eslHQ Home
User Name Password
Lost Password? | Join eslHQ.com, it's FREE!
View today's posts
Search Extras Help   

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old May 30th, 2010, 08:17 pm
eslHQ Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Apr 24th, 2010
Posts: 59
thadajirajaras is on a distinguished road
Default "passive voice"

How about this case for using passive voice?
Can I use present simple like this.
I think I should use past tense but I found in my computer game that they used present tense like this.

For example:
(My pets were ill.)
Me: Could you please heal my pets.
(a nurse healed my pets.)
Nurse:Your pets are fully healed.
Me:Thanks
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old May 31st, 2010, 03:01 am
Sue
 
Join Date: Oct 8th, 2006
Location: Milan
Posts: 1,406
susan53 is on a distinguished road
Default Re: "passive voice"

You're assuming that healed is the past participle of the verb heal used in the passive as an alternative to the active We healed your pets. So logically you'd expect the passive to be Your pets were healed.

But it's not. Here it's acting as an adjective, with the meaning "now healthy again" or "OK again". So the present is used :
Your pets are now healthy again. = Your pets are healed.

There are lots of past participles which act in this way - think of tired, frightened, interested etc. If I say I'm tired, the concept behind it is that I did something which tired me. (eg I worked for 12 hours today) But used as an adjective it expresses my present state - not the action itself. It's the same with healed.

How can you tell if a past participle is acting as a verb or an adjective. It's complex, but one indication is whether you can modify the PP with an intensifying adverb (very, extremely, completely etc). If so it's an adjective. Notice that in your sentence you can : Your pets are fully healed.

When the PP is truly a verb you can't - eg
The police arrested the protestors.
The protestors were arrested by the police.
*The protestors were very arrested by the police.


(The asterisk means the sentence is not grammatical)
__________________
An ELT Notebook
The DELTA Course
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Find the Best TEFL, TESL, TESOL & CELTA Certification Courses - User Submitted Ratings & Reviews for Online, Distance & Abroad TEFL Courses. Over 3,500 reviews of 100+ TEFL schools!

Teach English in Thailand - Onsite and Combined TEFL certification courses in Phuket, Thailand.


Free ESL Flashcards




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:44 am.

All materials from this website are for classroom-use only. Digital redistribution of materials, in part or in whole, is strictly forbidden!

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2