Studies in the Modern Russian Language: 4. The Expression of the Passive Voice, and 5. Agreement of the Verb-Predicate with a Collective Subject

A series of detailed studies, first published in 1967, of the most characteristic, and often the most difficult, features of the modern Russian language, designed to supplement the necessarily over-compressed treatment given in standard courses. The first study, ‘The Expression of the Passive Voice’, addresses the variety of Russian constructions that are available to the English-speaking student when confronted by a passive construction which he has to translate into Russian. Mr Harrison summarises the three main means of expressing the passive voice in Russian and points out the differences of emphasis between them. The second study, ‘Agreement of the Verb-Predicate with a Collective Subject’, examines the conclusions of several authorities on this point of Russian grammar. Mr Mullen analyses examples taken from various Russian sources and suggests factors which favour the choice of one or other agreement with collective subjects in current usage.