Ashiwani
Present progressive with past participle
<em>The </em><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/economy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(29, 42, 87);"><em>economy</em></a><em> has been </em><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/badly" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(29, 42, 87);"><em>badly</em></a><em> administered by the </em><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/present" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(29, 42, 87);"><em>present</em></a><em> </em><a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/government" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(29, 42, 87);"><em>government</em></a><em>.</em>
Why <em>administered instead of administering?</em>
Jun 20, 2020 6:07 AM
Comments · 7
3
This is not a present progressive. (Present progressive would be "The present government is administering the economy badly").
In your sentence, the tense is present perfect, and the construction is a passive one.
The present government has administered the economy badly. = present perfect active
The economy has been badly administered by the present government = present perfect passive
NB I'm aware that this is an example from the Cambridge dictionary, but does anyone else think that 'administer' is an odd verb to use here?
June 20, 2020
2
Just to add to what has already been said, if you look at the site your example comes from (thanks, La Liseuse), you will see <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/help/codes.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(29, 42, 87);">[ T often passive ]</a>. This means that it is a transitive verb and it is often used in the passive voice, like in the example.
You are trying to use it in a way we use intransitive verbs (or verbs that can be I or T meaning intransitive/transitive):
The economy has been expanding.
The economy has been recovering.
The economy has been actively doing these things.
In your example, the economy isn't actively doing anything. Something has been done to it by someone/something.
The economy has been impacted by COVID-19.
The economy has been dominated by the agriculture sector.
In other words, the "by someone/something" accompanies the passive voice, it tells you who is doing the action. You can't have half of the sentence active: "has been administering" and half passive: "by the present government".
June 20, 2020
2
“The economy has been badly administering by the government” is grammatically incorrect and meaningless. It would have to be “The government has been badly administering the economy.” The government is the thing doing the action, not the economy. The economy is receiving the action. As La Liseuse has said, this is the present perfect passive. What you’re thinking about is the present perfect progressive active.
June 20, 2020
1
In response to La Liseuse's question, "does anyone else think that 'administer' is an odd verb to use here? "
Yes, it does sound odd, at least to me, but it also seems consistent with two dictionary definitions:
COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY - 2012
to administer: - to direct or control (the affairs of a business, government, etc)
OXFORD ONLINE
- administer something to manage and organize the affairs of a company, an organization, a country, etc.
It may sound like the wrong verb to use because governments do not actively administer economies.
Perhaps one of the following synonyms may be more appropriate:
- manage, direct, oversee, control, influence, or regulate
June 20, 2020
1
Because the action is already finished. Administering would mean that it's still happening in the present or the past.
For example
The government was administering.
The government is administering.
June 20, 2020
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Ashiwani
Language Skills
Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Russian, Spanish
Learning Language
English, French
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