त्वरित लिंक्स
English Language
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In advanced English syntax and diathesis alternation, converting complex active sentences into the passive voice requires intricate morphosyntactic adjustments, especially when handling complex clause embeddings, complementizer deletions, and impersonal constructions. Consider the following four advanced propositions regarding active and passive voice conversion: I. When converting an active sentence featuring a declarative complement clause functioning as a direct object (e.g., 'The investigative committee established that the corporation falsified financial records') into the passive voice using a dummy subject, the embedded clause is typically extraposed, yielding the standard impersonal passive construction: 'It was established by the investigative committee that the corporation falsified financial records.' II. In active sentences containing a complex ditransitive verb where the direct object is an infinitival clause or a nominalized gerundial phrase with its own internal argument structure, promoting the internal direct object to the subject position in the passive voice is strictly prohibited by syntactic valency rules, regardless of pragmatic focus or information packaging. III. When converting an active sentence involving a transitive phrasal verb whose particle is separable (e.g., 'The board of directors called off the controversial merger negotiations'), the particle must either immediately follow the lexical verb or be stranded at the terminal boundary of the derived passive clause ('The controversial merger negotiations were called off by the board of directors'), maintaining strict adherence to syntactic cohesion. IV. Sentences containing true intransitive verbs of motion or posture that lack a direct object (such as 'arrive', 'sleep', or 'swim') can be freely converted into the passive voice in standard English provided an adjunct prepositional phrase denoting location or time is present in the active matrix clause. Identify the option that correctly evaluates the grammatical, syntactic, and semantic validity of propositions I, II, III, and IV according to standard English grammar and English passive voice principles.
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Detailed Explanation
Let us evaluate each advanced proposition regarding active and passive voice conversion:
I. **Valid**: When an active clause takes a clausal complement (e.g., a *that*-clause) as its direct object, converting it directly into a subject often results in an unwieldy structure. Standard English syntax permits the use of an anticipatory dummy subject 'It' while extraposing the clausal complement to the end of the sentence, resulting in the correct impersonal passive structure: 'It was established by the investigative committee that the corporation falsified financial records.'
II. **Invalid**: While direct object promotion in ditransitive or complex structures is subject to certain constraints, it is not universally prohibited to promote objects associated with clausal or gerundial constituents under all syntactic conditions; context, information structure, and thematic roles frequently license such operations.
III. **Valid**: Phrasal and prepositional verbs in English maintain their particle attachment during voice alternation. When converted to the passive voice, the verb-particle combination remains intact or the particle is correctly stranded at the predicate boundary (e.g., 'The controversial merger negotiations were called off by the board of directors'), perfectly preserving the idiomatic unit.
IV. **Invalid**: Intransitive verbs (such as 'arrive', 'sleep', or 'swim') inherently lack a direct object (patient/theme) that can be promoted to the subject position of a passive clause. The presence of an adjunct (locative or temporal) does not license passive conversion in standard English (*'He was slept by the man'* or *'Arrived was the train'* are ungrammatical).
Therefore, Propositions I and III are valid, while II and IV are invalid, making option (a) the correct choice. For further reading, consult the English passive voice Wikipedia entry.
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