Proved or was proven?

Question

Whuch answer is the best one and why is it the best answer?

Last year's holiday sales strategy ------- to be such a success that we have decided to repeat it this year.

(A) proved (B) was (C) was proven (D) became

Luciana · Accepted Answer

<h3>proved </h3>

Anonymous · Answer

Why the correct is "proved"  instead of "was proen"?? Shouldn't the fact was proven instead of proved itself?

Fandorin · Answer

AnonymousWhich answer is the best one and why is it the best answer?

Last year's holiday sale's strategy -- to be such a success that we have decided to repeat it this year.

(A) proved (B) was (C) was proven (D) became

Hi. "Proved" fits fine because it's a Subject of the sentence and it proves itself to be a successful strategy. If something proves to be true or to have a particular quality, it becomes clear after a period of time that it is true or has that quality.
So, the synonyms of "to prove" are "to turn out", "to appear" which are rarely found in Passive Voice.

____________________________________________

For complex historical reasons, prove developed two past participles: proved and proven. Both are correct and can be used more or less interchangeably (this hasn't been proved yet; this hasn't been proven yet). In British English proved is more common, with the exception that proven is always used when the word is an adjective coming before the noun: a proven talent, not *a proved talent.

As I stated above, proven is rather often used as an Adjective and goes at an attributive position.

CalifJim · Answer

prove has several definitions.

The definition you may be thinking of is one where prove is a transitive verb meaning to establish the truth of, as when you prove a theorem of geometry or when you prove in court that someone committed a crime. Here someone proves something.

The definition you should be thinking of is one where prove is an intransitive verb meaning to turn out, especially after trial or test, as when you say that a new drug proved (to be) effective. Here no one is establishing the truth of anything. The speaker is just observing a result: Last year's strategy resulted in success. The strategy proved to be a success.

See www.m-w.com for even more definitions of prove!

CJ

Fandorin · Answer

Thank you Jim. You explained it in black and white. By the way, are some intransitive verbs rarely found in Passive? Like die, seem, appear, prove?

Intransitive verbs are those which cannot take direct object or take it only with preposition, aren't those?

CalifJim · Answer

FandorinBy the way, are some intransitive verbs rarely found in Passive?

Yes. Intransitive verbs are very, very, very, very rarely found in the passive -- in fact, so rarely that it never occurs.

Sentences with intransitive verbs cannot be put in the passive at all.
Consider that you form a passive by making the object of the active sentence the subject of the passive sentence. Intransitive means, more or less, not having an object, so there is no object that can be made the subject of a passive.

FandorinIntransitive verbs are those which cannot take direct object or take it only with preposition, aren't ~~those~~ they?

Exactly!

CJ

Fandorin · Answer

Thank you, CJ.

Anonymous · Answer

Proved or was proven?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

proved

Related Questions