त्वरित लिंक्स
English Language
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In advanced English syntax and diathesis, the conversion of active voice to passive voice involves complex morphosyntactic operations, particularly when managing ditransitive verbs, complement clauses, and agentless structures. Consider the following complex propositions regarding active-passive voice transformations:I. When an active sentence features a complex transitive pattern where the direct object is followed by an object complement (e.g., 'The faculty appointed Dr. Vance dean of the department'), the object complement cannot become the subject in the passive transform; rather, the direct object is raised to subject position (e.g., 'Dr. Vance was appointed dean of the department by the faculty').II. In active constructions governed by reporting verbs taking a propositional complement clause (e.g., 'The committee concluded that the policy had failed'), only one passive transformation is syntactically permissible in standard English: the personal passive with subject-raising (e.g., 'The policy was concluded that it had failed').III. When converting active sentences containing intransitive verbs followed by an obligatory prepositional adjunct (phrasal-prepositional or prepositional verbs, e.g., 'The board frowned upon such speculative ventures'), the preposition must be retained and attached directly to the past participle in the passive transform (e.g., 'Such speculative ventures were frowned upon by the board').IV. Ditransitive verbs that take both a direct and an indirect object (e.g., 'The foundation awarded the scholar a prestigious fellowship') can generally form two distinct passive transforms depending on which object is promoted to subject position, except for stative verbs denoting possession or measure (such as 'have', 'cost', or 'suit'), which generally resist passivization altogether.Identify the option that correctly evaluates the syntactic and grammatical validity of propositions I, II, III, and IV.
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Detailed Explanation
To determine the correct evaluation, let us analyze each proposition based on advanced English syntax and diathesis (voice):
Proposition I is correct. In a complex transitive clause (Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement), the direct object undergoes promotion to the subject slot in the passive voice, while the object complement remains as a subject complement following the copular/passive verb (e.g., 'Dr. Vance was appointed dean...'). Attempting to make the object complement the subject (e.g., *'Dean was appointed Dr. Vance'*) violates English syntactic constraints.
Proposition II is incorrect. Reporting verbs with complement clauses (e.g., *'Analysts believe that the market will stabilize'*) actually permit two distinct passive structures: (1) the impersonal passive with a dummy 'It' ('It is believed that the market will stabilize'), and (2) the personal passive via subject-raising of the subordinate clause subject ('The market is believed to stabilize'). Proposition II falsely claims only one is permissible.
Proposition III is correct. When prepositional verbs are passivized, the preposition is an obligatory grammatical component bound to the verb and must be retained immediately following the past participle (e.g., 'His proposal was laughed at by the committee'). For a detailed linguistic overview of voice mechanics, refer to the Wikipedia Reference on voice.
Proposition IV is correct. Ditransitive verbs taking dual objects can typically form two passive variants (direct object or indirect object as subject), but stative verbs like *'have'* or *'cost'* reject passive conversion due to semantic constraints on agent orientation and diathesis. Thus, propositions I, III, and IV are correct, making Option (b) the right answer.
Proposition I is correct. In a complex transitive clause (Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement), the direct object undergoes promotion to the subject slot in the passive voice, while the object complement remains as a subject complement following the copular/passive verb (e.g., 'Dr. Vance was appointed dean...'). Attempting to make the object complement the subject (e.g., *'Dean was appointed Dr. Vance'*) violates English syntactic constraints.
Proposition II is incorrect. Reporting verbs with complement clauses (e.g., *'Analysts believe that the market will stabilize'*) actually permit two distinct passive structures: (1) the impersonal passive with a dummy 'It' ('It is believed that the market will stabilize'), and (2) the personal passive via subject-raising of the subordinate clause subject ('The market is believed to stabilize'). Proposition II falsely claims only one is permissible.
Proposition III is correct. When prepositional verbs are passivized, the preposition is an obligatory grammatical component bound to the verb and must be retained immediately following the past participle (e.g., 'His proposal was laughed at by the committee'). For a detailed linguistic overview of voice mechanics, refer to the Wikipedia Reference on voice.
Proposition IV is correct. Ditransitive verbs taking dual objects can typically form two passive variants (direct object or indirect object as subject), but stative verbs like *'have'* or *'cost'* reject passive conversion due to semantic constraints on agent orientation and diathesis. Thus, propositions I, III, and IV are correct, making Option (b) the right answer.
Related Questions
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