Friday 17 July 2015

grammar - the difference in meaning between present simple passive and present perfect passive

Michael Swan in his "Practical English Usage" says that present passive forms can have similar meanings to present perfect passives.




The vegetables are all cut up - what shall I do? = The vegetables have been cut up
I got caught in the rain and my suit's ruined. = ...has been ruined
I think your ankle is broken. = ...has been broken
My suitcase is packed. = ... has been packed.




He states that it happens due to that fact that some verbs refer to actions that produce a finished result (to cut, to build, to pack, to close), while others do not (to push, to live, to speak, to hit, to carry).



He goes on: the past participles of finished-result verbs, and some of their passive tenses, can have two meanings. They can refer to the action, or they can describe the result (rather like adjectives).




The theatre was closed by the police on the orders of the mayor. (refers to the action of closing).
When I got there I found that the theatre was closed. (refers to the state of being shut - the result of the action).




I'm not sure I get the difference between the two groups of words mentioned above. Could anyone, please, go into more detail and explain it to me? I need more examples to feel what it really means.

No comments:

Post a Comment