त्वरित लिंक्स
English Language
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In advanced English syntax and diathesis alternation, the conversion of active constructions into passive voice involves complex structural reconfigurations, case-marking adjustments, and thematic role mapping. Consider the following four advanced propositions regarding active and passive voice conversion: I. When converting a ditransitive clause with two internal arguments (e.g., *'The committee awarded the scholar a prestigious fellowship'*), both the direct object and the indirect object can theoretically be promoted to the subject position in the passive voice, yielding two distinct grammatical variants (*'A prestigious fellowship was awarded the scholar'* vs. *'The scholar was awarded a prestigious fellowship'*, though the latter is stylistically more common). II. Intransitive verbs that lack a direct object—such as *'arrive'*, *'occur'*, or *'disappear'—can regularly undergo passive transformation provided that an expletive dummy subject ('it' or 'there') is inserted to satisfy the Extended Projection Principle in the matrix subject slot. III. In sentences featuring a causative or perception matrix verb followed by a bare infinitive in the active voice (e.g., *'The director made the actor rehearse the scene'*), the passive transformation requires the reinstatement of the to-infinitive marker, resulting in *'The actor was made to rehearse the scene by the director'*. IV. Middle constructions (such as *'This fabric washes easily'* or *'The novel reads well'*) exhibit active morphological marking while possessing passive-like semantic valency, where the underlying patient is promoted to subject position and the agent is obligatorily suppressed, rendering the explicit inclusion of a 'by-agent' phrase ungrammatical. 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 Passive voice theory.
✓ Correct! Well done.
✗ Not quite — the correct answer is highlighted above.
Detailed Explanation
Let us analyze each proposition in detail according to English syntax and Passive voice theory:
- **Proposition I is CORRECT:** Ditransitive verbs taking both a direct object (DO) and an indirect object (IO) permit two passive structures. Promoting the IO produces *'The scholar was awarded a prestigious fellowship'*, and promoting the DO produces *'A prestigious fellowship was awarded the scholar'*, both of which are syntactically valid in English.
- **Proposition II is INCORRECT:** Intransitive verbs fundamentally lack a direct object to promote to the subject slot. Because passive voice relies on the absorption of accusative case assignment and the promotion of an internal argument (direct object), true intransitives (*arrive*, *occur*, *disappear*) cannot be passivized, even with expletive subjects.
- **Proposition III is CORRECT:** In active causative and perception constructions (e.g., *make*, *let*, *see*, *hear*), the bare infinitive is used (e.g., *'made him leave'*
). Upon passivizing, the non-finite clause undergoes 'to-infinitival repair', restoring the particle 'to' (*'He was made to leave'*).
- **Proposition IV is CORRECT:** Middle constructions (*'This fabric washes easily'*) feature active verb morphology with passive semantics, promoting the theme/patient to subject and intrinsically blocking 'by-agent' phrases (e.g., *'This fabric washes easily by John'* is ungrammatical).
Therefore, propositions I, III, and IV are correct, while II is incorrect.
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