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www0935
Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 173
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 Posted: Sun May 05, 2013 7:40 am Post subject: Can "derive from" be used in passive voice? |
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The following is my question:
The folk festival has given its name to similar festivals worldwide that are at least in part ________ the original Bavarian Oktoberfest.
(A) derived from (B) turned into (C) made up (D) named after
The answer is (D), but how about (A)? In my opinion, there seems to be no difference between these two entries. Please help me out. Thanks a lot. |
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IanT
Joined: 13 Sep 2012
Posts: 340
Location: Spain
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| Posted: Mon May 06, 2013 5:52 am Post subject: |
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"derive from" can be used in the passive - in fact it's much much more common in the passive.
In the example there is a small difference in meaning. To use "derived from" in this sentence would suggest that more than just the name came from the original festival, perhaps the form and activities too.
If it said
"similar festivals worldwide whose names are at least in part..."
then derived from would have the same meaning. But in that example "named after" wouldn't be good.
Hope helps,
Ian
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