...to be blamed...

Question

Hi,what about the passive with "blame"?Is only the first one correct or can you use the second as well?Is society to be blamed for violence / Is society to blame for violence?thanx

Mr Wordy · Accepted Answer

The second phrasing is correct and a lot more common.

Cool Breeze · Answer

Both are used and can be considered correct. Logically of course the passive infinitive (to be blamed) should be used since society doesn't blame anything or anybody.

CB

Mr Wordy · Answer

Cool BreezeLogically of course the passive infinitive (to be blamed) should be used since society doesn't blame anything or anybody.

I don't quite see it that way. I don't consider "Is society to blame for violence?" to be suggesting that society is doing any blaming.

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Cool BreezeBoth are used and can be considered correct. Logically of course the passive infinitive (to be blamed) should be used since society doesn't blame anything or anybody.

CB

I agree with CB.

He wanted to make fast money and got caught with selling drugs. He has no one to blame but himself. Active voice.

Even though appeared to be used in the same construction as the above, the following sentence actually meant 'was blamed".

The 2008 AIG collapse was to blame for the world-wide economic crisis. This sounds and looks like active voice but it's commonly use to express passive opinion(s).

The housing bubble was blamed for the biggest economic crisis in recent history by many critics.
Pasive voice- the cause is to be blamed.

CalifJim · Answer

Mr WordyI don't quite see it that way. I don't consider "Is society to blame for violence?" to be suggesting that society is doing any blaming.

I don't either. The active infinitive is quite commonly used with passive meaning. But I think that's CB's point if I understood it correctly.

I have a lot of plates to wash from last night's party. [meaning: plates to be washed (by me)]

CJ

Cool Breeze · Answer

CalifJimThe active infinitive is quite commonly used with passive meaning. But I think that's CB's point if I understood it correctly.

You understood me perfectly, Jim![Y] I still recall your reply to a question of mine years ago - I just can't remember what I was actually asking - but your suggestion was: The chicken is ready to eat.

The active infinitive is indeed very commonly used for a passive meaning.

CalifJimI have a lot of plates to wash from last night's party.

In this case the active infinitive comes very naturally even to me since I have the plates and I must or I am going to wash them.

The sentence Is society to blame for violence? has society as its grammatical subject and is in the passive voice. Of course common sense says that "society" does not blame anyone or anything in the sentence, but in my opinion that is just because people are used to using the "wrong" active infinitive in English in such a large number of fixed phrases that this usage has become the norm rather than the exception.

I'm not saying that this shouldn't be done or that there is anything really wrong with it. I'm just an outside observer making observations and comparing English with other languages in my mind.

CB

CalifJim · Answer

Interesting points and contrasts here.

We have society to blame.
I have these plates to wash.

Yet:
Is society to blame? OK.
Are these plates to wash? NO!

blame has a notoriously peculiar grammar, so maybe blame is the only verb that can be used this way. ???

CJ

I'm glad I didn't repeat myself by using the chicken example again! I confess that I do like that one, though.

Mr Wordy · Answer

CalifJimblame has a notoriously peculiar grammar, so maybe blame is the only verb that can be used this way. ???

In "society is to blame", for instance, I don't think of "to blame" as being a use of the verb "blame".

CalifJim · Answer

Mr WordyIn "society is to blame", for instance, I don't think of "to blame" as being a use of the verb "blame".

Wow! I can't quite wrap my head around its being a noun! Or whatever else. You don't sense that theto is an infinitive marker?

I grant you that the following don't work.

*The puzzle is to solve.
*The mistake is to find.
*That movie is to see.

(Not to be confused with sentences like "The trick is to understand the basic principles", of course.)

But what about this? Grammatical? Not?

?This cardboard is to use for the backing on the photo.

CJ

Mr Wordy · Answer

CalifJimWow! I can't quite wrap my head around its being a noun! Or whatever else. You don't sense that the to is an infinitive marker?

No, I'm afraid not. I just see "to blame" as an adjectival phrase meaning "responsible", "deserving blame".

CalifJim?This cardboard is to use for the backing on the photo.

This one doesn't work for me.

...to be blamed...

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