Should this prompt be "tradition has it that he or she be crowned king or queen for the day!"?
Tradition has it that he or she is crowned king or queen for the day!
- « Back to Q&A Forum
- « Previous questionNext question »
Danielle A.Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Tradition has it that he or she is crowned king or queen for the day!
Asked 8 months ago
Yes, Danielle, your version is a higher register of English as it uses the (almost extinct) subjunctive. It is still commonly used in sentences like "Long live the king!" This is an exact parallelism to "The tradition is that he be crowned." instead of "....he is crowned" (which would be the indicative and not the subjunctive mood).
Jim J. Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Danielle,
Couronner is a transitive verb so takes a direct object. I see "he or she crowned (couronner)" as being valid.
Your proposal would introduce the verb être before couronné (past participle)?
I don't see this construction (passive voice?) as appropriate.
Let's see what others may comment.
Bonne journée
Jim
Don't have an account yet? Join today
Ask a question
Find your French level for FREE
Test your French to the CEFR standard
Find your French level