Search from various English teachers...
yhemusa
Does ‘no injuries were sustained’ sound natural?
An English learner presented this sentence for correction:
-- She fell off the double-decker bed, albeit no injuries were sustained.--
I have a vague feeling that, except the errors, the use of 'sustain' as in 'injuries were sustained' (in the passive)is not so natural. I'd prefer something like:
She fell off the bunk red, but fortunetely uninjured/ but luckily did not sustain injuries.
So is the use in passive natural indeed?
Jul 30, 2018 1:22 AM
Answers · 4
1
The most natural way to say this is - she fell off the bunk bed, but fortunately she wasn't injured/hurt. The original sentence is very formal and sounds like a police statement.
July 30, 2018
1
Agree with you. The use of passive in this sentence is unnecessary (the person is surely more important!) and so using the passive makes it sound very formal. I reckon it would work in a newspaper for this reason: “numerous injuries were sustained in the aftermath of the earthquake” - because it sounds more formal.
July 30, 2018
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
yhemusa
Language Skills
Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Cantonese), English, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish
Learning Language
English, Russian
Articles You May Also Like

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
12 likes · 11 Comments

How to Sound Confident in English (Even When You’re Nervous)
13 likes · 11 Comments

Marketing Vocabulary and Phrases for Business English Learners
10 likes · 6 Comments
More articles