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Esalim80 Posted 8 years ago
Grammar

Personal passive

The guests complain that the food wasn't tasty.

Is the structure of this sentence right or wrong? And if it is wrong, can we correct it to be (The guests don't complain that the food was tasty.)?

As a respected teacher and moderator responded to an inquiry I wrote today. This inquiry was about the right passive for the sentence (People thought that the earth wasn't round) and he objected the structure of the sentence and said the right structure should be (People didn't think that the earth was round.) consequently the right passive form for it is (The earth wasn't thought to be round.)

And if it is as I first mentioned (The guests complain that the food wasn't delicious.), what is the passive form for it?

Can we say......(The food was complained to not have been tasty.) or

(The food was complained not to have been tasty) or (The food was complained to have not been tasty.)

What do you think?

Thanks in advance.

  

Top answer

Is the structure of this sentence right or wrong? It's not wrong, but it's difficult to interpret because of the tenses you've used. How about "The guests complain ed that the food wasn't tasty"?

— CalifJim

  • Is the structure of this sentence right or wrong?
  • It's not wrong, but it's difficult to interpret because of the tenses you've used.
  • How about "The guests complain ed that the food wasn't tasty"?
  • That's better, and it's correct.
  • )?
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1 Answers
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esalim80The guests complain that the food wasn't tasty.Is the structure of this sentence right or wrong?

It's not wrong, but it's difficult to interpret because of the tenses you've used.

How about "The guests complained that the food wasn't tasty"? That's better, and it's correct.

esalim80can we correct it to be (T
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