PERSONAL and IMPERSONAL CONSTRUCTIONS (PASSIVE)

Summary

In this video, Colin explains the difference between personal and impersonal constructions in English. He demonstrates how sentences in the active voice, like 'People assume that he is from New York,' can be rephrased in both personal and impersonal forms. Through various examples in different tenses, Colin shows how words like 'think,' 'say,' and 'believe' can be used with these constructions. The video also includes an exercise for viewers to practice transforming impersonal constructions into personal ones, helping learners better understand sentence structures and grammar.

Takeaways

• 😀 Personal and impersonal constructions are key concepts in grammar and can be used to express opinions, beliefs, or thoughts.
• 😀 An example of an impersonal construction: 'It's assumed that he's from New York.'
• 😀 A personal construction example: 'He's assumed to be from New York.'
• 😀 Personal constructions include a subject, while impersonal constructions use generalized phrases (e.g., 'It’s assumed').
• 😀 Common verbs used in both types of constructions include 'think', 'say', 'suppose', and 'believe'.
• 😀 The present simple tense impersonal construction: 'It’s considered that they work hard.'
• 😀 To convert an impersonal construction to a personal one, use the infinitive with 'to': 'They are considered to work hard.'
• 😀 In the present continuous, the personal construction would be 'They are considered to be working hard.'
• 😀 For the future tense, the impersonal construction would be 'It’s expected that they will work hard.'
• 😀 The past tense impersonal construction example: 'It’s reported that they worked hard.' Personal version: 'They are reported to have worked hard.'

Q & A

What are personal and impersonal constructions in English grammar?

Personal constructions involve a subject performing the action in the sentence, such as 'They are believed to be loyal.' Impersonal constructions do not specify a subject and typically use passive structures, like 'It is believed that dogs are loyal.'

How do personal and impersonal constructions differ in terms of sentence structure?

In impersonal constructions, the sentence often starts with a dummy subject like 'it' (e.g., 'It is believed that dogs are loyal'). In personal constructions, the sentence has a clear subject (e.g., 'Dogs are believed to be loyal').

What are some examples of verbs that can be used in personal and impersonal constructions?

Verbs like 'think,' 'say,' 'believe,' 'suppose,' and 'expect' can be used to form both personal and impersonal constructions.

Can you provide an example of a sentence in the present simple using an impersonal construction?

Sure! An example is 'It is considered that they work hard.' This is an impersonal construction using the present simple tense.

How is the sentence 'It is considered that they work hard' changed to a personal construction?

In the personal construction, it becomes 'They are considered to work hard.' The subject 'they' is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

What is the key difference between 'It is expected that they will work hard' (impersonal) and 'They are expected to work hard' (personal)?

The impersonal version uses the structure 'It is expected,' whereas the personal version places the subject at the start: 'They are expected to work hard.' Both use the infinitive form after 'expected.'

What change occurs when converting the past tense impersonal construction 'It is reported that they worked hard' to a personal construction?

The personal construction becomes 'They are reported to have worked hard,' using the perfect infinitive 'to have worked.'

What is the infinitive form used in personal constructions?

In personal constructions, the infinitive form used is typically 'to' followed by the verb (e.g., 'to work,' 'to be working').

How would the impersonal construction 'It is believed that dogs are loyal' be rephrased in the personal form?

In the personal construction, it would be 'Dogs are believed to be loyal.'

What is the role of the verb 'to be' in personal constructions?

The verb 'to be' is used in personal constructions to link the subject to the complement, often in passive forms or when expressing actions (e.g., 'They are expected to work hard').