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Henry74 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Stopped
Hello,
It was my understanding that stopped could not be used as a participial adjective. That is, if I said
- The train is stopped in the tunnel
that could only be read as the passive of "(someone) stops the train in the tunnel" and not as "the train is in the tunnel and not in motion."
But today I read this in my novel:
- She flung open the door [of the car]. They were stopped at a red light on State Street, in a middle lane, etc.
(It should perhaps be noted that nobody stopped them or was after them.)
So it seems it can be used as an adjective after all. Was I misinformed, or is there something unique in the line from my book that makes it possible?
Thank you
H.
It was my understanding that stopped could not be used as a participial adjective. That is, if I said
- The train is stopped in the tunnel
that could only be read as the passive of "(someone) stops the train in the tunnel" and not as "the train is in the tunnel and not in motion."
But today I read this in my novel:
- She flung open the door [of the car]. They were stopped at a red light on State Street, in a middle lane, etc.
(It should perhaps be noted that nobody stopped them or was after them.)
So it seems it can be used as an adjective after all. Was I misinformed, or is there something unique in the line from my book that makes it possible?
Thank you
H.
Top answer
They were in a situation of having-been-stopped. Someone or something(such as a red light) had caused them to stop.
- They were in a situation of having-been-stopped.
- Someone or something(such as a red light) had caused them to stop.
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6 Answers
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They were in a situation of having-been-stopped. Someone or something(such as a red light) had caused them to stop.
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I see. So it can work only in situations where a light or some similar device can be seen as the agent of the stopping.
Thank you fivejedjon.
H.
Thank you fivejedjon.
H.
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Henry74It was my understanding that stopped could not be used as a participial adjective.I've never heard that.
Henry74The train is stopped in the tunnel ... could only be read as the passive of "(someone) stops the train in the tunnel" and not as "the train is in the tunnel and not in motion."No. Where did you get
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CalifJim Where did you get that?That's a very good question. I don't know. I don't remember, but someone, at some point, must have told me.
So, all these years I've been shaking my head at the subway emergency instructions on "How to leave the train stopped in a tunnel", thinking "you can't use 'stopped' if it just means 'stationary' and not 'that has
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Henry74Could this be a BrE-AmE difference?I don't know. It could be anything.
CJ
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Whoever you heard that from, you know now who to stay away from.
A stopped train- is a train not in motion. It can be used a adjective. In the sentence: How to get off a train stopped in a tunnel.- the pink fragment is an adjectival clause. Stopped -
A stopped train- is a train not in motion. It can be used a adjective. In the sentence: How to get off a train stopped in a tunnel.- the pink fragment is an adjectival clause. Stopped -
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