The show

Question

The show has been talked about for weeks.Is "The show" the subject of the clause and the complement of the preposition "about" at the same time in the sentence above?--------------------I think it is.

Englishmaven · Accepted Answer

No. "Talk about" is a phrasal verb. There is no prepositional phrase or object of a preposition. Substitute "discussed" for "talked about." You'll see what I mean.

CalifJim · Answer

tkacka15Is "The show" the subject of the clause and the complement of the preposition "about" at the same time in the sentence above?

No, it isn't. It's only the subject. However, you've got the right idea because this is the passive form of

People have talked about the show for weeks.

where 'talk about' is a prepositional verb (not a phrasal verb). And 'the show' is certainly the complement of the preposition 'about' in this sentence.

(If you can use the preposition phrase as an answer to a question, it's not a phrasal verb; it's a prepositional verb.

Did they talk about the train schedule?
No — about the bus schedule.

Contrariwise,

Did they temporarily slow down the train?
No — *down the bus.

This one doesn't work because 'slow down' is a phrasal verb, not a prepositional verb.)

Prepositional verbs allow a change to passive voice as if the complement of the preposition were a direct object, and your example shows the passive form:

The show has been talked about for weeks.

But note: Analogously with passives of less controversial verbs (see below), once the complement of the active form becomes the subject of the passive form, it ceases to be called a complement.

Henry threw the ball > The ball was thrown by Henry.
(Here 'the ball' is first direct object, then subject. We don't say that 'the ball' is both subject and direct object in the second sentence.)

They have talked about the show > The show has been talked about.
(Here 'the show' is first complement of 'about', then subject. We don't say that 'the show' is both subject and complement of 'about' in the second sentence.)

These analyses are a matter of convention. I don't think there are any methods of grammatical analysis that break the convention that a constituent cannot be two things at once.

CJ

If you want to learn more about phrasal vs prepositional verbs, see

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