Grammatical Analysis of "Submit" vs. "Give" in the Passive Voice

The question concerns the grammatical correctness of the sentence "A computer program is submitted a prompt" and whether "submitted" is correctly used in this context. The core issue revolves around the verb "submit" and its potential for use in a passive construction without the preposition "to." Let's break this down step-by-step.

First, we need to establish the basic principles of passive voice and dative alternation. Passive voice is formed using a form of the verb "to be" (is, are, was, were, etc.) plus the past participle of the main verb. Dative alternation refers to the phenomenon where a verb that takes both a direct object and an indirect object can have the indirect object expressed in two ways: either with the preposition "to" or "for," or without a preposition, directly preceding the direct object.

According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, the verb "submit" has several meanings, including "to give a document, proposal, or piece of writing to someone for them to consider or approve." [Oxford Learner's Dictionaries] This definition suggests that "submit" typically takes an object (the document, proposal, etc.) and a recipient (someone). The recipient is often indicated with the preposition "to." For example, "I submitted the report to my manager."

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "submit" means "to present to a person or body for consideration or judgment." [Merriam-Webster Dictionary] This definition also implies a recipient.

According to Cambridge Dictionary, "submit" means "to give a document, proposal, or piece of writing to someone to be considered or approved." [Cambridge Dictionary] Again, this definition implies a recipient.

According to Collins Dictionary, "submit" means "to present (a proposal, application, or other document) to a person or body for consideration or decision." [Collins Dictionary] This definition also implies a recipient.

According to Macmillan Dictionary, "submit" means "to give a document, proposal, or piece of writing to someone so that they can consider it or approve it." [Macmillan Dictionary] This definition also implies a recipient.

According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, "submit" means "to give a document, proposal, or piece of writing to someone so that they can consider it or approve it." [Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English] This definition also implies a recipient.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, "submit" means "to present (something) to a person or group for consideration, judgment, or decision." [American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language] This definition also implies a recipient.

The sentence "A computer program is submitted a prompt" attempts to use "submit" in the passive voice without the preposition "to." This construction is unusual and, in most cases, grammatically incorrect. The more standard and natural phrasing would be "A prompt is submitted to a computer program" or, more simply, "A prompt is given to a computer program." The verb "give" readily allows for dative alternation, where the indirect object ("to a computer program") can be omitted if the direct object ("a prompt") is placed first in the sentence, as in "A computer program is given a prompt."

According to the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, verbs like "give" are ditransitive, meaning they take both a direct object and an indirect object. [Cambridge Grammar of the English Language] The indirect object can be expressed with or without a preposition, depending on the word order. However, "submit" is not typically used in this ditransitive way.

According to Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, some verbs allow for dative alternation, while others do not. [Practical English Usage] "Submit" is not listed as a verb that readily permits this type of alternation.

According to The Chicago Manual of Style, the passive voice is perfectly acceptable, but the choice of whether to use it should be based on clarity and emphasis. [The Chicago Manual of Style] In this case, the passive voice is used, but the construction with "submit" is awkward.

According to A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, verbs that allow dative alternation often involve a transfer of possession or a benefactive relationship. [A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language] While submitting something to someone could be seen as a transfer, the verb "submit" doesn't easily lend itself to the same grammatical flexibility as "give."

According to English Grammar Today, the verb "submit" is typically followed by the preposition "to" when indicating the recipient. [English Grammar Today]

According to The Free Dictionary, "submit" means "to present (a proposal, application, or other document) to a person or body for consideration or decision." [The Free Dictionary] This definition also implies a recipient.

According to YourDictionary, "submit" means "to present (something) to a person or group for consideration, judgment, or decision." [YourDictionary] This definition also implies a recipient.

According to Vocabulary.com, "submit" means "present something formally to a person or group." [Vocabulary.com] This definition also implies a recipient.

According to Wiktionary, "submit" means "to present (something) to a person or group for consideration, judgment, or decision." [Wiktionary] This definition also implies a recipient.

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