Why “be dealt cards” rather than “be dealing cards”? Announcing the arrival of Valued...

How can I list files in reverse time order by a command and pass them as arguments to another command?

Is there night in Alpha Complex?

Keep at all times, the minus sign above aligned with minus sign below

Why are two-digit numbers in Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" (1726) written in "German style"?

Why not use the yoke to control yaw, as well as pitch and roll?

Why are current probes so expensive?

How does the body cool itself in a stillsuit?

Searching extreme points of polyhedron

How do I say "this must not happen"?

The test team as an enemy of development? And how can this be avoided?

What should one know about term logic before studying propositional and predicate logic?

What did Turing mean when saying that "machines cannot give rise to surprises" is due to a fallacy?

Why can't fire hurt Daenerys but it did to Jon Snow in season 1?

Dinosaur Word Search, Letter Solve, and Unscramble

Did John Wesley plagiarize Matthew Henry...?

How to make an animal which can only breed for a certain number of generations?

Can gravitational waves pass through a black hole?

My mentor says to set image to Fine instead of RAW — how is this different from JPG?

How do you cope with tons of web fonts when copying and pasting from web pages?

French equivalents of おしゃれは足元から (Every good outfit starts with the shoes)

Did pre-Columbian Americans know the spherical shape of the Earth?

Getting representations of the Lie group out of representations of its Lie algebra

Problem with display of presentation

Why is there so little support for joining EFTA in the British parliament?



Why “be dealt cards” rather than “be dealing cards”?



Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara
Planned maintenance scheduled April 23, 2019 at 23:30 UTC (7:30pm US/Eastern)
Contributor's Guide to English Language LearnersWhat is the proper use of the present progressive form, especially of “to have”?Reference Time and Event Time in the Pr. Progressive tenseWhat are the viewpoint and lexical aspects of the following two “stand”?Repeated actions and the past progressiveDo tenses agree in: “”I don't understand why the service was so slow.."Why the use of past perfect hereHow to use Would Rather?Unreal uses of past tenses “Would you rather we took the bus?” vs “Would you rather take the bus?”says rather more than is strictly certainPresent perfect simple vs present perfect progressive





.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty{ margin-bottom:0;
}







10















I encounter such a confusing sentence:




You are dealt two cards.




I don't understand why we should use "dealt" rather than "dealing"(Present Progressive Tense) here? What is the normal tense of "dealt" here?










share|improve this question




















  • 4





    You are dealt two cards [by someone].

    – Lambie
    Mar 26 at 21:31


















10















I encounter such a confusing sentence:




You are dealt two cards.




I don't understand why we should use "dealt" rather than "dealing"(Present Progressive Tense) here? What is the normal tense of "dealt" here?










share|improve this question




















  • 4





    You are dealt two cards [by someone].

    – Lambie
    Mar 26 at 21:31














10












10








10


2






I encounter such a confusing sentence:




You are dealt two cards.




I don't understand why we should use "dealt" rather than "dealing"(Present Progressive Tense) here? What is the normal tense of "dealt" here?










share|improve this question
















I encounter such a confusing sentence:




You are dealt two cards.




I don't understand why we should use "dealt" rather than "dealing"(Present Progressive Tense) here? What is the normal tense of "dealt" here?







meaning tense word-difference transitivity






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Mar 26 at 23:08









Jasper

20.1k44174




20.1k44174










asked Mar 26 at 6:54









Lerner ZhangLerner Zhang

92011229




92011229








  • 4





    You are dealt two cards [by someone].

    – Lambie
    Mar 26 at 21:31














  • 4





    You are dealt two cards [by someone].

    – Lambie
    Mar 26 at 21:31








4




4





You are dealt two cards [by someone].

– Lambie
Mar 26 at 21:31





You are dealt two cards [by someone].

– Lambie
Mar 26 at 21:31










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















42














In this context, you can assume that to deal = to give. So your sentence transforms into:




You are given two cards.




It means that while you are playing cards, you receive two cards (from the person holding the deck of cards).





It is also correct to say:




You are dealing / giving two cards.




but the meaning is different. In this sentence, you have the deck of cards, and you deal / give / share them with the other players.






  • are dealt => passive voice


  • are dealing => active voice





If you understand infinitive by "normal tense", then the infinitive of "dealt" is "to deal".






share|improve this answer





















  • 2





    Part of the difficulty understanding this sentence for learners, I think, is because dealt and given each take two objects, without needing any preposition, and so when they’re in the passive, you have the slightly unusual situation of a passive with a direct object. So e.g. you can say Tom gave two cards to James, with to showing that James is the indirect object, but you can also say Tom gave James two cards, where James and cards both act grammatically like direct objects. In particular, you can turn it into the passive James was given two cards [by Tom].

    – PLL
    Mar 26 at 12:06








  • 2





    Changing the order of the words in the sentence does not change anything, grammatically or in the meaning.

    – virolino
    Mar 26 at 12:10











  • This grammatical construction is called a retained object. Strictly speaking, it doesn't make sense, yet it is grammatically acceptable. The meaning is inferred from an implied active voice formulation such as "I dealt you two cards" where "you" is the indirect object and "two cards" is the direct object.

    – MPW
    Mar 26 at 16:06











  • @PLL James is not a direct object even without "to" in the sentence. It's still an indirect object. The implied "to" in "Tom gave [to] James two cards" makes the meaning clearer, but need not be explicit.

    – Monty Harder
    Mar 26 at 19:03











  • @MontyHarder: Sure, I didn’t mean to suggest that — I guess my wording was unclear. My point was that, as an indirect object without the explicit preposition, it can act syntactically like a direct one and become the subject of a passive (unlike prepositional objects), thus giving rise to a passive which also has a direct object, which is I think the thing which may surprise/mislead a learner.

    – PLL
    Mar 26 at 19:25



















5














You have come across a passive sentence construction. Normally in an active sentence, the subject is what's called the agent. It is the one doing the action of the verb. The patient has the action applied to it. This is normally the direct object. This sentence also has an indirect object. The indirect object is often the receiver (or in this case the recipient) of the action, but doesn't experience the action. "You" are not being dealt, the "two cards" are.



In a passive sentence the agent is either missing and assumed, or included by adding by, then the agent, e.g. by the dealer.



In all the below sentences:




  • the agent is "the dealer"

  • the patient is "one card" (I've changed it from "two cards" to illustrate the grammar below)

  • the recipient is "you"

  • the verb is a form of "to deal"

  • [verb-pap] is the past participle form

  • [verb-prp] is the present participle form, the "-ing" form (looks identical to the gerund)

  • "[be]" is a conjugated form of "to be"

  • "by" and "to" represent themselves


Here is a breakdown of possible forms. They all mean much the same thing, with different emphasis. The subject, direct object, and indirect object are not always the same from sentence to sentence, but the agent, patient, and recipient all are.




  • Passive (recipient as subject): [recipient] [be] [verb-pap] [patient] ("by" [agent])



You are dealt one card.



You are dealt one card by the dealer.





  • Passive (patient as subject): [patient] [be] [verb-pap] "to" [recipient] ("by" [agent])



One card is dealt to you.



One card is dealt to you by the dealer.





  • Active (simple present): [agent] [verb] [recipient] [patient]



The dealer deals you one card.





  • Active (simple present): [agent] [verb] [patient] "to" [recipient]



The dealer deals one card to you.





  • Active (present progressive): [agent] [be] [verb-prp] [recipient] [patient]



The dealer is dealing you one card.





  • Active (present progressive): [agent] [be] [verb-prp] [patient] "to" [recipient]



The dealer is dealing one card to you.




So, when the sentence uses is dealing, it is present progressive, as you observed in your question. When the sentence uses are dealt, it is passive, and only optionally includes the agent that is causing the action.






share|improve this answer































    0














    In English, the notion of "X [verb]s Y" can be expressed using the passive voice as "Z is [verb]ed by X". Unlike the active-voice construct where X must be specified, in the passive voice X may be (and often is) omitted, making the construct "Y is [verb]ed".



    This construct can be applied to verb phrases as well as simple verbs, as in your example. Thus "You are dealt two cards" is equivalent to "You are dealt two cards by some unspecified entity", which is in turn equivalent to "Some unspecified entity deals two cards to you".



    Note that if it were necessary to use the passive voice in the present progressive tense, the usage would be "You are being dealt cards" rather than "You are dealing cards". The past tense would be "You were dealt cards", the perfect tense "You had been dealt cards", and the imperfect tense "You were being dealt cards".






    share|improve this answer































      0














      Being a native speaker of German, I'd answer this question thus:



      When you have a sentence in the active voice, "Abel deals two cards to you", and you turn it to the passive voice, the direct object, "cards", becomes the subject: "Two cards are dealt to you". In German (and other languages that I know, and apparently in yours as well) this is the only way to use the passive voice.



      English, hovever, can say "Abel deals you two cards", and, I feel, therefore loses the exact distinction between direct and indirect object. Therefore English can use the indirect object as the passive-voice sentence's subject, thus: "You are dealt two cards".






      share|improve this answer
























        Your Answer








        StackExchange.ready(function() {
        var channelOptions = {
        tags: "".split(" "),
        id: "481"
        };
        initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

        StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
        // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
        if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
        StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
        createEditor();
        });
        }
        else {
        createEditor();
        }
        });

        function createEditor() {
        StackExchange.prepareEditor({
        heartbeatType: 'answer',
        autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
        convertImagesToLinks: false,
        noModals: true,
        showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
        reputationToPostImages: null,
        bindNavPrevention: true,
        postfix: "",
        imageUploader: {
        brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
        contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
        allowUrls: true
        },
        noCode: true, onDemand: true,
        discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
        ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
        });


        }
        });














        draft saved

        draft discarded


















        StackExchange.ready(
        function () {
        StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f202419%2fwhy-be-dealt-cards-rather-than-be-dealing-cards%23new-answer', 'question_page');
        }
        );

        Post as a guest















        Required, but never shown

























        4 Answers
        4






        active

        oldest

        votes








        4 Answers
        4






        active

        oldest

        votes









        active

        oldest

        votes






        active

        oldest

        votes









        42














        In this context, you can assume that to deal = to give. So your sentence transforms into:




        You are given two cards.




        It means that while you are playing cards, you receive two cards (from the person holding the deck of cards).





        It is also correct to say:




        You are dealing / giving two cards.




        but the meaning is different. In this sentence, you have the deck of cards, and you deal / give / share them with the other players.






        • are dealt => passive voice


        • are dealing => active voice





        If you understand infinitive by "normal tense", then the infinitive of "dealt" is "to deal".






        share|improve this answer





















        • 2





          Part of the difficulty understanding this sentence for learners, I think, is because dealt and given each take two objects, without needing any preposition, and so when they’re in the passive, you have the slightly unusual situation of a passive with a direct object. So e.g. you can say Tom gave two cards to James, with to showing that James is the indirect object, but you can also say Tom gave James two cards, where James and cards both act grammatically like direct objects. In particular, you can turn it into the passive James was given two cards [by Tom].

          – PLL
          Mar 26 at 12:06








        • 2





          Changing the order of the words in the sentence does not change anything, grammatically or in the meaning.

          – virolino
          Mar 26 at 12:10











        • This grammatical construction is called a retained object. Strictly speaking, it doesn't make sense, yet it is grammatically acceptable. The meaning is inferred from an implied active voice formulation such as "I dealt you two cards" where "you" is the indirect object and "two cards" is the direct object.

          – MPW
          Mar 26 at 16:06











        • @PLL James is not a direct object even without "to" in the sentence. It's still an indirect object. The implied "to" in "Tom gave [to] James two cards" makes the meaning clearer, but need not be explicit.

          – Monty Harder
          Mar 26 at 19:03











        • @MontyHarder: Sure, I didn’t mean to suggest that — I guess my wording was unclear. My point was that, as an indirect object without the explicit preposition, it can act syntactically like a direct one and become the subject of a passive (unlike prepositional objects), thus giving rise to a passive which also has a direct object, which is I think the thing which may surprise/mislead a learner.

          – PLL
          Mar 26 at 19:25
















        42














        In this context, you can assume that to deal = to give. So your sentence transforms into:




        You are given two cards.




        It means that while you are playing cards, you receive two cards (from the person holding the deck of cards).





        It is also correct to say:




        You are dealing / giving two cards.




        but the meaning is different. In this sentence, you have the deck of cards, and you deal / give / share them with the other players.






        • are dealt => passive voice


        • are dealing => active voice





        If you understand infinitive by "normal tense", then the infinitive of "dealt" is "to deal".






        share|improve this answer





















        • 2





          Part of the difficulty understanding this sentence for learners, I think, is because dealt and given each take two objects, without needing any preposition, and so when they’re in the passive, you have the slightly unusual situation of a passive with a direct object. So e.g. you can say Tom gave two cards to James, with to showing that James is the indirect object, but you can also say Tom gave James two cards, where James and cards both act grammatically like direct objects. In particular, you can turn it into the passive James was given two cards [by Tom].

          – PLL
          Mar 26 at 12:06








        • 2





          Changing the order of the words in the sentence does not change anything, grammatically or in the meaning.

          – virolino
          Mar 26 at 12:10











        • This grammatical construction is called a retained object. Strictly speaking, it doesn't make sense, yet it is grammatically acceptable. The meaning is inferred from an implied active voice formulation such as "I dealt you two cards" where "you" is the indirect object and "two cards" is the direct object.

          – MPW
          Mar 26 at 16:06











        • @PLL James is not a direct object even without "to" in the sentence. It's still an indirect object. The implied "to" in "Tom gave [to] James two cards" makes the meaning clearer, but need not be explicit.

          – Monty Harder
          Mar 26 at 19:03











        • @MontyHarder: Sure, I didn’t mean to suggest that — I guess my wording was unclear. My point was that, as an indirect object without the explicit preposition, it can act syntactically like a direct one and become the subject of a passive (unlike prepositional objects), thus giving rise to a passive which also has a direct object, which is I think the thing which may surprise/mislead a learner.

          – PLL
          Mar 26 at 19:25














        42












        42








        42







        In this context, you can assume that to deal = to give. So your sentence transforms into:




        You are given two cards.




        It means that while you are playing cards, you receive two cards (from the person holding the deck of cards).





        It is also correct to say:




        You are dealing / giving two cards.




        but the meaning is different. In this sentence, you have the deck of cards, and you deal / give / share them with the other players.






        • are dealt => passive voice


        • are dealing => active voice





        If you understand infinitive by "normal tense", then the infinitive of "dealt" is "to deal".






        share|improve this answer















        In this context, you can assume that to deal = to give. So your sentence transforms into:




        You are given two cards.




        It means that while you are playing cards, you receive two cards (from the person holding the deck of cards).





        It is also correct to say:




        You are dealing / giving two cards.




        but the meaning is different. In this sentence, you have the deck of cards, and you deal / give / share them with the other players.






        • are dealt => passive voice


        • are dealing => active voice





        If you understand infinitive by "normal tense", then the infinitive of "dealt" is "to deal".







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited Mar 27 at 5:30

























        answered Mar 26 at 7:07









        virolinovirolino

        4,4831935




        4,4831935








        • 2





          Part of the difficulty understanding this sentence for learners, I think, is because dealt and given each take two objects, without needing any preposition, and so when they’re in the passive, you have the slightly unusual situation of a passive with a direct object. So e.g. you can say Tom gave two cards to James, with to showing that James is the indirect object, but you can also say Tom gave James two cards, where James and cards both act grammatically like direct objects. In particular, you can turn it into the passive James was given two cards [by Tom].

          – PLL
          Mar 26 at 12:06








        • 2





          Changing the order of the words in the sentence does not change anything, grammatically or in the meaning.

          – virolino
          Mar 26 at 12:10











        • This grammatical construction is called a retained object. Strictly speaking, it doesn't make sense, yet it is grammatically acceptable. The meaning is inferred from an implied active voice formulation such as "I dealt you two cards" where "you" is the indirect object and "two cards" is the direct object.

          – MPW
          Mar 26 at 16:06











        • @PLL James is not a direct object even without "to" in the sentence. It's still an indirect object. The implied "to" in "Tom gave [to] James two cards" makes the meaning clearer, but need not be explicit.

          – Monty Harder
          Mar 26 at 19:03











        • @MontyHarder: Sure, I didn’t mean to suggest that — I guess my wording was unclear. My point was that, as an indirect object without the explicit preposition, it can act syntactically like a direct one and become the subject of a passive (unlike prepositional objects), thus giving rise to a passive which also has a direct object, which is I think the thing which may surprise/mislead a learner.

          – PLL
          Mar 26 at 19:25














        • 2





          Part of the difficulty understanding this sentence for learners, I think, is because dealt and given each take two objects, without needing any preposition, and so when they’re in the passive, you have the slightly unusual situation of a passive with a direct object. So e.g. you can say Tom gave two cards to James, with to showing that James is the indirect object, but you can also say Tom gave James two cards, where James and cards both act grammatically like direct objects. In particular, you can turn it into the passive James was given two cards [by Tom].

          – PLL
          Mar 26 at 12:06








        • 2





          Changing the order of the words in the sentence does not change anything, grammatically or in the meaning.

          – virolino
          Mar 26 at 12:10











        • This grammatical construction is called a retained object. Strictly speaking, it doesn't make sense, yet it is grammatically acceptable. The meaning is inferred from an implied active voice formulation such as "I dealt you two cards" where "you" is the indirect object and "two cards" is the direct object.

          – MPW
          Mar 26 at 16:06











        • @PLL James is not a direct object even without "to" in the sentence. It's still an indirect object. The implied "to" in "Tom gave [to] James two cards" makes the meaning clearer, but need not be explicit.

          – Monty Harder
          Mar 26 at 19:03











        • @MontyHarder: Sure, I didn’t mean to suggest that — I guess my wording was unclear. My point was that, as an indirect object without the explicit preposition, it can act syntactically like a direct one and become the subject of a passive (unlike prepositional objects), thus giving rise to a passive which also has a direct object, which is I think the thing which may surprise/mislead a learner.

          – PLL
          Mar 26 at 19:25








        2




        2





        Part of the difficulty understanding this sentence for learners, I think, is because dealt and given each take two objects, without needing any preposition, and so when they’re in the passive, you have the slightly unusual situation of a passive with a direct object. So e.g. you can say Tom gave two cards to James, with to showing that James is the indirect object, but you can also say Tom gave James two cards, where James and cards both act grammatically like direct objects. In particular, you can turn it into the passive James was given two cards [by Tom].

        – PLL
        Mar 26 at 12:06







        Part of the difficulty understanding this sentence for learners, I think, is because dealt and given each take two objects, without needing any preposition, and so when they’re in the passive, you have the slightly unusual situation of a passive with a direct object. So e.g. you can say Tom gave two cards to James, with to showing that James is the indirect object, but you can also say Tom gave James two cards, where James and cards both act grammatically like direct objects. In particular, you can turn it into the passive James was given two cards [by Tom].

        – PLL
        Mar 26 at 12:06






        2




        2





        Changing the order of the words in the sentence does not change anything, grammatically or in the meaning.

        – virolino
        Mar 26 at 12:10





        Changing the order of the words in the sentence does not change anything, grammatically or in the meaning.

        – virolino
        Mar 26 at 12:10













        This grammatical construction is called a retained object. Strictly speaking, it doesn't make sense, yet it is grammatically acceptable. The meaning is inferred from an implied active voice formulation such as "I dealt you two cards" where "you" is the indirect object and "two cards" is the direct object.

        – MPW
        Mar 26 at 16:06





        This grammatical construction is called a retained object. Strictly speaking, it doesn't make sense, yet it is grammatically acceptable. The meaning is inferred from an implied active voice formulation such as "I dealt you two cards" where "you" is the indirect object and "two cards" is the direct object.

        – MPW
        Mar 26 at 16:06













        @PLL James is not a direct object even without "to" in the sentence. It's still an indirect object. The implied "to" in "Tom gave [to] James two cards" makes the meaning clearer, but need not be explicit.

        – Monty Harder
        Mar 26 at 19:03





        @PLL James is not a direct object even without "to" in the sentence. It's still an indirect object. The implied "to" in "Tom gave [to] James two cards" makes the meaning clearer, but need not be explicit.

        – Monty Harder
        Mar 26 at 19:03













        @MontyHarder: Sure, I didn’t mean to suggest that — I guess my wording was unclear. My point was that, as an indirect object without the explicit preposition, it can act syntactically like a direct one and become the subject of a passive (unlike prepositional objects), thus giving rise to a passive which also has a direct object, which is I think the thing which may surprise/mislead a learner.

        – PLL
        Mar 26 at 19:25





        @MontyHarder: Sure, I didn’t mean to suggest that — I guess my wording was unclear. My point was that, as an indirect object without the explicit preposition, it can act syntactically like a direct one and become the subject of a passive (unlike prepositional objects), thus giving rise to a passive which also has a direct object, which is I think the thing which may surprise/mislead a learner.

        – PLL
        Mar 26 at 19:25













        5














        You have come across a passive sentence construction. Normally in an active sentence, the subject is what's called the agent. It is the one doing the action of the verb. The patient has the action applied to it. This is normally the direct object. This sentence also has an indirect object. The indirect object is often the receiver (or in this case the recipient) of the action, but doesn't experience the action. "You" are not being dealt, the "two cards" are.



        In a passive sentence the agent is either missing and assumed, or included by adding by, then the agent, e.g. by the dealer.



        In all the below sentences:




        • the agent is "the dealer"

        • the patient is "one card" (I've changed it from "two cards" to illustrate the grammar below)

        • the recipient is "you"

        • the verb is a form of "to deal"

        • [verb-pap] is the past participle form

        • [verb-prp] is the present participle form, the "-ing" form (looks identical to the gerund)

        • "[be]" is a conjugated form of "to be"

        • "by" and "to" represent themselves


        Here is a breakdown of possible forms. They all mean much the same thing, with different emphasis. The subject, direct object, and indirect object are not always the same from sentence to sentence, but the agent, patient, and recipient all are.




        • Passive (recipient as subject): [recipient] [be] [verb-pap] [patient] ("by" [agent])



        You are dealt one card.



        You are dealt one card by the dealer.





        • Passive (patient as subject): [patient] [be] [verb-pap] "to" [recipient] ("by" [agent])



        One card is dealt to you.



        One card is dealt to you by the dealer.





        • Active (simple present): [agent] [verb] [recipient] [patient]



        The dealer deals you one card.





        • Active (simple present): [agent] [verb] [patient] "to" [recipient]



        The dealer deals one card to you.





        • Active (present progressive): [agent] [be] [verb-prp] [recipient] [patient]



        The dealer is dealing you one card.





        • Active (present progressive): [agent] [be] [verb-prp] [patient] "to" [recipient]



        The dealer is dealing one card to you.




        So, when the sentence uses is dealing, it is present progressive, as you observed in your question. When the sentence uses are dealt, it is passive, and only optionally includes the agent that is causing the action.






        share|improve this answer




























          5














          You have come across a passive sentence construction. Normally in an active sentence, the subject is what's called the agent. It is the one doing the action of the verb. The patient has the action applied to it. This is normally the direct object. This sentence also has an indirect object. The indirect object is often the receiver (or in this case the recipient) of the action, but doesn't experience the action. "You" are not being dealt, the "two cards" are.



          In a passive sentence the agent is either missing and assumed, or included by adding by, then the agent, e.g. by the dealer.



          In all the below sentences:




          • the agent is "the dealer"

          • the patient is "one card" (I've changed it from "two cards" to illustrate the grammar below)

          • the recipient is "you"

          • the verb is a form of "to deal"

          • [verb-pap] is the past participle form

          • [verb-prp] is the present participle form, the "-ing" form (looks identical to the gerund)

          • "[be]" is a conjugated form of "to be"

          • "by" and "to" represent themselves


          Here is a breakdown of possible forms. They all mean much the same thing, with different emphasis. The subject, direct object, and indirect object are not always the same from sentence to sentence, but the agent, patient, and recipient all are.




          • Passive (recipient as subject): [recipient] [be] [verb-pap] [patient] ("by" [agent])



          You are dealt one card.



          You are dealt one card by the dealer.





          • Passive (patient as subject): [patient] [be] [verb-pap] "to" [recipient] ("by" [agent])



          One card is dealt to you.



          One card is dealt to you by the dealer.





          • Active (simple present): [agent] [verb] [recipient] [patient]



          The dealer deals you one card.





          • Active (simple present): [agent] [verb] [patient] "to" [recipient]



          The dealer deals one card to you.





          • Active (present progressive): [agent] [be] [verb-prp] [recipient] [patient]



          The dealer is dealing you one card.





          • Active (present progressive): [agent] [be] [verb-prp] [patient] "to" [recipient]



          The dealer is dealing one card to you.




          So, when the sentence uses is dealing, it is present progressive, as you observed in your question. When the sentence uses are dealt, it is passive, and only optionally includes the agent that is causing the action.






          share|improve this answer


























            5












            5








            5







            You have come across a passive sentence construction. Normally in an active sentence, the subject is what's called the agent. It is the one doing the action of the verb. The patient has the action applied to it. This is normally the direct object. This sentence also has an indirect object. The indirect object is often the receiver (or in this case the recipient) of the action, but doesn't experience the action. "You" are not being dealt, the "two cards" are.



            In a passive sentence the agent is either missing and assumed, or included by adding by, then the agent, e.g. by the dealer.



            In all the below sentences:




            • the agent is "the dealer"

            • the patient is "one card" (I've changed it from "two cards" to illustrate the grammar below)

            • the recipient is "you"

            • the verb is a form of "to deal"

            • [verb-pap] is the past participle form

            • [verb-prp] is the present participle form, the "-ing" form (looks identical to the gerund)

            • "[be]" is a conjugated form of "to be"

            • "by" and "to" represent themselves


            Here is a breakdown of possible forms. They all mean much the same thing, with different emphasis. The subject, direct object, and indirect object are not always the same from sentence to sentence, but the agent, patient, and recipient all are.




            • Passive (recipient as subject): [recipient] [be] [verb-pap] [patient] ("by" [agent])



            You are dealt one card.



            You are dealt one card by the dealer.





            • Passive (patient as subject): [patient] [be] [verb-pap] "to" [recipient] ("by" [agent])



            One card is dealt to you.



            One card is dealt to you by the dealer.





            • Active (simple present): [agent] [verb] [recipient] [patient]



            The dealer deals you one card.





            • Active (simple present): [agent] [verb] [patient] "to" [recipient]



            The dealer deals one card to you.





            • Active (present progressive): [agent] [be] [verb-prp] [recipient] [patient]



            The dealer is dealing you one card.





            • Active (present progressive): [agent] [be] [verb-prp] [patient] "to" [recipient]



            The dealer is dealing one card to you.




            So, when the sentence uses is dealing, it is present progressive, as you observed in your question. When the sentence uses are dealt, it is passive, and only optionally includes the agent that is causing the action.






            share|improve this answer













            You have come across a passive sentence construction. Normally in an active sentence, the subject is what's called the agent. It is the one doing the action of the verb. The patient has the action applied to it. This is normally the direct object. This sentence also has an indirect object. The indirect object is often the receiver (or in this case the recipient) of the action, but doesn't experience the action. "You" are not being dealt, the "two cards" are.



            In a passive sentence the agent is either missing and assumed, or included by adding by, then the agent, e.g. by the dealer.



            In all the below sentences:




            • the agent is "the dealer"

            • the patient is "one card" (I've changed it from "two cards" to illustrate the grammar below)

            • the recipient is "you"

            • the verb is a form of "to deal"

            • [verb-pap] is the past participle form

            • [verb-prp] is the present participle form, the "-ing" form (looks identical to the gerund)

            • "[be]" is a conjugated form of "to be"

            • "by" and "to" represent themselves


            Here is a breakdown of possible forms. They all mean much the same thing, with different emphasis. The subject, direct object, and indirect object are not always the same from sentence to sentence, but the agent, patient, and recipient all are.




            • Passive (recipient as subject): [recipient] [be] [verb-pap] [patient] ("by" [agent])



            You are dealt one card.



            You are dealt one card by the dealer.





            • Passive (patient as subject): [patient] [be] [verb-pap] "to" [recipient] ("by" [agent])



            One card is dealt to you.



            One card is dealt to you by the dealer.





            • Active (simple present): [agent] [verb] [recipient] [patient]



            The dealer deals you one card.





            • Active (simple present): [agent] [verb] [patient] "to" [recipient]



            The dealer deals one card to you.





            • Active (present progressive): [agent] [be] [verb-prp] [recipient] [patient]



            The dealer is dealing you one card.





            • Active (present progressive): [agent] [be] [verb-prp] [patient] "to" [recipient]



            The dealer is dealing one card to you.




            So, when the sentence uses is dealing, it is present progressive, as you observed in your question. When the sentence uses are dealt, it is passive, and only optionally includes the agent that is causing the action.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered Mar 27 at 2:32









            CJ DennisCJ Dennis

            2,151719




            2,151719























                0














                In English, the notion of "X [verb]s Y" can be expressed using the passive voice as "Z is [verb]ed by X". Unlike the active-voice construct where X must be specified, in the passive voice X may be (and often is) omitted, making the construct "Y is [verb]ed".



                This construct can be applied to verb phrases as well as simple verbs, as in your example. Thus "You are dealt two cards" is equivalent to "You are dealt two cards by some unspecified entity", which is in turn equivalent to "Some unspecified entity deals two cards to you".



                Note that if it were necessary to use the passive voice in the present progressive tense, the usage would be "You are being dealt cards" rather than "You are dealing cards". The past tense would be "You were dealt cards", the perfect tense "You had been dealt cards", and the imperfect tense "You were being dealt cards".






                share|improve this answer




























                  0














                  In English, the notion of "X [verb]s Y" can be expressed using the passive voice as "Z is [verb]ed by X". Unlike the active-voice construct where X must be specified, in the passive voice X may be (and often is) omitted, making the construct "Y is [verb]ed".



                  This construct can be applied to verb phrases as well as simple verbs, as in your example. Thus "You are dealt two cards" is equivalent to "You are dealt two cards by some unspecified entity", which is in turn equivalent to "Some unspecified entity deals two cards to you".



                  Note that if it were necessary to use the passive voice in the present progressive tense, the usage would be "You are being dealt cards" rather than "You are dealing cards". The past tense would be "You were dealt cards", the perfect tense "You had been dealt cards", and the imperfect tense "You were being dealt cards".






                  share|improve this answer


























                    0












                    0








                    0







                    In English, the notion of "X [verb]s Y" can be expressed using the passive voice as "Z is [verb]ed by X". Unlike the active-voice construct where X must be specified, in the passive voice X may be (and often is) omitted, making the construct "Y is [verb]ed".



                    This construct can be applied to verb phrases as well as simple verbs, as in your example. Thus "You are dealt two cards" is equivalent to "You are dealt two cards by some unspecified entity", which is in turn equivalent to "Some unspecified entity deals two cards to you".



                    Note that if it were necessary to use the passive voice in the present progressive tense, the usage would be "You are being dealt cards" rather than "You are dealing cards". The past tense would be "You were dealt cards", the perfect tense "You had been dealt cards", and the imperfect tense "You were being dealt cards".






                    share|improve this answer













                    In English, the notion of "X [verb]s Y" can be expressed using the passive voice as "Z is [verb]ed by X". Unlike the active-voice construct where X must be specified, in the passive voice X may be (and often is) omitted, making the construct "Y is [verb]ed".



                    This construct can be applied to verb phrases as well as simple verbs, as in your example. Thus "You are dealt two cards" is equivalent to "You are dealt two cards by some unspecified entity", which is in turn equivalent to "Some unspecified entity deals two cards to you".



                    Note that if it were necessary to use the passive voice in the present progressive tense, the usage would be "You are being dealt cards" rather than "You are dealing cards". The past tense would be "You were dealt cards", the perfect tense "You had been dealt cards", and the imperfect tense "You were being dealt cards".







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered Mar 26 at 19:50









                    supercatsupercat

                    58525




                    58525























                        0














                        Being a native speaker of German, I'd answer this question thus:



                        When you have a sentence in the active voice, "Abel deals two cards to you", and you turn it to the passive voice, the direct object, "cards", becomes the subject: "Two cards are dealt to you". In German (and other languages that I know, and apparently in yours as well) this is the only way to use the passive voice.



                        English, hovever, can say "Abel deals you two cards", and, I feel, therefore loses the exact distinction between direct and indirect object. Therefore English can use the indirect object as the passive-voice sentence's subject, thus: "You are dealt two cards".






                        share|improve this answer




























                          0














                          Being a native speaker of German, I'd answer this question thus:



                          When you have a sentence in the active voice, "Abel deals two cards to you", and you turn it to the passive voice, the direct object, "cards", becomes the subject: "Two cards are dealt to you". In German (and other languages that I know, and apparently in yours as well) this is the only way to use the passive voice.



                          English, hovever, can say "Abel deals you two cards", and, I feel, therefore loses the exact distinction between direct and indirect object. Therefore English can use the indirect object as the passive-voice sentence's subject, thus: "You are dealt two cards".






                          share|improve this answer


























                            0












                            0








                            0







                            Being a native speaker of German, I'd answer this question thus:



                            When you have a sentence in the active voice, "Abel deals two cards to you", and you turn it to the passive voice, the direct object, "cards", becomes the subject: "Two cards are dealt to you". In German (and other languages that I know, and apparently in yours as well) this is the only way to use the passive voice.



                            English, hovever, can say "Abel deals you two cards", and, I feel, therefore loses the exact distinction between direct and indirect object. Therefore English can use the indirect object as the passive-voice sentence's subject, thus: "You are dealt two cards".






                            share|improve this answer













                            Being a native speaker of German, I'd answer this question thus:



                            When you have a sentence in the active voice, "Abel deals two cards to you", and you turn it to the passive voice, the direct object, "cards", becomes the subject: "Two cards are dealt to you". In German (and other languages that I know, and apparently in yours as well) this is the only way to use the passive voice.



                            English, hovever, can say "Abel deals you two cards", and, I feel, therefore loses the exact distinction between direct and indirect object. Therefore English can use the indirect object as the passive-voice sentence's subject, thus: "You are dealt two cards".







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered Mar 26 at 21:16









                            MichaelMichael

                            1




                            1






























                                draft saved

                                draft discarded




















































                                Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language Learners Stack Exchange!


                                • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                                But avoid



                                • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                                • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                                To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                                draft saved


                                draft discarded














                                StackExchange.ready(
                                function () {
                                StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f202419%2fwhy-be-dealt-cards-rather-than-be-dealing-cards%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                                }
                                );

                                Post as a guest















                                Required, but never shown





















































                                Required, but never shown














                                Required, but never shown












                                Required, but never shown







                                Required, but never shown

































                                Required, but never shown














                                Required, but never shown












                                Required, but never shown







                                Required, but never shown







                                Popular posts from this blog

                                Nidaros erkebispedøme

                                Birsay

                                Was Woodrow Wilson really a Liberal?Was World War I a war of liberals against authoritarians?Founding Fathers...