Question 1

Why do we use tarafından here instead of the -cE suffix?

Accepted Answer

The word tarafından translates to "by" and is the most common way to introduce the doer of an action in a passive sentence. While the suffix -cE can also mean "by", it is usually reserved for formal contexts, general groups, or institutions (like hükümetçe, by the government). For a specific, descriptive phrase like başarılı bir yazar, tarafından is much more natural.

Question 2

What is the literal breakdown of the word tarafından?

Accepted Answer

It literally translates to "from the side of". It is built from taraf (side), the 3rd person possessive suffix -ı (its), the buffer letter -n-, and the "from" suffix -dan. So, yazar tarafından conceptually means "from the side of the author".

Question 3

How is the passive voice built in the verb yazıldı?

Accepted Answer

The root is yaz- (write). To make it passive, we add the passive suffix -ıl, creating yazıl- (to be written). Finally, we add the definite past tense suffix -dı, giving us "was written".

Question 4

Why is the word order başarılı bir yazar instead of bir başarılı yazar?

Accepted Answer

In Turkish, when you have an adjective and the indefinite article bir (a/an), the adjective comes before bir. The structure is almost always "Adjective + bir + Noun". If you said bir başarılı yazar, it would put heavy emphasis on the number "one", sounding like "one successful author" rather than "a successful author".

Bu yeni eser başarılı bir yazar tarafından yazıldı.

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