[Grammar] Passive voice of "continue to do"

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azami1986

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Here is a sentence:
They continued to administer the drug for another month.

I need to make it passive voice without omitting words "administer" and "continue."
I came up with the following sentences and would like to ask you which one is wrong or sounds more natural. Thank you.

(a) Administration of the drug was continued for another month.
(b) The drug was administered continuously for another month.
(c) The drug continued to be administered for another month.
(d) The drug was continued to be administered for another month.
 

Rover_KE

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Welcome to the forum,azami.

This looks like homework, which we don't do.
 

azami1986

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Hello, Rover_KE.
I'm sorry I didn't know how to ask teachers. This is not homework but related to my job. I often need to do this kind of medical translation and always wonder which expression is best.
But anyway, thank you for your time. I'll find someone to ask.
 
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Rover_KE

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Fair enough.

(a) and (b) sound the most natural to me.
 

MikeNewYork

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I agree with Rover. D would also work, but I like the other two better.
 
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tzfujimino

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(d) looks ungrammatical to me. Is it grammatical?

(Edit) Mike might have meant (c).
 
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Matthew Wai

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I think the active form of (d) is 'Someone continued the drug to be administered...', which seems incorrect to me, but I am not a teacher.
 

Rover_KE

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I can't accept (c) or (d) at all.

Even if they're grammatical, they're ugly and inelegant.
 

Raymott

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I like C. B is wrong - you can continue to do something without doing it continuously. "I will continue to answer posts here" doesn't mean that I will sit here continuously doing it.
C might be inelegant, but the rules of the puzzle constrain the possible answers. Also, I don't have a problem with the construction "She continued to be abused"; "The law continued to be broken"; "The drug continued to be administered". Maybe it's more common in AusE than elsewhere.
 

Barb_D

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B is wrong - you can continue to do something without doing it continuously. "I will continue to answer posts here" doesn't mean that I will sit here continuously doing it.

Thank you! I saw this on my phone earlier and didn't have the energy to tackle it with my thumbs.

Let's say it again so no one misses it: B is NOT a correct version of the original.
 

azami1986

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Thank you all for responding to my question.

Let's say it again so no one misses it: B is NOT a correct version of the original.

So, when I say (b) "The drug was administered continuously for another month", could it mean that the patient kept receiving the drug for 24 hours, 30 days? Then I should avoid using it!
Now I guess (a) is more favorable than the others.
 

Raymott

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Yes, it could mean that.
 
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