Is it syntax error if someone mix both active and passive to one sentence?
1. He plant the flowers and trim the trees. (active + active)
2. He plant the flowers and the tree were trimmed. (active + passive)
3. The flowers were planted and the trees were trimmed.

The sentence still in doubt is 2. Is there any syntax error in it?

Thank you in advance,

Question

Is it syntax error if someone mix both active and passive to one sentence?
1. He plant the flowers and trim the trees. (active + active)
2. He plant the flowers and the tree were trimmed. (active + passive)
3. The flowers were planted and the trees were trimmed.

The sentence still in doubt is 2. Is there any syntax error in it?

Thank you in advance,

Answer

Hello Socko ,
I agree with Josep . It is rather a semantic error,because it lacks the nature of logical sentence structure, which is consistency. By using both passive and active voice in this sentence its parts loose harmony to one another .
Unless there are 2 subjects ,the one who plants flowers and another who trims the trees, which will make the 2nd sentence in your example differ in context from the 1st and the 3rd.
In that case it could be used as a figure of speech with the writer's intention to cast light on the anonymity of  the person trimming the trees  to convey either mystery or insignificance. In usual direct speech it wouldn't be used that way though.

Answer

syntactically correct. semantically absurd.

Answer

There is no error, but usually you want to make the two agree, or be 'parallel'. If you have them seperate it seems like you're making a point if not saying who did the second thing. It seems strange but it's not gramattically incorrect.

Answers · 3

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