I �ve been having a though time explaining this piece of grammar to a student of mine. Allow me to elaborate further. I initially taught my student the differences between the Active and Passive voices. The lessons were as follows:
1. Explanation of the Active Voice with examples. Such as - " We are going to watch a movie tonight"
2. Explanation of the Passive Voice with examples. Such as - "A movie is going to be watched by us tonight"
1. Only one past verb is allowed in one sentence on exception that:
- there is a conjunction between sentences OR
- if the first sentence is in the past tense + the second sentence is in the perfect tense.
After teaching this, my student asked me the following: There are sentences which contain the verb to be + a past verb, for example:
1. I was accepted... (the verb accepted functions as an adjective)
2. She was allowed... (the verb allowed is the past participle)
3. They were educated... (the verb educated functions as an adjective)
Fair enough, we all understand past participles, however look at this from a students perspective. Her dilemma is:
1. Only one past verb in one sentence.
2. Looking at the words above, it is essentially past verbs, therefore, how will she know if she is forming the sentence correctly if we are allowed only one past verb in a sentence.
From a teachers perspective it sounds absurd to advise the student that:
1. Sometimes a past verb will function as an adjective. The obvious response from the student is: "When will I know this".
2. Providing a comprehensive list of the verb be + past participle (adjective) is also quite exhausting.
Did any other teacher have similar students who tend to question the grammar and syntax and their question seems valid whilst we just seemingly say to students, "This is the rule"? If so, I would love to hear about possible methods of explaining this properly to students. Any assistance will be truly appreciated :)
