Has America conducted elections this year?

[Piscean]

1. Has the mayor been elected yet?

If the verb is constructed with part of BE (or GET) [has ... been] with the past participle (third form) of the main verb [elected]it is passive.

2. Has the mayor elected yet?

That is meaningless.

 

[Dharminder Singh]

If the verb is constructed with part of BE (or GET) [has ... been] with the past participle (third form) of the main verb [elected]it is passive.

That is meaningless.

I think you didn't get what I'm trying to ask.
I want to ask how would I come to know that in sentence 2 written above I've to use "been"?
You are telling me how to identify an already written sentence whether it's in active or passive. That I can do very well.

 

[Dharminder Singh]

If the verb is constructed with part of BE (or GET) [has ... been] with the past participle (third form) of the main verb [elected]it is passive.

That is meaningless.

Before writing a sentence how would I come to know that I'm going to write a passive sentence so that I could use "been"?

 

[emsr2d2]

You need to think about who the person doing the verb is. In an election, the mayor doesn't do any electing! The people elect the mayor. It's something that happens to the mayor. He is, to use an appropriate phrase, a passive participant. When you write your sentence, consider who is doing the acting and who is the recipient of the action. If the person you mention (in your example, the mayor) is the recipient of someone else's action, it's passive and needs "been".

 

[Piscean]

Before writing a sentence how would I come to know that I'm going to write a passive sentence so that I could use "been"?

Stop focusing on the word been,. Think about what you want to say, and try to decide what verbs and tenses you need.

If you need a present or past perfect form of BE, either as a main verb (as in 1-3 below) or as an auxiliary verb as part of a present or past perfect passive construction (4-5). you will need both part of HAVE and been.

1, Have you ever been to Prague?
2. She's been very low since her dog died.
3. I got there as quickly as I could, but he'd already left by the time I arrived.

4. My cat's been run over!
5. He went back to see the orphanage where he'd been abused as a child.

 

[Maryfschu]

"American" is the nationality of those who are native or naturalized U.S. citisens. When referring to the elections in the United States, one cannot use the term "America." These days, many people are sensitive about the use of the term. America is a continent with 1.0 billion people across 57 countries.

 

[jutfrank]

You're asking about meaning.

a) The people elected a new mayor.
b) A new mayor elected the people.

These two sentences are both grammatical, but given the meaning of the verb 'elect', only one makes sense. Which one is it? Why?

 

[Dharminder Singh]

You're asking about meaning.

a) The people elected a new mayor.
b) A new mayor elected the people.

These two sentences are both grammatical, but given the meaning of the verb 'elect', only one makes sense. Which one is it? Why?

Sentence a) makes sense because mayor is elected by the people, it's not the mayor who elects people.

 

[Dharminder Singh]

You need to think about who the person doing the verb is. In an election, the mayor doesn't do any electing! The people elect the mayor. It's something that happens to the mayor. He is, to use an appropriate phrase, a passive participant. When you write your sentence, consider who is doing the acting and who is the recipient of the action. If the person you mention (in your example, the mayor) is the recipient of someone else's action, it's passive and needs "been".

1. Has the mayor been elected yet?

In this sentence is the mayor an 'object'?
What is subject in this sentence?

 

[Piscean]

1. Has the mayor been elected yet?

In this sentence is the mayor an 'object'?
What is subject in this sentence?

The mayor is the subject of the sentence.

 

[jutfrank]

Sentence a) makes sense because mayor is elected by the people, it's not the mayor who elects people.

Yes, that's exactly right. You've understood the meaning of the verb 'elect'.

Now try this exercise. Which of the following two passive sentences makes sense?:

c) A new mayor has been elected by the people.
d) The people have been elected by a new mayor.

Now can you understand the difference between active and passive meaning?

 

[Piscean]

@Dharminder Singh, you need to be clear about the difference between agent and grammatical subject.​

1) A new mayor has been elected by the people.
2) The people elected a new mayor.

In both these sentences, the agent, the 'do-er' of the action, is the people. However, the grammatical subject of the verb is a new mayor in (1) and the people in (2).

​

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[emsr2d2]

"American" is the nationality of those who are native or naturalized U.S. citisens. When referring to the elections in the United States, one cannot use the term "America." These days, many people are sensitive about the use of the term. America is a continent with 1.0 billion people across 57 countries.

That might well be geographically true, but (in the UK at least), if someone said "Have the elections been held in America yet?", the majority of people would take "America" to mean "the United States of America".

 

[Dharminder Singh]

The mayor is the subject of the sentence.

Subject of a sentence is someone who performs an action. In post #24 @emsr2d2 mentioned that "mayor" isn't doing anything. How mayor can be subject then?
Please refer attached image.

 

[Dharminder Singh]

Yes, that's exactly right. You've understood the meaning of the verb 'elect'.

Now try this exercise. Which of the following two passive sentences makes sense?:

c) A new mayor has been elected by the people.
d) The people have been elected by a new mayor.

Now can you understand the difference between active and passive meaning?

Sentence c) makes sense.
I can make present perfect tenses using "have been" easily but passive sentenses using "have been" has always confused me. You cleared many concepts. I need to work lot more on it.
A passive sentence is one in which person mentioned in the sentence isn't doing any action, it is receiving the action instead.
In the sentence c) it's very easy to distinguish who is doing action because you've mentioned "people". But in the original sentence that I wrote, there were no people. The original sentence was
1. A new mayor has been elected.
In this sentence it's not clear who's doing the action. These type of sentences are confusing.

 

[Piscean]

Subject of a sentence is someone who performs an action.

That is a gross oversimplification. In these sentences the underlined words are the subjects; they are not 'doing' anything.

I am happy.
Jean likes chocolate.
That book looks interesting.
John is being bullied at school.

 

[Dharminder Singh]

@Dharminder Singh, you need to be clear about the difference between agent and grammatical subject.​

1) A new mayor has been elected by the people.
2) The people elected a new mayor.

In both these sentences, the agent, the 'do-er' of the action, is the people. However, the grammatical subject of the verb is a new mayor in (1) and the people in (2).

​

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Now that seems very confusing. ‍
How in sentence 1 mayor can be a subject? People should be the subject in sentence 1.
I'll read about it, then I'll reply.

 

[Dharminder Singh]

That might well be geographically true, but (in the UK at least), if someone said "Have the elections been held in America yet?", the majority of people would take "America" to mean "the United States of America".

People think same in India, i.e. America = United States. Next time I'll take care. Thanks for the correction.

 

[Dharminder Singh]

That is a gross oversimplification. In these sentences the underlined words are the subjects; they are not 'doing' anything.

I am happy.
Jean likes chocolate.
That book looks interesting.
John is being bullied at school.

Is it compulsory that every sentence should've a subject?

 

[Dharminder Singh]

That is a gross oversimplification. In these sentences the underlined words are the subjects; they are not 'doing' anything.

I am happy.
Jean likes chocolate.
That book looks interesting.
John is being bullied at school.

John is being bullied at school.
How John can be a subject in this? John isn't doing any action. ‍