|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Passive Voice or Adjective?
Passive Voice or Adjective?
|
Canankiran
|
Passive Voice or Adjective?
|
Hi guys, long time no see. I have an advanced grammar question:
If painters or sculptors with
potential talent are subsidised to live in great centres of culture like Venice
or Paris, why shouldn �t promising pop stars be subsidised to sip from the industry �s
founts in Los Angeles or London?
In this sentence, are �are subsidised � and �be subsidised � used as part of passive structured verbs? or are they adjectives? and how on earth can I prove it?
Thanks.
|
5 Apr 2014
|
|
|
|
MissAndreaP
|
sub‧si‧dize also subsidise British English [transitive usually passive] if a government or organization subsidizes a company, activity etc, it pays part of its costs: �subsidized adjective [only before noun] heavily subsidized agricultural exports �subsidization noun [uncountable]
Adjectives come before a noun. "to be subsidised" is a verb phrase in the passive form and note that the agent of the action can be indicated by a prepositional phrase beginning with "by..."
|
5 Apr 2014
|
|
|
Zora
|
|
The sentences are grammatically correct. However, you are not using subsidize correctly.
Subsidize is when a government pays/incurs part of the price of something so that it is cheaper to buy/grow/manufacture.
I think the phrase you want is:
If painters or sculptors with potential talent are given scholarships/grants to live in great centres of culture like Venice or Paris, why shouldn �t promising pop stars be given scholarships/grants to sip from the industry �s founts in Los Angeles or London? |
5 Apr 2014
|
|
|
cunliffe
|
|
To add to MissAnreaP �s answer, �Subsidised students, living in centres of culture... � that is adjectival.
These examples are verb phrases - the active would be �the government/industry/whatever subsidises them. � �they are subsidised by � - this is passive voice - the present passive.
Any grammarians around? I think there could be a better explanation! |
6 Apr 2014
|
|
|
florimago
|
|
I completely agree with cunliffe �s explanation !!! |
6 Apr 2014
|
|
|
Canankiran
|
Thank you for your answers everyone. As far as I know there are a couple of tests to see whether the structure is adjective or verb. For adjectival use: inserting �very �, inserting the prefix �-un �, and changing the copula �be � to another one like get, seem, or remain etc. For verbal use: (as it is mentioned at the above in comments) to make it active.
So I came up with this explanation:
Very: *If painters or sculptors with
potential talent are very subsidised to live� The sentence loses its
grammaticality when very is inserted.
�un: *If painters or sculptors with
potential talent are unsubsidised to live� The prefix �un also makes the
sentence ungrammatical.
Copula: *If painters or sculptors with potential talent
remain/seem subsidised to live� As it can be seen the sentence also fails the
copula test.
Active: If the agent subsidises the painters or sculptors with
potential talent to live� It can be turned into an active sentence, so it is
proven to be a passive structure.
Am I right?
|
6 Apr 2014
|
|
|
