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Prounouns Problem Set

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andersonbae
 Post subject: Prounouns Problem Set
 Post Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:35 pm 
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Forum Guests


Posts: 3
< Source - Sentence Correction p.89>


1. When the guests finished their shoup they were brought plates of salad.



As a non-native speaker, I cannot understand how they(guests) could be
written in a passive voice(were brought)?
They were brought? - Is this correct?
I think - "They brought" should be fine.

Anyone can explain why that makes sense?
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sunny.jain
 Post subject: Re: Prounouns Problem Set
 Post Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:46 am 
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Students


Posts: 111
they brought would indicate the Guest did the action.
But here they are RECEIVING the action.

so in first case: It will mean that Guest brought the plates of salad, but the intended meaning is the plate of salad was represented in front of them.

So they received the plate.
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esledge
 Post subject: Re: Prounouns Problem Set
 Post Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 4:28 pm 
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ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 901
Location: St. Louis, MO
Sunny is exactly right.

The waiters brought the salad to the guests. (ACTIVE)
The guests were brought the salad (optional: by the waiters). (PASSIVE--someone else brings the salad to the guests.)

In other contexts, the passive were brought could also refer to the guests themselves being transported...
The guests were brought to the restaurant (optional: by a taxi) for dinner. (PASSIVE--someone/something else brings the guests to the restaurant.)

For this reason, I would personally prefer to word the passive example about salad this way:
The salad was brought to the guests.
...but the example in the book is acceptable.

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Emily Sledge
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ManhattanGMAT
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markus.eglau
 Post subject: Re: Prounouns Problem Set
 Post Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 8:50 am 
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Students


Posts: 1
Hi
I tagged this question as well (non-native), so I am glad finding a thread already : )

The q. really confuses me, why can't I say:
When the guests finished their soup, them were brought plates of salad. (instead of they) ?
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Ben Ku
 Post subject: Re: Prounouns Problem Set
 Post Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 12:02 am 
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ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 823
markus.eglau wrote:
Hi
I tagged this question as well (non-native), so I am glad finding a thread already : )

The q. really confuses me, why can't I say:
When the guests finished their soup, them were brought plates of salad. (instead of they) ?


In a sentence, the person/thing that is doing the action is the subject, while the person/thing receiving the action is the object. There are different sets of pronouns used for subjects and objects.
Subjective Pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who
Objective Pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom

In the sentence here,
THEY were brought plates of salad
is incorrect because THEY functions as the subject of the sentence. We can also rewrite it in the following way:
The plates of salad were brought TO THEM
this way, THEM becomes the object of the sentence.

Hope that makes sense.

_________________
Ben Ku
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT
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