TO BE

Question

Dear All,1) Situation is said to be critical.2) These types of Nouns are said to be in Possessive Case3) These trees are not to be found elsewhere.Can we say this "to be" or "infinitive" joins the two sentences ?  Can anybody help me in splitting the above three sentences ?  Is there any thumb rule, where after joining these sentences (is, am, are), becomes to be like in above.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Rajan, I need to know the meaning of the phrase you often use: to split sentences. What does that mean, precisely?

Rajan123 · Answer

I have mentioned three sentences. These sentences are the result of joining of two sentences. Just I want to see after splitting into two, how these sentences look(constructionwise). Please help me in splitting these sentences as you did last time. By doing this, I want to know how "to be" came in existence after joining. I believe before joining the word, "to be" does not exist in these sentences.

I hope now it is clear.

Thanks

Mister MicawberRajan, I need to know the meaning of the phrase you often use: to split sentences. What does that mean, precisely?

Mister Micawber · Answer

I understand what you wish to do now, Rajan, but I do not see each of these as two sentences joined at all; they are just different ways of expressing one sentence (i.e. one idea):

1) [The] situation is said to be critical (passive) = Someone said that the situation is critical (active)
2) These types of nouns are said to be in [the] possessive case = Someone said that these nouns are in the possessive case.
3) These trees are not to be found elsewhere (passive) = These trees are not found elsewhere [by anyone] (passive) or No one finds these trees elsewhere (active)

If you want to try to make two sentences of #1 and #2, you can, but it is a meaningless transition:

1a) [The] situation is said to be critical = The situation is critical. Someone said this.
2a) These types of nouns are said to be in [the] possessive case = These types of nouns are in the possessive case. Someone said this.

The third sentence is not amenable even to this much division. These are just examples of infinitive clauses as (1 & 2) comment clauses (said to be) and as (#3) an adverbial.

Rajan123 · Answer

But is there any rule by using which we use "to be" in passive voice. "To be" is not appearing in active voice. I mean to say what should be the construction of Active voice which encouarge us to use "to be" in passive voice.

Can we take the following sentences in passive voice.

1) A man thought to be carrying a bomb was shot dead by police officer.

2) Certain Parts of Northeast continue to be affected with Flood.

In additon to above, is there any rule, where we have to join two sentences and is, am, was, from second sentence, becomes to be after joining the sentences like

Mister Micawber · Answer

To me, to be has nothing to do with it:

1) A man (who was) thought to be carrying a bomb was shot dead by police officers. (clause is passive)
A man thought to have a bomb was shot dead by police officers.
A man expected to buy a bomb was shot dead by police officers.

2) Certain parts of the northeast continue to be affected by flooding. (passive)
Certain parts of the northeast continue to be flooded.
Certain parts of the northeast are sure to avoid flooding. (active)
Certain parts of the northeast are sure to avoid being flooded.

To be can easily appear in active sentences: I want to be in love; I expect to be hungry by midnight, etc.

I can think of no 'rule' for combining sentences which legislates conversion to the infinitive from the finite form of be or any other verb. But I think I am still not understanding the fundamentals of what you are looking for-- or I just don't know the rule.

Rajan123 · Answer

Just I want to know - why "to be" is used here.  In passive voice we use to be and in active voice we do not. Why

Mister Micawber · Answer

OK-- please ignore all my other rambling above. Let's go back to your originals. They belong to two groups of verbs that do not take the active voice:

1) The situation is said to be critical. (this structure with say, repute, rumour, see does not have an active form)
2) These types of nouns are said to be in possessive case. (as #1)

3) These trees are not (to be) found elsewhere. The to be is optional, but I cannot use it in the active form (We cannot find these trees elsewhere); the main verb is be to, a modal idiom for futurity:

These trees are to be found only here; if they were to be found elsewhere, it would be a miracle. If they were to grow elsewhere, this place would not be unique. We are to begin planting seeds all over the world next year.

But, sorry, I cannot answer your question of why we cannot use these forms in active voice. (There are also verbs that do not appear in passive voice, and I have no answer for that either.)

Ikia · Answer

It's not a matter of splitting the sentences, is it? You want to know how "to be" is used in the sentences and what you must do to remove them. Is that correct?

The reason for the "to be" in your sentences is to express passive voice. The subject is being acted upon, rather than doing the action. Once you provide a doer, you can eliminate the "to be." Passive voice is formed by some form of linking verb (to be) and the past participle of the verb.

You can eliminate the "to be" by providing doers:

Experts say the situation is critical.

Grammarians said these nouns are in possessive case.

You cannot find these trees elswhere.

The "to be's" are all gone!

Ikia

Rajan123 · Answer

I wanted to know why to be has been used:

My teacher told the following on this :

The situation is said to be critical.

Linking verb always takes adjectives. Here "is" a linking verb. But "said" has come in between "is" and critical. As we know "to be" is a joiner and it carries no tense. To make the sentence gramatical to be has been added to connect is with critical.

Similarly other two sentences

This explaination suits me more

Ikia · Answer

Yes, linking verbs link the adjective back to the subject.

However, in the case you're pondering, the linking verb is used to form passive voice.

Passive voice is formed by the use of a linking verb and the past participle. Look here:

The book was read by many people.

The book is beautiful.

It is I.

The linking verb is just used differently; that's all. Is that what's confusing you?

Note the linking verb and the past participle of the verb to form the passive voice in the first sentence.

Ikia

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