Anonymous  +  495779 Wed, 02 Apr 08 01:15 PM Hi there! I've got a question concerning Jane Austen famous opening sentence of Pride & Prejudice: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possesion of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" Is the first part of this sentence a genuine passive construction or rather something else, like e.g. a past participle shortening a relative clause? Is it possible to interpret it either way? Help would be great!     Anonymous Constructions, Clauses

	Philip  +  495835 Wed, 02 Apr 08 03:35 PM You can consider it as: 'It is a truth [that is] universally acknowledged' or 'it is a universally acknowledged truth'.  I'm not sure what I would call the construction itself other than one involving a ellipsis (omission of something). Philip Joined on Thu, Jun 23 2005 Veteran Member 8,733 At reise er at leve! - H. C. Andersen Constructions

	Goodman  +  495879 Wed, 02 Apr 08 04:56 PM "It is a truth (universally acknowledged,) that a single man in possesion of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" The pink part is a past participle phrase modifying "it's a truth".  It's considered a passsive construction. Consider this: Aspirin, clinically proven to lower the risk of heart attack if taken regularly in low dosage" is the one medicine every family should have in the medicine cabinet. - this is the same consturction Goodman Joined on Mon, Nov 7 2005 Senior Member 3,816 The name says it all! Constructions

	CalifJim  +  495936 Wed, 02 Apr 08 07:27 PM Anonymous “a genuine passive construction” Your question elicits another.  What is a genuine passive construction? If, to be genuine, the passive construction must be a main clause as in The man was bitten by the dog, then no, there is no genuine passive construction in that sentence.  There is a passive construction in the underlying relative clause, however.  I don't know if that's genuine enough for you!   The underlying structure is That a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife is a truth which is universally acknowledged.  Two transformations (Extraposition and Whiz-deletion) apply to generate the final form. Extraposition is the substitution of it for the subject that clause and movement of the that clause to the end. Whiz-deletion is the removal of the which is that introduces the relative clause. CJ  CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,389 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Constructions, Clauses