ABSTRACT
Any human language contains many different constructions. The essential point is that the constructions of a given language do not make up an unconnected list but form a network of interconnections. This chapter deals with the active and passive constructions and the relationship between them. The active-passive relationship can be generalized to any sentence containing a transitive verb. In any active sentence, the main verb is replaced by BE or GET and the passive participle form of the main verb. The chapter also examines other constructions that are related, concentrating on the relationship between declarative and interrogative constructions. The interrogative construction is called the yes-no interrogative, because its typical function is to ask questions that can be answered with yes or no. English possesses another type of interrogative construction, called the wh interrogative because it contains words beginning with wh : who , what , where , why , when.
