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Question about Passive

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Penicillin  #322113  Tue, 30 Jan 07 08:55 PM

Hello

I have a question about passive.

Sometimes passive sentences are described without using auxiliary verb, when don't we use aux verbs in passive sentence?

Example:

- Insulin: A hormone secreted by the Pancreas; why we don't say "A hormone is secreted by the Pancreas."?

Thanks

  
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Ant_222  #322116  Tue, 30 Jan 07 09:08 PM
«why we don't say "A hormone is secreted by the Pancreas."?»

It's rather: A hormone which is secreted by the Pancreas. That's the meaning.

As to the grammar, I can't say what it is.
  
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Inchoateknowledge  #322117  Tue, 30 Jan 07 09:14 PM

 Ant_222 wrote:
As to the grammar, I can't say what it is.

A hormone which is secreted by the Pancreas -- whiz deletion

  
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Ant_222  #322122  Tue, 30 Jan 07 09:22 PM
«... — whiz deletion»
Oh...
  
Penicillin  #322125  Tue, 30 Jan 07 09:28 PM
OK, why was the aux verb omitted?
  
Ant_222  #322126  Tue, 30 Jan 07 09:39 PM
«OK, why was the aux verb omitted?»

1. A hormone which is secreted by the Pancreas
2. A hormone is secreted by the Pancreas
3. A hormone secreted by the Pancreas

Sentences #1 and #2 have different meanings. The first refers to a specific type of hormone, namely — the one that is produced in the Pancreas. The second sentence just says that the Pancreas produce some hormone.

#1 is not even a sentence because it has no predicate. It acts like a single noun. In any text you can replace the word "Insuline" by one of the phareses: #1 or #3.

#3 has exactly the same meaning as #1.
  
Penicillin  #322129  Tue, 30 Jan 07 09:49 PM

Thanks, I got it

But are there other cases else for omitting the aux very when describing passive sentences?

  
Inchoateknowledge  #322135  Tue, 30 Jan 07 09:59 PM

 Onh1986 wrote:
OK, why was the aux verb omitted?

The relative pronoun which/who and the subsequent conjugated auxiliary be can be omitted by ellipsis. This is a rule: whiz deletion.

  
CalifJim  #322216  Wed, 31 Jan 07 02:13 AM
Sometimes passive sentences are described without using auxiliary verb, when don't we use aux verbs in passive sentence?
Example:- Insulin: A hormone secreted by the Pancreas
First of all, a hormone secreted by the pancreas is not a sentence.  It is a noun phrase, that is, an expression that refers to something.  It refers to this hormone called insulin, but it says absolutely nothing about the hormone, so it is not a sentence.
The implied sentence in such a definition is Insulin IS a hormone secreted by the pancreas.  And, as others have already explained, this is a short way of saying Insulin is a hormone which is secreted by the pancreas, that is, Insulin is a hormone.  This hormone is secreted by the pancreas.
__________________

Compare with this definition of coffee:

Coffee:  a beverage made from the seeds of a coffee plant

Note that a beverage made from the seeds of a coffee plant is not a sentence.  It does not say A beverage is made from the seeds of a coffee plant.  It is just a referring expression.  It refers to a certain kind of beverage but says nothing about the beverage.  The full sentence implied by this definition is

Coffee is a beverage made from the seeds of a coffee plant.

This, of course, means Coffee is a beverage which is made from the seeds of a coffee plant.  That is, Coffee is a beverage.  This beverage is made from the seeds of a coffee plant.

CJ

  
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"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche
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