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Ah yes, good point. The subordinator "that" introduces a new clause, you're right. I think your earlier explanation of the passive is correct if we consider the direct object as the "goal" of the sentence. If the verb cannot act on a goal, it cannot be used in the passive voice. ...

Hi Lucy Thanks for the reply. Yes, you're right in saying that "they disappeared the water is incorrect", but what about "It was agreed that the group should divide the money"? "Agree" also can't take an object, yet it can be used in the passive. I often find that my st...

Hi bluetooth, Interesting example here. The first clause in the sentence is actually not past continuous. In order to make a past continuous clause, we need some form of the verb "be" and the -ing form of a verb. Here, the clause "Doing my housework" is missing the verb "be&...

Hi all,

It seems this forum hasn't seen any activity in a long time, so I wanted to get it going again. So here's a question for discussion:

How do you address this common error with the passive voice:

"When they diverted the rivers for irrigation, the water in the lake was disappeared."

Hi tenneray,

I believe the best book is From Teacher to Manager by Cambridge University Press.

Hope this helps.

What a great discussion! It's quite hard to know the best age to start teaching grammar to young learners. Although I have never actually tried this, I would experiment with Montessori grammar symbols . I once saw a video of young learners using coloured wooden blocks and coloured shapes to identify...