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Rpsh Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

will break

Don't drop the cup. It will (break)
It will be broken or It will break ?
The answer is later, but why is former wrong?
  

Top answer

Don't drop the cup. It will break. The passive sounds weird because there is no "agent" that performs the breaking.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Don't drop the cup.
  • It will break.
  • The passive sounds weird because there is no "agent" that performs the breaking.
  • Grammatically the passive is not wrong, but it describes the final (future) state, not the action of breaking.
  • Compare: These eggs are ready to hatch.
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6 Answers
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Don't drop the cup. It will break.

The passive sounds weird because there is no "agent" that performs the breaking.
Grammatically the passive is not wrong, but it describes the final (future) state, not the action of breaking.

Compare:

These eggs are ready to hatch.
If you come back tomorrow, the shells will be broken and little chicks will be running around.
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sometimes, the 'agent' can be omitted, isn't it? I mean in my instance, the 'agent' is the guy who holds the cup.
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rpshsometimes, the 'agent' can be omitted, isn't it? I mean in my instance, the 'agent' is the guy who holds the cup.
"Don't drop the cup. It will be broken by you" is very odd, and would not be assumed. Other agents may be possible; for example, "Don't drop the cup. It will be broken by the impact" is valid, but it would seem unnecessary in most situations. An
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"Don't drop the cup. It will be broken by you"
When I read this sentence, I also found it's really odd indeed... Thank you very much.
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rpshI mean in my instance, the 'agent' is the guy who holds the cup.
Nope. If the guy just lets it fall, it's the cold hard ground that does the business of breaking the cup.
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You guys really wow me!! I never though things in that way! Haha. Thank you!
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