Basic Sentence Transformation Part II: Passives, Negatives, Interrogatives

Passive Transformations

Type V sentences – that is, sentences with the construction

        James found a quarter.

 Subject (NP¹) + MVP (Transitive verb) + Direct Object (NP²)

 are in the active voice. These sentences can be transformed into the passive voice. Type V sentences are the only sentences that can be made passive.

They are made passive by making the direct object (NP²) into the subject, moving the subject (NP¹) into an adverbial phrase (or omitting it), and then adding a Be-auxiliary to the verb.

                James found a quarter

                        BECOMES
                A quarter was found by James.

                My cat is chasing a green Skittle.

                        BECOMES

                A green skittle is being chased by my cat.

To transform it into the passive voice, we make the direct object (a quarter, a green skittle) the subject; we make the subject (James, my cat) an adverbial phrase (in the form of a prepositional phrase); and we add a Be-auxiliary to the verb (was found, is being found – notice in the second, there is already a be-auxiliary (is) so we add a second be-aux: being)

Similarly, we can transform these active sentences into passive sentences:

                Ellen saw a great blue heron.

                Ivy is teaching all the bears.

                No one will remember their books.

               

Transformed:

                A great blue heron was seen by Ellen.

                All the bears are being taught.

                The books will be remembered by no one.

       

Have a look at this sentence:

                        James gave Earl five dollars.

This is an indirect object construction. When we transform this into a passive sentence, either the direct object or the indirect object can be placed in the subject position.

                        Earl was given five dollars by James.

                        Five dollars was given to Earl by James.

Negative Transformation

So far we’ve been looking at positive sentences. But every positive sentence can be transformed into a negative sentence. In English, this transformation is fairly simple.

If the verb phrase has an auxiliary, we insert not after the first auxiliary:

                Lee will have finished the laundry.

                Lee will not finished the laundry.

                OR:

                Lee won’t have finished the laundry.

                Polly is planning to graduate this year.

                Polly isn’t planning to graduate this year.

                Dave has been wearing that hat.

                Dave hasn’t been wearing that hat.

                We should have been studying this all along.

                We shouldn’t have been studying this all along.

What if a verb phrase has no auxiliary? In these cases we add what is called a dummy do, or a dummy auxiliary do. (It is called a dummy because it adds no meaning to the sentence.)

                Fiona loves pie.

                Fiona does not love pie.

                Mick answered his phone.

                Mick didn’t answer his phone.

Note what happens to the tense in these sentences – it shifts from the main verb to the auxiliary verb.

 (Diagram example from here) 

Interrogatives

When we turn declarative sentences into interrogative sentences, their word order is rearranged, and (sometimes) interrogative words are used to signal that a question is being asked.

With questions that expect a yes/no answer, an auxiliary word is moved in front of the subject:

                The dog got out last night.

                Did the dog get out last night?

                Elvis is coming to our party.

                Is Elvis coming to our party?

                You can find the subject of this sentence.

                Can you find the subject of this sentence?

But with questions that ask for more information (rather than a simple yes/no), an interrogative word is inserted at the start of the sentence.

                What did Elvis make for the party?

                Where did my little dog go?

                Why are we studying grammar?

                How can this be happening?

Imperatives:

Imperatives are sentences that give commands. In English, the imperative form of the verb is its base, or lexical form – the form of the verb as it exists without tense or any other marker.

So the imperative of go is go; of leave is leave, and so on.

When we use the imperative, we don’t have a stated subject – the subject is implied.

Eat that pie!

Go home!

Find me a clean plate.

Just leave now.

Ellie, read the next paragraph.

In all of these, the subject is an understood “you,” although in some of them, the “you” could be plural or singular. (The sentence with Ellie might confuse you, but even there, the subject is you – it’s just that this you is named Ellie.)