passive voice my dog

Question

Could you tell me please, if this is OK? I had used passive voice.

Why did you choose the Article? Because I had a dog that he means a lot to us, and thanks to him my house always was respected by robbers, drugs addicts, some underworld group, etc..

And I would like if respect is a transitive verb and why

thanks

Answer 1

Hello May and Welcome to the SpanishDict forum

Why did you choose the Article? Because I had a dog that he means a lot to us, and thanks to him my house always was respected by robbers, drugs addicts, some underworld group, etc..

Very good! Well done! I have offered some corrections below.

Why did you choose the article? I chose it because I had a dog that meant a lot to us, and thanks to him my house was always respected by robbers, drug-addicts, some others from underworld groups etc...

My Oxford Spanish Dictionary indicates that: **respect is a transitive verb in both English and Spanish

We never start written sentences with because. I was taught that was bad English since it is a conjunction. I realize that many books today start sentences with And and But. which seems to be becoming more commonplace these days among some authors and publishers although it is a departure from the good practice I was taught in England.

I hope this helps

I had a dog who?? is that a personification?? - 0074b507, Mar 25, 2011

No, just an oversight... because pets are family members - FELIZ77, Mar 25, 2011

Yes, and we love a lot to our dog - maylegoas, Mar 25, 2011

Thanks Feliz77 for encouraging me - maylegoas, Mar 25, 2011

May you are most welcome . We would say: We love our dog a lot :) - FELIZ77, Mar 25, 2011

Answer 2

Why did you choose the Article? Because I had a dog that he meant a lot to us, and thanks to him my house was always respected by robbers, drug addicts, some underworld groups, etc.

It is done in conversation, but grammatically you are not supposed to start a sentence with a conjunction (Because) in English. Perfectly acceptable in Spanish.

Using present tense...your verbs need to agree in time.

Why did you choose the Article? Because I have a dog that he means a lot to us, and thanks to him my house is always respected by robbers, drug addicts, some underworld groups, etc.

to respect

verbo transitivo

• respetar

Verb tenses first need to agree with intended meaning. If she chose the article yesterday about a dog that died last year, it would be incorrect to use present tense. - Sabor, Mar 25, 2011

Sabor Yes I agree with you on that point :) - FELIZ77, Mar 25, 2011

Answer 3

The actual grammar rule is (that) you cannot start the main clause of a sentence with because. Transposing the subordinate and independent clauses of a complete sentence is perfectly OK, even if the subordinate clause starts with because:

X happend because of Y.

Because of Y, X happened.

Note that putting the independent clause second results in a sentence that requires a comma.

Answer 4

From a Random House Word of the day from 1996.

Sentences beginning with "and" or "but" are found in English as early as the ninth century, in the Old English Chronicle, and such sentences can also be found in Shakespeare, the King James Bible, John Locke, Edmund Burke, Lord Macaulay, Charles Dickens, and others. There's nothing inherently wrong with the practice.

Because of the earthquake there was a tsunami.

Because of the snow, flights were delayed, traffic was snarled, and schools were closed.

Because of your disobedience you will lose your privileges.

It never bothers me to do it, but the reason that I think that it was taught no to be done was because of the temptation to just form a clause and not a full sentence. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/can-you-start-a-sentence-with-because.aspx - 0074b507, Mar 25, 2011

I know what you mean. I often think twice when someone breaks senseless rules I was taught. But I don't want them going on in perpetuity. - Sabor, Mar 25, 2011

It is true Sabor B U T maybe the sentences you use above would probably sound better if the "because" were in the middle of the sentences. See Lorenzo's answer. - ian-hill, Mar 25, 2011

You're digressing too much, Sabor. It's a sure way to confuse a student learning English. - pedrofranklin, Mar 25, 2011

She only wants her English corrected, not a history of conjunctions. - pedrofranklin, Mar 25, 2011

It´s OK I understand to all. I love you , you are great - maylegoas, Mar 25, 2011

Answer 5

Yes, respect is a transitive verb because it takes an object. Sometimes verbs can be both transitive and intransiive. Respect can only be transitive because it is never used in English without an object.

Thanks Sabor - maylegoas, Mar 25, 2011

Answer 6

Hi May

I am not sure what you are asking.

Can you clarify a bit?

Hi Ian-hill, I´m trying to writter using passive voice and I´m trying to speak about my dog that he died two year ago - maylegoas, Mar 25, 2011