.I saw #1 in my book. Which of the following means #1?2. Julie kept waiting for me for an hour. 3. I kept waiting for Julie for an hour.

Philip · Accepted Answer

#3

Moon7296 · Answer

Oh.. then what's the passive version of #2?
Is it "Julie was kept waiting for for an hour by me?"
It sounds weird...but that's English? -.-;

CalifJim · Answer

moon7296what's the passive version of #2?

# 2 Julie kept waiting for me for an hour.

There is no direct object in #2, so there is no passive. Nevertheless, you can state a very similar idea with a direct object (though not an identical idea), and then turn that into a passive:

Active: I kept Julie waiting for an hour.
Passive: Julie was kept waiting for an hour by me.

See my next post below.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

moon7296 1. I was kept waiting for an hour by Julie.I saw #1 in my book. Which of the following means #1?2. Julie kept waiting for me for an hour. 3. I kept waiting for Julie for an hour.

Strictly speaking, neither #2 nor #3 means #1.

You may be missing a distinction between these. They are somewhat complicated.

to wait for someone
to keep waiting for someone ~ to continue to wait for someone (Since waiting is already a continuing kind of activity, it is not usual to use this kind of phrase. To wait IS to keep waiting. It's the same thing.)

to keep someone waiting (for oneself) ~ to inconvenience someone by making them wait
to be kept waiting by someone (for that same someone) ~ to be inconvenienced by having to wait for someone

I waited for Julie. No passive.
I kept waiting for Julie. No passive.

Jack kept Julie waiting. Passive: Julie was kept waiting (for Jack) (by Jack).

The passive is not usually stated with both optional phrases at the end. We usually get the idea across like this:

Julie was kept waiting by Jack.
OR
Julie was kept waiting because of Jack.

Either of those makes it clear that Julie was waiting for Jack, so for Jack is not usually stated.

CJ

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