are growing dangerously (relying/reliant) on ...

Question

Hi guys,Please look at the sentence below. Today's publishing companies are growing dangerously (reliant/relying) on freelance copyeditors.The answer is "reliant" but is it grammartically incorrect if I use "relying"? I know there will be some change in meaning but, from a grammartical point of view, I don't think it's wrong.Please clarify me.One more....The hospital is continuing its search of medical professionals ___ Dr. Goodsen's skill.What kind of preposition can I use in the blank? Thanks.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

~~grammartical~~ grammatical point of view
growing dangerously relying is not idiomatic. Native speakers don't find it the least bit natural.

Note that being correct grammatically is not really more than a tiny step on the way to constructing a meaningful sentence.
The following sentence, for example, is correct grammatically:
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Yet it is pure nonsense. In addition to being grammatical, a sentence must be idiomatic and meaningful.

CJ

Avangi · Answer

Verbs like to grow and to become take adjectives, just like verbs of being. I am sick. I am reliant on your income. I have become sick. I have become reliant on your income. I am growing sick. I am growing reliant on your income

Edit. "one more" with Dr. G's skill (you might mean, "search for" - or you might not.)

Avangi · Answer

Sorry, Bizncs, my argument doesn't hold up. Both present and past participles function as adjectives. Maybe it's because "reliant" is a condition and "relying" is an action. You can become reliant but you can't become relying. (I dunno, maybe you can.)

Bizncs · Answer

Thank you for answering my question so promptly. I still have some doubt.

Let's say we have two sentences.

Today's publishing companies are growing.

They(the companies) dangerously rely on freelancer copyeditors.

If I connect these two sentences, can it be some thing this?

Today's publishing companies are growing dangerously relying on freelancer copyeditors.

Please enlighten me...

Avangi · Answer

Hi Bizncs,

I know I'm treading on dangerous ground here (more like thin ice.)

My sense of it is that once you choose the present participle over the past participle you've lost the ability of the "verb" to be modified by the prepositional phrase, "on freelance copy editors."

If you say, you are becoming a relying person; you are becoming relying; you are becoming a whining person; you are becoming whining; this has become a relying company; this company has grown relying - where do you go from there?

You could say, The company is growing dangerously fast, [by / and is] relying on freelance copy editors. But that 's a whole "nuther" thing.

The company is growing dangerously careless, relying on freelance copy editors.

The company is growing careless, dangerously relying on freelance copy editors.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Bizncs
Thank you for answering my question so promptly. I still have some doubt.

Let's say we have two sentences.

Today's publishing companies are growing.

They(the companies) dangerously rely on freelancer copyeditors.

If I connect these two sentences, can it be some thing this?

Today's publishing companies are growing dangerously relying on freelancer copyeditors.

Please enlighten me...

Ah, I see.

Before I start, let me say one quick thing about the word "doubt." Many of the English learners here use it to mean confusion or question, but to the native speaker, it can sound like you don't trust what you've been told. When you say "I still have a doubt" I believe what you mean is "I'm still confused" but what some may read is "I'm not sure I believe you yet."

Anyway, on to your question. You see it as two things that the publishing houses are doing:

1) They are growing (in size, in the number of books they publish, etc.)

2) They rely on freelancers. They rely on them too much. The extent to which they rely on them is dangerous.

Therefore, you combine them to be: They are growing, dangerously relying on freelancers. This means that the manner in which they are achieving this overall growth depends on this dangerous reliance on freelancers. It absolutely requires the comma to work this way.

On the other hand, the way we all read the sentence is NOT that they are growing (in size) but rather that their reliance on the freelancers is what is growing.

They are becoming more reliant on freelancers. They are growing more reliant on freelancers. They are growing to be so reliant on freelancers that it's dangerous. They are growing dangerously reliant on freelancers.

Do you see the difference?

(What's so dangerous about freelancers, anyway?)

Avangi · Answer

Avangi Sorry, Bizncs, my argument doesn't hold up. Both present and past participles function as adjectives. Maybe it's because "reliant" is a condition and "relying" is an action. You can become reliant but you can't become relying. (I dunno, maybe you can.)

You see what I get for working when I'm tired. Reliant is not a participle of to rely. (Where are my brains when I need 'em?)

CalifJim · Answer

BizncsToday's publishing companies are growing.

They(the companies) dangerously rely on freelancer copyeditors.

In your first sentence, growing means getting bigger. It doesn't mean becoming. If it meant becoming, the sentence wouldn't be complete. "Becoming what?" we would ask. You can combine them if you use a comma, however, retaining the meaning getting bigger:
Today's publishing companies are growing, dangerously relying on freelance copy editors.
The result doesn't make a lot of sense logically, but it's possible to assign at least some meaning to it.
When growing means becoming, the only thing that can follow is an adjective phrase.
The sky is growing dark.

I was growing tired of tennis.

Eventually the squirrels grew quite bold about begging for food.
Jane grew (very) insistent that the contract be signed.
We're growing older every day.
The citizens grew defiant of the authorities.
A present participle phrase usually doesn't work.
*I'm growing tiring of tennis.
*Jane grew (very) insisting that the contract be signed.
*We're growing aging every day.
*The citizens grew defying of the authorities.
If you really have to have a verb form, you can sometimes accomplish this with the infinitive instead of the participle. You can also substitute start or come for grow in these patterns.
Jane was starting to insist that the contract be signed.
I grew to tire of tennis.
The citizens came to defy the authorities.
The bottom line is that reliant (the pure adjective) works and relying (the participle) doesn't work in your example sentence. The word you need in that position after growing is always the kind of adjective that can be preceded by very. You can have very insistent, very defiant, and very reliant, but not *very insisting, *very defying, or *very relying.
CJ

Avangi · Answer

CalifJimThe bottom line is that reliant (the pure adjective) works and relying (the participle) doesn't work in your example sentence. The word you need in that position after growing is always the kind of adjective that can be preceded by very. You can have very insistent, very defiant, and very reliant, but not *very insisting, *very defying, or *very relying.

Hi Jim,

Reminds me of a boss I had in a small research company. He'd always say, "Have you tried hitting it with a hammer?"

In the analysis of grammar I can't find the courage to say, "Reason (a): It just doesn't work," although I know I should.

Best regards, - A.

Avangi · Answer

Grammar GeekBefore I start, let me say one quick thing about the word "doubt." Many of the English learners here use it to mean confusion or question, but to the native speaker, it can sound like you don't trust what you've been told. When you say "I still have a doubt" I believe what you mean is "I'm still confused" but what some may read is "I'm not sure I believe you yet."

Hi GG,

Is it disrespectful these days to tell your teacher, "You haven't convinced me," but okay to say, "I'm not convinced."? I get the feeling sometimes a learner simply feels he's failed to convey to his teacher what he really means. As you say, he appears to take the blame, but it reflects on the teacher.

Best wishes, - A.

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