I know the answer for this one, but I can't give the reason, or the name of the rule for this:
In Saudi Arabia, laws concerning consumption of alcohol are strict. However, rarely _________ to foreigners.
a. penalties are applying
b. are penalties applying
c. penalties are applied
d. are penalties applied
The answer is d, of course, but how do I explain cancelling the other three out? Would really appreciate some good reasoning
2006-10-30 04:58:40 · 3 answers · asked by asaaiki 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
An alternative would have been "penalties are rarely applied to foreigners" That's what one would normally say. By placing "rarely" at the beginning, in pride of place, you are emphasising it. When you utter that sentence, the stress is placed on the first and last words and the listener grasps the salient point that penalties are rare where foreigners are concerned.
Other words which can start a sentence for the sake of emphasis are 'never' and 'seldom'. Again, one inverts verb and subject to stress the all important word. Just think of the magic of that famous Battle of Britain speech by Churchill with the words: "Never before in the history of mankind has so much been owed by so many by so few." Had he not placed "never" in pride of place, that speech would not have gone down in history as it did!
2006-10-30 06:44:58 · answer #1 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Rule out a and b because they are not in passive voice.
C is a bit trickier, but the rule of subject-verb inversion applies after "rarely" ans "seldom".
2006-10-30 13:21:28 · answer #2 · answered by Goddess of Grammar 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
"are applying" is un-idiomatic with "penalties", so A and B are wrong irrespective of the other words around.
It's the lack of a comma after "rarely" that eliminates C. The idiomatic forms are "rarely, penalties are applied" and "rarely are penalties applied".
2006-10-30 16:41:56 · answer #3 · answered by bh8153 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋