Owen—Relations Expressed by the Passive Voice. 135 
sich gemacht” and “Pluere fit per se” impress me as yet more 
implausible. I accordingly renounce interpretation of my 
specimens as the expression, in the active voice, of self-perform¬ 
ing action—-in the passive voice, of action self-performed. 
The renounced interpretation may however be in so far right, 
as it exhibits action as the subject. Action being unaccom¬ 
panied (in thought considered) by the actor or actee, it seems 
that only action can be posed as subject. Indeed, perception 
being jogged by this suggestion, it appears to me that, in “(Es) 
spielt (sich)” and “(Es) wird gespielt,” the playing is pre¬ 
cisely “what I am talking about”—that is, my subject. Also 
I am led to expect that always, in expressions of the now con¬ 
sidered type, the action will be found in either voice to be the 
subject—that is, the first term—of thought expressed. What 
then are the other indispensable constituents of thought ex¬ 
pressed by “Pluitur” and “Pluit?” 
In seeking these I emphasize my previous contention that a 
single word—for instance a Pluitur” and “Pluit”—frequently 
effects the purpose of a sentence formally complete. As such 
it should express a judgment. Accordingly its meaning should 
contain two terms and their relation plus assertion. (See p. 51.) 
That assertion is intended in the present case, is demon¬ 
strated by comparison of “Pluit” with the plainly unassertive 
“Pluere.” If “Pluere” be subtracted, so to speak, from “Pluit,” 
the remainder obviously contains assertion. 
As other verbs assert, so far as I have noted, a relation 
sensed between a pair of terms, I am not prepared to doubt that 
“Pluit”—also “Pluitur”—asserts relation sensed between a first 
term (raining) and some other term— that, in the language 
of the schools, these one-word statements predicate of raining 
..what ? 
If the question bore upon the active voice alone, I should in 
answer probably interpret “Pluit,” say, by “Raining is occur- 
rent” or “occurs” or “happens.” But if analogously I interpret 
“Pluitur” by “Raining is occurred” or, say, “is happened,” I 
feel as if the solid earth had failed beneath my feet. I must 
find in “Plait” a more satisfactory “predicate” for raining. 
