Nero was alleged to have burnt Rome

[ROBINDESBOIS]

Nero was alleged to have burnt Rome
Rome was alleged to have been burnt by Nero.

Are these sentences correct?

[Perikles]

Nero was alleged to have burnt Rome :good:
Rome was alleged to have been burnt by Nero.:thinking::bad:

Are these sentences correct?Possibly yes, but the second one sounds clumsy to me. To allege means to claim, plead, usually a legal term involving a person. To me, it is messy in a passive sentence because it is a passive in itself, so you would normally say "It was alleged that Rome was burnt by Nero."

[ROBINDESBOIS]

Right ! Thanks Perikles.

[JPablo]

Possibly yes, but the second one sounds clumsy to me. To allege means to claim, plead, usually a legal term involving a person. To me, it is messy in a passive sentence because it is a passive in itself, so you would normally say "It was alleged that Rome was burnt by Nero."
Wouldn't be even more 'normal' to say,
"Allegedly, Rome was burnt by Nero." ?

(Por aquello de 'lo bueno, si breve, dos veces bueno', ¿no?) :)

[Perikles]

Wouldn't be even more 'normal' to say,
"Allegedly, Rome was burnt by Nero." ?

(Por aquello de 'lo bueno, si breve, dos veces bueno', ¿no?) :)It depends when the allegation takes place. 'Allegedly' means the modern historian thinks that. 'It was alleged' means that at the time, they thought that. Not quite the same, and I was trying to keep as near as possible to the sense of the original sentence.

[JPablo]

Thank you. Good point.