Relative and passive and how to parse sentences


Is a relative possible with the passive form?

> 誰もが残された時間を、駆け抜けて、過ぎていく。

Is this indirect passive? How would I make 誰もが残された時間 not relative?

> 誰もが残された時間
>
> 誰もが時間を残された

I also would like to add another question because it seems I am lost. I
thought in Japanese what comes before a verb refers to it, then that verb
modifies a noun that comes after it.

For example:

> 僕が彼にくれたペンで書いた手紙をメールで彼女に届いた。
>
> [[僕が彼にくれた]ペンで書いた]手紙をメールで彼女に届いた。

In this example 僕が彼にくれた modifies ペン and 僕が彼にくれたペンで書いた modifies 手紙. Am I wrong?

I really do not understand what modifies what in Japanese apparently -- my
previous idea doesn't work with sentences like the original example. Could
somebody explain this to me?




It's 誰もが駆け抜けて過ぎていく ("everyone rushes away and goes past"), and 残された時間 ("time
left") is [where it happens](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/21313/5010).
誰もが時間を残された makes little sense unless
[迷惑の受け身](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/1777/5010) is intended, and the
noun clause 誰もが残された時間 also makes little or no sense to me. The normal way to
say "time left for everyone" is 誰も **に** 残された時間. (eg 私に残された時間は少ない。 = There is
little time left for me.)

As for the other question, first, 手紙を届いた is ungrammatical because 届く is
intransitive. 届ける is the transitive counterpart. [僕が彼にくれた sounds
strange](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/25535/5010) too, and this part
should be either 僕が彼に **あげた** ペン (the pen I gave to him) or **彼が僕に** くれたペン
(the pen he gave to me). Oh, and you should use 郵便 instead of メール, because メール
usually refers to emails.

> 彼が僕にくれたペンで書いた手紙を郵便で彼女に届けた。

Now this sentence is simple to me. As you suggest, 彼に僕にくれた modifies ペン and
彼が僕にくれたペンで書いた modifies 手紙.




It's 誰もが駆け抜けて過ぎていく ("everyone rushes away and goes past"), and 残された時間 ("time
left") is [where it happens](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/21313/5010).
誰もが時間を残された makes little sense unless
[迷惑の受け身](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/1777/5010) is intended, and the
noun clause 誰もが残された時間 also makes little or no sense to me. The normal way to
say "time left for everyone" is 誰も **に** 残された時間. (eg 私に残された時間は少ない。 = There is
little time left for me.)

As for the other question, first, 手紙を届いた is ungrammatical because 届く is
intransitive. 届ける is the transitive counterpart. [僕が彼にくれた sounds
strange](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/25535/5010) too, and this part
should be either 僕が彼に **あげた** ペン (the pen I gave to him) or **彼が僕に** くれたペン
(the pen he gave to me). Oh, and you should use 郵便 instead of メール, because メール
usually refers to emails.

> 彼が僕にくれたペンで書いた手紙を郵便で彼女に届けた。

Now this sentence is simple to me. As you suggest, 彼に僕にくれた modifies ペン and
彼が僕にくれたペンで書いた modifies 手紙.

