as shown or as is shown? (2025)

Our sales has greatly improved, _____ in the figure.

Is it "as is shown" or "as shown"? Why? Thanks!

sevengem said:

Why?

Click to expand...

"Shown" is the past participle of "show". Past participles are used in several ways.

One use is to make a passive verb:
I show the book.
The book is shown.
...as I show in the figure.
...as is shown in the figure.

Another use acts like an adjective:
as shown in the figure.

A clearer example of the adjective use is the past participle "beaten":
verb: He was beaten.
adj: He looks beaten.

dojibear said:

"Shown" is the past participle of "show". Past participles are used in several ways.

One use is to make a passive verb:
I show the book.
The book is shown.
...as I show in the figure.
...as is shown in the figure.

Another use acts like an adjective:
as shown in the figure.

A clearer example of the adjective use is the past participle "beaten":
verb: He was beaten.
adj: He looks beaten.

Click to expand...

When "shown " serves as an adjective, what is "as" then? A preposition?

"Show, know, mention" are all verbs. Each has a subject (who is showing?), a direct object (what are they showing?) and an indirect object (who are they showing it to?).

Sometimes you can omit 1 or more of these 3 things, but all 3 are implied. Even in sentences where we call "shown" an adjective (to match "grammar rules") it still has the same meaning: someone is showing something to someone. There are many different ways to re-arrange these 3 nouns, often omitting some of them.

Birds can fly, as is shown (by the author to the reader) in picture 1.
Birds can fly, as shown (by the author to the reader) in picture 1.
Birds can fly, as shown (to the reader) by picture 1.
Birds can fly, as picture 1 shows (the reader).
Birds can fly, as I show you in picture 1.
In picture 1, I show you that birds can fly.
Picture 1 shows a bird flying (to the reader).

A. In your link, Parla says that "gets bigger" is wrong, not that "as is expected" is wrong.

B. "As expected" means "as was expected", which means "as (someone) expected".
But you need to consider the verb's subject for this phrase to make sense.

1. as is shown in the picture
2. as is known by who? who knows this?
3. as is mentioned in the text shown here
4. as was expected by who? who expected this?

It is meaningless to say "as was expected" or "as is known" unless you tell us who knows this, or who expected this.

These phrases are not "idioms" or "standard phrases". They are normal words, using normal grammar to express meaning.
Each expression needs to have meaning ("make sense"), not "fit a pattern".

The words "shown", "known", "mentioned" and "expected" are past participles of the verbs "show, know, mention, expect". They are being used the same way countless other part participles are used:
- as mounted
- as decorated
- as blamed
- as requested
- as decided
- as agreed to

Is there a missing "is"? A missing "was"? That depends on the sentence, and how this phrase is used in the sentence.