CHAPTER XXXIV

271. The Passive Voice has already (171-b) been defined as the form of a verb which repersents the subject as the upon. The grammatical subject

(``of which somthing has been said '') in this Voice is the logical object - the preson or the thing towards whom the cation is directed. The logical subject -the dore- is not always mentioned. But when the logical subject is mentioned, it has invariably the oblique form with �ܽ. Only Transitive Verbs can have Passive Voice

(a) In a sentence like, �ܰܺ `the enemy' who has been acted upon (killed). �ܰܺ, therefore, isthe real object-towards whome the action of killed has been dircted.

(b) In a sentece like �ܺ�ܬܽ ��ܡ� ����� ��� ������ [`I cannot take tea' (literally, `tea cannot be durnk by me')], `tea' is the grammatical subject. But it is, in fact, the object of `drink'. The logical subjict is `I', which is mentioned here and has the oblique form with `�ܽ'.

3. In both the above sentences, the Objects (�ܰܺ and ��ܡ�) are in the Direct case and the Verbs (��ܣ� �ܡ�� and ��� ������) agree with them in Number, Gender and Person. The construction, thus, is objectival. A Passive does not admit of subjectival construction, because the logical Subject is always in the Oblique Case.

The Passive, however, does have the neutral construction where the Verb has masc. third person, singular form,agreeing neither with the logical Subject (which is seldom mentioned), nor with the Object. This, for example is the case in �şܥ�� ��ܽ �ܺ���ܡ�� �ܡ�� `Kamala was called' (literally, `with reference to Kamala, it was called'). Who called Kamala is not mentioned and `Kamala' the Object has the Oblique Case with ��ܽ. This construction is commonly used when the Object is Animate, although �şܥ�� �ܺ��܃� �܃� is equally correct.

272. (a) But whatever the construction, the formation of Passive Voice is regular. It is simply made by combining the Verb ��ܛ�� `to go' with the Past Participle of the main root :

(b) The Compound Verb thus made is treated like an ordinary Verb, the Past Participle (main Verb) agreeing with the Object in Number and Gender and the subsidiary ��ܛ�� being modified to form Aspect, Mood and Tense, (cf 261) :

The Infinitive form is ��ܣ� ��ܛ��, the Present Participle is ��ܣ� ������ ۺ��, and Past Participle is ��ܣ� �ܡ�� (or ۺ�� ). See 326.

3. If the main Verb has two Objects, the secondary Object has ��ܽ (or-� with Pronouns) and the primary Object is put in the Direct Case, with which the Verb agrees:
   
   

   �ܟ� ��ܽ �����ܝܽ� �� �ܡ��

   `books were given to Ram'

273. (a) It is not usual to mention the logical Subject (the ``doer'') of a Passive Verb, unless absolutely necessary. The Subject, thus, has to be mentioned when its ability or inability to do something is expressed:

The ``doer'', if mentioned, has �ܽ.

(b) Apart from the above (`ability' - `inability' case), a logical Subject may sometimes have to be mentioned for the sake of clarity etc. In such cases, �ܽ may be substituted by ��� �ܘ� or ��� �ܘ�ܽ� `at the hands of....', or in affected style by ��� �ܣ�.

�ܟ� �� ��ܘ� (�ܘ�ܽ�) �ܰܺ ��ܣ� �ܡ��

�ܟ� ��� �ܣ� �ܰܺ ��ܣ� �ܡ�� (affected style)

(c) Subjectless Passives are much more frequent :

274. (a) Apart from the ��ܛ�� passives discussed above, there are a large number of Verbs which are Passive by nature (without the help of a subsidiary or nominal compound). Some of these have been mentioned in 248 and 249 (d):

(b) All these are, of course, Intransitive in form. Their Active forms are naturally Transitive. Both the Passive and the Active forms now exist as independent Verbs, the Passive usually having short vowels and the Active having the corresponding long vowels :

Passive Active

3. The Active forms are used like ordinary Transitive Verbs. They are not Causals. See Chapter XII and they can form a Passive as well: ��ܒ� ��ܛ��, ��ܽ��� ��ܛ��, ���š�� ��ܛ��, etc. These ��ܛ�� Passives differ from the natural Passives [noted in (a) above] in signification. The Natural Passives represent the action as happening of itself-spontaneously, and naturally: there is not the slightest hint of its being done by somebody. Hence the doer is not mentioned:
   
   

   �ܽ�� �Œ ��� ۾	`the tree is getting cut'
   �����ܝܽ� ���� ��܈��	`the books did not sell' (Intransitive)
   �ܺ�� ��ܒܽ�ܽ	`you will get thrashed'

The ��ܛ�� Passives, on the other hand, represent the action as being performed by a doer who may or may not be mentioned, but can be guessed :

�ܽ�� ��ܒ� ��� ��� ۾	`the tree is being cut (by the labourer)'
�����ܝܽ� �ܽ��� �܃� ��	`the books have been sold (by the book-seller)'
�ܺ�� ����� ��܂ܽ�ܽ	`you will be thrashed (by the father)'



4. The Passive Verbs of the �Œ��� type are usually called ``Neuter Verbs''. It would, perhaps, be better to call these Verbs ``Natural Passives'' or ``Original Passives''.
   
   
5. It is, however, to be noted that when ability or inability to do something is to be denoted, even a Natural Passive needs a logical subject, which as usual, has the Oblique form with �ܽ :
   
   

   ��� �ܽ�� �ܺ�ܬܽ ���� �Œ���	`I am not able to cut this tree'
   �ܽ �����ܝܽ� �ܺ�ܬܽ ���� ��܈�ſ���	`you will not be able to sell these books'
   Compare :
   �ܺ�ܬܽ ��ܡ� ���� ��� ������	as discussed earlier (237-b):

Note: With a first person doer, ``inability'' to do something may imply ``unwillingeness'' : ��� �ܽ�� �ܺ�ܬܽ ���� �Œ��� may mean `I am not willing to undertake the heavy task of cutting this tree'.

6. �ܛܛ�� `to be made' is also used in the sense `possible to do' when it is usually combined with the Subsidiary ������� (256-g). The subject, as in (e) is almost always mentioned :-

�ܺ�ܬܽ ��ܽ �ܛ� ����� �ųŠ��
`I will do whatever is possible for me to do' (or `whatever I am capable of doing'),

276. �ܽ��� `to happen', ��ܥܛ�� `to be found or met with', and ���ܛ�� `to be seen' have already been noted above (269 b-c-d) as Passive denoting experience etc. ��ܥܛ�� `to meet' is also Active. But ���ܛ�� is an original Passive denoting experience, etc. ��ܥܛ�� `to meet ' is also Active. But ���ܛ�� is an original Passive derived form ڽ�ܛ�� `to see'. It is, however, used only as a Passive of experience. (269-b).

277. ��ܹۇ is specially to be noted. It has already been discussed in 270 c. ��ܹۇ is, in fact, a true passive derived from ���ۛ�� `to want'. In form, it is an old indicative present passive, in third person singular. The plural form could be ��ܹۇ�. But ��ܹۇ is now felt as an isolated and unchangeable form, so ��ܹۇ� is incorrect.]

THE IMPERSONAL VOICE

278. The Impersonal Voice, as stated earlier (171-c), is restricted to Intransitive Verbs, and is always in the neutral construction (273-c) being always in the third person singular masculine form. The Verb has the form of a ��ܛ�� passive, viz. past participle of the main Verb + ��ܛ�� (272-a)

�ܥ�ܽ, ��ܽ��� ��ܡ� `come, let us go to sleep' (literally, `let it be slept').

The subject is not mentioned in the above sentence. Where it is mentioned, it is oblique form with �ܽ and is represented, as in the passive (273-c) as ``able'' or ``unable'' to do something :

�ܺ�ܬܽ �ܥ�� ���� ������ `I cannot walk' (lit. `It cannot be walked by me').

Note: The above sentence differs from a sentence in passive - �ܺ�ܬܽ ��ܡ� ���� ��� ������ (271-b) - only in so far as it has an Intransitive Verb which, naturally, does not have to agree with an object because none exists. Otherwise, the formation and expression of the two sentences are identical.

The Impersonal Voice, thus, is a variety of the Passive, as applied to Intransitive Verbs. The definition of the Passive, ``it represents the (grammatical) subjects as acted upon'', is, obviously, not applicable to the Impersonal since there is no logical object which alone is the (grammatical) subject of a Passive Verb. In this respect, the Impersonal Voice is similar to the Active as, like the Active, it represents the subject (where it is mentioned ) as ``doing'' something. (171).