the use of “can be” in passive voice
I'm not a native English speaker and I see a sort of striking contradiction in the use of the expression in the passive voice
something can/can not be + past participle
e.g
the problem can not be solved
or
I can't be killed
or
the door can be opened
I know what the English native speakers want to say with this expresion but I see it weird to attribute "can" to an object ; then "can" and the passive voice are contradictory - isn't it like saying :
the door can undergo to be opened
Can is bound to all what relates to ability,action...while the passive voice is bound to the passivity,non action...thus the expression is like
the door is active to be passive
1)"can" and "undergo" does not go together !
2)It's human that can,not objects (such as "doors") or abstract things (such as "problems")
I know ,maybe, I have not well explained my idea - but is this a legacy from an old language or just an habit that became a rule ?
passive-voice contradiction
New contributor
add a comment |
I'm not a native English speaker and I see a sort of striking contradiction in the use of the expression in the passive voice
something can/can not be + past participle
e.g
the problem can not be solved
or
I can't be killed
or
the door can be opened
I know what the English native speakers want to say with this expresion but I see it weird to attribute "can" to an object ; then "can" and the passive voice are contradictory - isn't it like saying :
the door can undergo to be opened
Can is bound to all what relates to ability,action...while the passive voice is bound to the passivity,non action...thus the expression is like
the door is active to be passive
1)"can" and "undergo" does not go together !
2)It's human that can,not objects (such as "doors") or abstract things (such as "problems")
I know ,maybe, I have not well explained my idea - but is this a legacy from an old language or just an habit that became a rule ?
passive-voice contradiction
New contributor
"The door can undergo being opened" is a grammatical sentence. "Can" and "undergo" go fine together. All that makes that example wrong is you using the infinitive "to be" rather than the gerund "being" since the gerund phrase "being opened" is the object of the verb "undergo."
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
By the way, I myself didn't answer this question because @Centaurus more or less gave the answer I would've given. All I might've added is that "can" is being used as a helping verb like "shall" or "will" and that the verb "be" is the main verb and is what casts it into the passive voice.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
Your talk of "contradiction" wanders into the nonsensical as objects are quite capable of action, not that that's the case here since the passive voice is what's being used. Nevertheless, all verb subjects are not animate, far from it. I can't help but think that you went a little harebrained, that you started thinking in circles so much that you lost the plot and started thinking and then saying things that obviously aren't true. To be clear, there is nothing unusual about this construction in English. I speak four languages, and it exists in all of them.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
add a comment |
I'm not a native English speaker and I see a sort of striking contradiction in the use of the expression in the passive voice
something can/can not be + past participle
e.g
the problem can not be solved
or
I can't be killed
or
the door can be opened
I know what the English native speakers want to say with this expresion but I see it weird to attribute "can" to an object ; then "can" and the passive voice are contradictory - isn't it like saying :
the door can undergo to be opened
Can is bound to all what relates to ability,action...while the passive voice is bound to the passivity,non action...thus the expression is like
the door is active to be passive
1)"can" and "undergo" does not go together !
2)It's human that can,not objects (such as "doors") or abstract things (such as "problems")
I know ,maybe, I have not well explained my idea - but is this a legacy from an old language or just an habit that became a rule ?
passive-voice contradiction
New contributor
I'm not a native English speaker and I see a sort of striking contradiction in the use of the expression in the passive voice
something can/can not be + past participle
e.g
the problem can not be solved
or
I can't be killed
or
the door can be opened
I know what the English native speakers want to say with this expresion but I see it weird to attribute "can" to an object ; then "can" and the passive voice are contradictory - isn't it like saying :
the door can undergo to be opened
Can is bound to all what relates to ability,action...while the passive voice is bound to the passivity,non action...thus the expression is like
the door is active to be passive
1)"can" and "undergo" does not go together !
2)It's human that can,not objects (such as "doors") or abstract things (such as "problems")
I know ,maybe, I have not well explained my idea - but is this a legacy from an old language or just an habit that became a rule ?
passive-voice contradiction
passive-voice contradiction
New contributor
New contributor
edited yesterday
jihed gasmi
New contributor
asked Mar 29 at 22:01
jihed gasmijihed gasmi
1043
1043
New contributor
New contributor
"The door can undergo being opened" is a grammatical sentence. "Can" and "undergo" go fine together. All that makes that example wrong is you using the infinitive "to be" rather than the gerund "being" since the gerund phrase "being opened" is the object of the verb "undergo."
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
By the way, I myself didn't answer this question because @Centaurus more or less gave the answer I would've given. All I might've added is that "can" is being used as a helping verb like "shall" or "will" and that the verb "be" is the main verb and is what casts it into the passive voice.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
Your talk of "contradiction" wanders into the nonsensical as objects are quite capable of action, not that that's the case here since the passive voice is what's being used. Nevertheless, all verb subjects are not animate, far from it. I can't help but think that you went a little harebrained, that you started thinking in circles so much that you lost the plot and started thinking and then saying things that obviously aren't true. To be clear, there is nothing unusual about this construction in English. I speak four languages, and it exists in all of them.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
add a comment |
"The door can undergo being opened" is a grammatical sentence. "Can" and "undergo" go fine together. All that makes that example wrong is you using the infinitive "to be" rather than the gerund "being" since the gerund phrase "being opened" is the object of the verb "undergo."
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
By the way, I myself didn't answer this question because @Centaurus more or less gave the answer I would've given. All I might've added is that "can" is being used as a helping verb like "shall" or "will" and that the verb "be" is the main verb and is what casts it into the passive voice.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
Your talk of "contradiction" wanders into the nonsensical as objects are quite capable of action, not that that's the case here since the passive voice is what's being used. Nevertheless, all verb subjects are not animate, far from it. I can't help but think that you went a little harebrained, that you started thinking in circles so much that you lost the plot and started thinking and then saying things that obviously aren't true. To be clear, there is nothing unusual about this construction in English. I speak four languages, and it exists in all of them.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
"The door can undergo being opened" is a grammatical sentence. "Can" and "undergo" go fine together. All that makes that example wrong is you using the infinitive "to be" rather than the gerund "being" since the gerund phrase "being opened" is the object of the verb "undergo."
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
"The door can undergo being opened" is a grammatical sentence. "Can" and "undergo" go fine together. All that makes that example wrong is you using the infinitive "to be" rather than the gerund "being" since the gerund phrase "being opened" is the object of the verb "undergo."
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
By the way, I myself didn't answer this question because @Centaurus more or less gave the answer I would've given. All I might've added is that "can" is being used as a helping verb like "shall" or "will" and that the verb "be" is the main verb and is what casts it into the passive voice.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
By the way, I myself didn't answer this question because @Centaurus more or less gave the answer I would've given. All I might've added is that "can" is being used as a helping verb like "shall" or "will" and that the verb "be" is the main verb and is what casts it into the passive voice.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
Your talk of "contradiction" wanders into the nonsensical as objects are quite capable of action, not that that's the case here since the passive voice is what's being used. Nevertheless, all verb subjects are not animate, far from it. I can't help but think that you went a little harebrained, that you started thinking in circles so much that you lost the plot and started thinking and then saying things that obviously aren't true. To be clear, there is nothing unusual about this construction in English. I speak four languages, and it exists in all of them.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
Your talk of "contradiction" wanders into the nonsensical as objects are quite capable of action, not that that's the case here since the passive voice is what's being used. Nevertheless, all verb subjects are not animate, far from it. I can't help but think that you went a little harebrained, that you started thinking in circles so much that you lost the plot and started thinking and then saying things that obviously aren't true. To be clear, there is nothing unusual about this construction in English. I speak four languages, and it exists in all of them.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
add a comment |
4 Answers
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There is no mystery.
In a passive sentence the subject becomes the agent, which is often omitted.
- The problem can't be solved. (by anyone here) = No one here can solve the problem.
- The door can't be opened (by us) = We can't open the door.
The agent is the person or thing that performs the action and is the subject of the active sentence. In most passive sentences, the agent is not mentioned. If it is mentioned, however, it is usually preceded by the preposition by.
Grammaring
add a comment |
"Can" is potentially ambiguous between a permission sense and a possibility sense. "This door can be opened" in the permission sense is "Someone (unspecified) has permission (for that person(s)) to open the door" but in the possibility sense means "It is possible (for someone/thing) to open the door."
In the possibility sense, there is no change of sense when the clause with "open" is passivized: "It is possible for the door to be opened (by someone/thing), which can be expressed using "can": "The door can be opened (by someone/thing)."
In the permission sense, however, passivizing makes for a difficulty. "Someone (unspecified) has permission for the door to be opened (by that person(s))" is not entirely coherent, and it cannot be simplified and rephrased with "can", "The door can be opened", because it implies that "the door" is receiving permission. Doors are not people, so they can't be given permission.
add a comment |
That is an interesting observation you are making. I think you are trying to say that the actual subject of the sentence doesn't appear to be the logical subject, and there is no logical subject in fact. I.e., "The problem cannot be solved" can be paraphrased as "It is not possible for the problem to be solved."
A similar phenomenon in English is with the word seem. E.g., "Thomas seems to be angry." is like saying "It seems that Thomas is angry." This is called "raising" in Linguistics literature.
add a comment |
In passive voice the subject is acted upon by whatsoever in this world. That is to say the receiver of action is made to usurp the subject position. The way we use BE in passive voice is rather, to be true, structured— one of formation of conjugation; it would be wrong to seek a meaning of the use of BE. You should also mark " CAN" does not take an object; it " fine-tunes " the " mood" of the following active verb that takes the object.
Now, YOU CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
add a comment |
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4 Answers
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active
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4 Answers
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There is no mystery.
In a passive sentence the subject becomes the agent, which is often omitted.
- The problem can't be solved. (by anyone here) = No one here can solve the problem.
- The door can't be opened (by us) = We can't open the door.
The agent is the person or thing that performs the action and is the subject of the active sentence. In most passive sentences, the agent is not mentioned. If it is mentioned, however, it is usually preceded by the preposition by.
Grammaring
add a comment |
There is no mystery.
In a passive sentence the subject becomes the agent, which is often omitted.
- The problem can't be solved. (by anyone here) = No one here can solve the problem.
- The door can't be opened (by us) = We can't open the door.
The agent is the person or thing that performs the action and is the subject of the active sentence. In most passive sentences, the agent is not mentioned. If it is mentioned, however, it is usually preceded by the preposition by.
Grammaring
add a comment |
There is no mystery.
In a passive sentence the subject becomes the agent, which is often omitted.
- The problem can't be solved. (by anyone here) = No one here can solve the problem.
- The door can't be opened (by us) = We can't open the door.
The agent is the person or thing that performs the action and is the subject of the active sentence. In most passive sentences, the agent is not mentioned. If it is mentioned, however, it is usually preceded by the preposition by.
Grammaring
There is no mystery.
In a passive sentence the subject becomes the agent, which is often omitted.
- The problem can't be solved. (by anyone here) = No one here can solve the problem.
- The door can't be opened (by us) = We can't open the door.
The agent is the person or thing that performs the action and is the subject of the active sentence. In most passive sentences, the agent is not mentioned. If it is mentioned, however, it is usually preceded by the preposition by.
Grammaring
edited Mar 30 at 1:51
answered Mar 30 at 1:46
CentaurusCentaurus
38.7k31125247
38.7k31125247
add a comment |
add a comment |
"Can" is potentially ambiguous between a permission sense and a possibility sense. "This door can be opened" in the permission sense is "Someone (unspecified) has permission (for that person(s)) to open the door" but in the possibility sense means "It is possible (for someone/thing) to open the door."
In the possibility sense, there is no change of sense when the clause with "open" is passivized: "It is possible for the door to be opened (by someone/thing), which can be expressed using "can": "The door can be opened (by someone/thing)."
In the permission sense, however, passivizing makes for a difficulty. "Someone (unspecified) has permission for the door to be opened (by that person(s))" is not entirely coherent, and it cannot be simplified and rephrased with "can", "The door can be opened", because it implies that "the door" is receiving permission. Doors are not people, so they can't be given permission.
add a comment |
"Can" is potentially ambiguous between a permission sense and a possibility sense. "This door can be opened" in the permission sense is "Someone (unspecified) has permission (for that person(s)) to open the door" but in the possibility sense means "It is possible (for someone/thing) to open the door."
In the possibility sense, there is no change of sense when the clause with "open" is passivized: "It is possible for the door to be opened (by someone/thing), which can be expressed using "can": "The door can be opened (by someone/thing)."
In the permission sense, however, passivizing makes for a difficulty. "Someone (unspecified) has permission for the door to be opened (by that person(s))" is not entirely coherent, and it cannot be simplified and rephrased with "can", "The door can be opened", because it implies that "the door" is receiving permission. Doors are not people, so they can't be given permission.
add a comment |
"Can" is potentially ambiguous between a permission sense and a possibility sense. "This door can be opened" in the permission sense is "Someone (unspecified) has permission (for that person(s)) to open the door" but in the possibility sense means "It is possible (for someone/thing) to open the door."
In the possibility sense, there is no change of sense when the clause with "open" is passivized: "It is possible for the door to be opened (by someone/thing), which can be expressed using "can": "The door can be opened (by someone/thing)."
In the permission sense, however, passivizing makes for a difficulty. "Someone (unspecified) has permission for the door to be opened (by that person(s))" is not entirely coherent, and it cannot be simplified and rephrased with "can", "The door can be opened", because it implies that "the door" is receiving permission. Doors are not people, so they can't be given permission.
"Can" is potentially ambiguous between a permission sense and a possibility sense. "This door can be opened" in the permission sense is "Someone (unspecified) has permission (for that person(s)) to open the door" but in the possibility sense means "It is possible (for someone/thing) to open the door."
In the possibility sense, there is no change of sense when the clause with "open" is passivized: "It is possible for the door to be opened (by someone/thing), which can be expressed using "can": "The door can be opened (by someone/thing)."
In the permission sense, however, passivizing makes for a difficulty. "Someone (unspecified) has permission for the door to be opened (by that person(s))" is not entirely coherent, and it cannot be simplified and rephrased with "can", "The door can be opened", because it implies that "the door" is receiving permission. Doors are not people, so they can't be given permission.
answered Mar 30 at 0:02
Greg LeeGreg Lee
14.9k2933
14.9k2933
add a comment |
add a comment |
That is an interesting observation you are making. I think you are trying to say that the actual subject of the sentence doesn't appear to be the logical subject, and there is no logical subject in fact. I.e., "The problem cannot be solved" can be paraphrased as "It is not possible for the problem to be solved."
A similar phenomenon in English is with the word seem. E.g., "Thomas seems to be angry." is like saying "It seems that Thomas is angry." This is called "raising" in Linguistics literature.
add a comment |
That is an interesting observation you are making. I think you are trying to say that the actual subject of the sentence doesn't appear to be the logical subject, and there is no logical subject in fact. I.e., "The problem cannot be solved" can be paraphrased as "It is not possible for the problem to be solved."
A similar phenomenon in English is with the word seem. E.g., "Thomas seems to be angry." is like saying "It seems that Thomas is angry." This is called "raising" in Linguistics literature.
add a comment |
That is an interesting observation you are making. I think you are trying to say that the actual subject of the sentence doesn't appear to be the logical subject, and there is no logical subject in fact. I.e., "The problem cannot be solved" can be paraphrased as "It is not possible for the problem to be solved."
A similar phenomenon in English is with the word seem. E.g., "Thomas seems to be angry." is like saying "It seems that Thomas is angry." This is called "raising" in Linguistics literature.
That is an interesting observation you are making. I think you are trying to say that the actual subject of the sentence doesn't appear to be the logical subject, and there is no logical subject in fact. I.e., "The problem cannot be solved" can be paraphrased as "It is not possible for the problem to be solved."
A similar phenomenon in English is with the word seem. E.g., "Thomas seems to be angry." is like saying "It seems that Thomas is angry." This is called "raising" in Linguistics literature.
answered Mar 29 at 22:47
jlovegrenjlovegren
12.2k12145
12.2k12145
add a comment |
add a comment |
In passive voice the subject is acted upon by whatsoever in this world. That is to say the receiver of action is made to usurp the subject position. The way we use BE in passive voice is rather, to be true, structured— one of formation of conjugation; it would be wrong to seek a meaning of the use of BE. You should also mark " CAN" does not take an object; it " fine-tunes " the " mood" of the following active verb that takes the object.
Now, YOU CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
add a comment |
In passive voice the subject is acted upon by whatsoever in this world. That is to say the receiver of action is made to usurp the subject position. The way we use BE in passive voice is rather, to be true, structured— one of formation of conjugation; it would be wrong to seek a meaning of the use of BE. You should also mark " CAN" does not take an object; it " fine-tunes " the " mood" of the following active verb that takes the object.
Now, YOU CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
add a comment |
In passive voice the subject is acted upon by whatsoever in this world. That is to say the receiver of action is made to usurp the subject position. The way we use BE in passive voice is rather, to be true, structured— one of formation of conjugation; it would be wrong to seek a meaning of the use of BE. You should also mark " CAN" does not take an object; it " fine-tunes " the " mood" of the following active verb that takes the object.
Now, YOU CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
In passive voice the subject is acted upon by whatsoever in this world. That is to say the receiver of action is made to usurp the subject position. The way we use BE in passive voice is rather, to be true, structured— one of formation of conjugation; it would be wrong to seek a meaning of the use of BE. You should also mark " CAN" does not take an object; it " fine-tunes " the " mood" of the following active verb that takes the object.
Now, YOU CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
answered Mar 30 at 1:45
Barid Baran AcharyaBarid Baran Acharya
1,988613
1,988613
add a comment |
add a comment |
jihed gasmi is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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"The door can undergo being opened" is a grammatical sentence. "Can" and "undergo" go fine together. All that makes that example wrong is you using the infinitive "to be" rather than the gerund "being" since the gerund phrase "being opened" is the object of the verb "undergo."
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
By the way, I myself didn't answer this question because @Centaurus more or less gave the answer I would've given. All I might've added is that "can" is being used as a helping verb like "shall" or "will" and that the verb "be" is the main verb and is what casts it into the passive voice.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago
Your talk of "contradiction" wanders into the nonsensical as objects are quite capable of action, not that that's the case here since the passive voice is what's being used. Nevertheless, all verb subjects are not animate, far from it. I can't help but think that you went a little harebrained, that you started thinking in circles so much that you lost the plot and started thinking and then saying things that obviously aren't true. To be clear, there is nothing unusual about this construction in English. I speak four languages, and it exists in all of them.
– Benjamin Harman
2 days ago