Site Search:
 
Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

which tense

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Help Center
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
bluebary



Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 26
Location: Turkiye

PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 7:51 am    Post subject: which tense Reply with quote

ı have a question which confuses me.

do you know someone affected by computer game ?

is it passive tense? if it is passive tense,it is necessary that a verb is between someone and affected ,isn't t ?

could you give some examples and explain that tense?


regards...
_________________
I am not MaRRieD
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail MSN Messenger
redset



Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 582
Location: England

PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think this is an informal style, which is basically equal to:

'Do you know someone (who is/who was/who has been etc.) affected by computer games?'

It's passive because the subject is someone, but the subject is being acted on (in this case affected) by something else (a computer game/computer games). The subject is being acted on instead of doing the acting - if you rearrange the sentence so that the subject is also the actor, you're using the active voice:

Someone is affected by computer games (passive voice)
Computer games affect someone (active voice - 'computer games' is now the subject and the actor)

I think that's basically it - your initial sentence is really two clauses though (I think), so there may be more to it. There are plenty of teachers here with a strong background in linguistics though, I'm sure you'll get a better answer Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
bluebary



Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 26
Location: Turkiye

PostPosted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Thanks for your replying (to/concerning) my following question" is better.

We can remove the "who,which,that" after the subject but verb-be which is using in all passive tenses can't delete otherwise how we can understand that sentence is passive.
if passive is equal subject+Aux-verb(be)+v3, there is no meaning the removing "be" from the sentences.
Do you know someone (who)had been effected by computer games.
This gives us passive voice.
Do you know someone affected by computer games.this is not passive it gives us definite situation.

Absolutely,BE should use in the passive sentences.
present=(be=is)
past =(be=was)
in the other passive tenses, BE is using as been or being
if the sentence was made in continous tenses which, takes being or not been
_________________
I am not MaRRieD
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail MSN Messenger
Lorikeet



Joined: 08 Oct 2005
Posts: 1877
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 12:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmm I don't understand why you answered your own question. I agree with redset. The sentences is passive, and the "be" is deleted.

The car found in front of my house had been stolen. (The which was found in front of my house had been stolen.) This is a passive as well. You know it's a passive because of the meaning.

You can be unhappy that that's the way it is, but the "be" portion of a passive is often deleted in a clause of that kind.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
lotus



Joined: 25 Jan 2004
Posts: 862

PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 7:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi bluebary,

To see what's going on, turn the sentence around and make it a statement instead of a question:

Do you know someone (who has been) affected by computer games?

You do know someone who has been affected by computer games.

The subject is "you", the auxiliary verb is "do", the main verb is "know" and the object is "someone."

"Who has been affected by computer games" is a dependent relative clause whose subject is the pronoun "who." The verb "affected" is in the present perfect tense (has been.) The adverbial prepositional phrase is "by computer games."

The entire relative clause is passive because the subject "who" is being affected (acted on) by computer games.

Let's go back to the original sentence:
Do you know someone affected by computer games?

A clearer sentence might be:
Do you know of anyone who has been affected by computer games?

Note: passivity is a voice, not a tense.


--lotus
_________________
War does not make one great --Yoda
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Help Center All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave
Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map

Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad
SIT
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group