| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
raewon
Joined: 16 Jun 2009
|
 Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 3:37 pm Post subject: modal / passive question |
 |
|
Again, I have another grammar question that I'm not sure exactly how to word.
Please take a look at the sentence in question:
The guests would be allocated their rooms depending on which room they had parked in front of.
"would be allocated their rooms" is being questioned. Is that (and the sentence) grammatically correct? Is the underlined structure a passive form with a modal?
My grammar reference gives some examples of modal verbs with passives, but no examples of "would" are given, and it says that "other passive verb forms with modal verbs are very rare."
I must be missing something with this one.
Thanks for any comments/help. [/u] |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
YTMND
Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Location: You're the man now dog!!
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 4:34 pm Post subject: |
|
|
1. would be given _____
2. _____ would be given
2 sounds more natural. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 5:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
It's quite a common use of would to describe past habits or routines e.g.
'When I was a kid I would go to football practice every Saturday '.
You can use it in the passive form too
e.g. 'We would be put into teams by the coach.' |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
YTMND
Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Location: You're the man now dog!!
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 6:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| edwardcatflap wrote: |
It's quite a common use of would to describe past habits or routines e.g.
'When I was a kid I would go to football practice every Saturday '.
You can use it in the passive form too
e.g. 'We would be put into teams by the coach.' |
I think the sore spot in the sentence is using the word "allocated". I just wouldn't talk to someone with that word choice. I would use "give" or "assigned" instead. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 7:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| YTMND wrote: |
I think the sore spot in the sentence is using the word "allocated". I just wouldn't talk to someone with that word choice... |
Yep, never trust them fancy talkers. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rockhard
Joined: 11 Dec 2013
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 8:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Well, "allocated" is an incorrect usage of that verb. that's a vocabulary mistake.
But the grammar mistake is writing this sentence in the subjunctive tense.
Why is the assigning of rooms to parking spots a hypothetical situation demanding the use of the subjunctive?
If it's past it should be "would have been".
Now I'm not seeing the whole context here, but I'm guessing this is suppose to be a real situation so the use of "would be" instead of "will be" is incorrect. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The Cosmic Hum
Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 9:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Rockhard wrote: |
Well, "allocated" is an incorrect usage of that verb. that's a vocabulary mistake.
But the grammar mistake is writing this sentence in the subjunctive tense.
Why is the assigning of rooms to parking spots a hypothetical situation demanding the use of the subjunctive?
If it's past it should be "would have been".
Now I'm not seeing the whole context here, but I'm guessing this is suppose to be a real situation so the use of "would be" instead of "will be" is incorrect. |
Sorry to sound insensitive, but the information in this post is rubbish.
| edwardcatflap wrote: |
It's quite a common use of would to describe past habits or routines e.g.
'When I was a kid I would go to football practice every Saturday '.
You can use it in the passive form too
e.g. 'We would be put into teams by the coach.' |
This is correct.
| schwa wrote: |
| Yep, never trust them fancy talkers. |
This is wise.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
transmogrifier
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
Location: Seoul, South Korea
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 9:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| The sentence is fine. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
wanderkind
Joined: 01 Jan 2012
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 9:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Rockhard wrote: |
Well, "allocated" is an incorrect usage of that verb. that's a vocabulary mistake.
But the grammar mistake is writing this sentence in the subjunctive tense.
Why is the assigning of rooms to parking spots a hypothetical situation demanding the use of the subjunctive?
If it's past it should be "would have been".
Now I'm not seeing the whole context here, but I'm guessing this is suppose to be a real situation so the use of "would be" instead of "will be" is incorrect. |
Yeah, OP, not sure we can help you definitively without the context.
If it is referring to the past, 'would' or 'used to' are often used to describe repeated past actions. I.e. describing the manner in which rooms were dished out in the past. "Previously, rooms would be assigned based on blahblahblah." "When I worked there, rooms used to be assigned by blahblah"
If it is subjunctive, then depending on the context (if it is being described, suggested, or intended to happen) the modal used can vary e.g. "would be", "could be", or "will be" (etc).
I agree though, regardless of scenario, using 'allocated' with a guest is inappropriate (or perhaps just sounds unnatural). 'Allocate' is generally used in the sense of an entity distributing resources within itself. A school can allocate rooms to clubs or programs, or a company can allocate funds to a lab. But you wouldn't allocate something outside of the entity, so it doesn't really get used in a sale-purchase context.
At least that's how I understand it. I'm not sure if any of that will help though, because I'm not totally clear what you were asking.
Last edited by wanderkind on Fri Feb 14, 2014 9:42 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
transmogrifier
Joined: 02 Jan 2012
Location: Seoul, South Korea
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2014 9:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| "allocate" is fine. It is a common collocate with "room." As I advise my students, do a Google search to confirm usage. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
