When using (to be taught), should it be (was taught) or (has been taught)?
For example:
He taught her Russian, in other words, she _____ Russian.
- has been taught
- has taught
- taught
- was taught
And why?
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Mari-Lou A
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6If this is an exercise in some ESL class, it's a ridiculous exercise, because (1) and (4) are *both* correct. – Peter Shor Sep 21 '16 at 21:10
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Unfortunately, it is. – Sep 21 '16 at 21:14
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3Then you have to apply ESL rules, and not native speaker rules. I'm only a native speaker; I don't know the answer. – Peter Shor Sep 21 '16 at 21:19
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@HussainBiedouh I’m going to migrate your questions over to [ell.se] where you can get an answer from people who better understand your needs. – tchrist Sep 22 '16 at 01:30
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Although both are correct, following the flow of the sentence, 4 would seem more appropriate. Also for reference in other scenarios where there is more information: Simple Past vs. Present Perfect: “was” vs. “has been” – Sep 22 '16 at 01:42
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1Does this answer your question? Great Expectations [is written vs has been written] by Charles Dickens – Mari-Lou A Mar 29 '22 at 20:15
1 Answers
2
In real life, both (1) and (4) are grammatically correct, as Peter Shor commented. Which one you choose depends on what you want to emphasize the present or the past respectively.
For the purpose of the exercise, since the active voice is a simple past tense, a straightforward conversion to the passive would yield (4), which I believe is meant to be the "correct" answer.
bongbang
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