EXERCISE XVII.
1 Take care not to put out that lamp. 2 When your brother comes, ask him to open this box. 3 When he heard the news he was very sad. 4 That gentleman is clever at writing (composing letters). 5 I have come here to see the town. 6 Children ought to obey the commands of their parents. 7 It is stupid to give an answer if one has not understood the question. 8 When he went to Klang, he saw a railway for the first time. 9 He wished to rejoice the king's heart. 10 All the animals eame here in search of the good grass.
LESSON XVIII.
The Passive Voice.
105. The passive is formed by the prefix di; as,
di-makan oleh hrimau, eaten by a tiger.
The use of the passive is far more common in Malay than in Western languages; in fact it is the most common form in narration. For instance, instead of saying, “he took it to his house,” the more usual Malay construction would be “it was taken by him to his house,” di-bawa-nya k-rumah.
106. The use of the preposition oleh with the passive construction is optional. When oleh is used, it is frequently placed (with the agent) before the verb; as,
oleh maharaja di-suroh-nya bunoh orang itu,
the king ordered that the man should be killed.
But the more usual order of the sentence is for the agent to follow the verb, when in the passive; and when the agent is a pronoun, it invariably follows the verb; as,
apabila di-lihat laksamana, lalu di-ambil-nya,
when the laksamana saw it, he took it.
107. The subject of the sentence usually prceedes the verb in the passive voice; as,
surat itu di-sambot oleh mntri,
the letter was received by the minister.
108. Very frequently, however, in Malay, the subject is not expressed in the passive voice, the verb being used in a kind of impersonal form; as,
di-panggil-nya, di-suroh-nya dukong,
they called (them) and told (them) to carry them.
