[loloheadzw]

Hello fellow teachers,

This question was on a test:

"I don´t like the name my parents gave me.

a. Are you allowed to change your name in this country?

b. Is it allowed to change your name in this country?

c. Is a change of name in this country allowed?


Which would you say is correct and why?

[susan53]

The answer they were looking for is undoubtedly (a) as this (with a concrete subject) is by far the most usual construction in English.

However, the "empty it" construction of (b) is also perfectly OK, if less frequent. Here's an example from the Guardian newspaper :
Is it allowed to kill, in order to stay safe?
and another from an American writer :
Is it allowed to volunteer during this time? ...

(c) is a bit odd because of the final position of "allowed". It would be fine as Is a change of name allowed in this country? but much less likely with "allowed" after the adverbial.