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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Before/after/since/while + sb/sth + -ing
Although we seldom put a subject between a preposition and an -ing verb, the structure is perfectly grammatical. It is called an abosule phrase with a preposition, not a conjunction, ahead of it.
For instance:
1. Before the rice being put into a rice cooker, I give it a rinse.
2. (After/Since) the rice being cooked, it is time to serve.
3. While the rice being cooked, I make up the dining table.
I am not sure of it, could you reassure me?
Are they grammatical, although used rarely?
Thank you.
For instance:
1. Before the rice being put into a rice cooker, I give it a rinse.
2. (After/Since) the rice being cooked, it is time to serve.
3. While the rice being cooked, I make up the dining table.
I am not sure of it, could you reassure me?
Are they grammatical, although used rarely?
Thank you.
Top answer
Hi Anon Do you mean an absolute phrase? The examples that you gave do not follow the definition of absolute phrase, (definition: relatively independent syntactically), nor do they sound natural to me. Your examples all need a finite verb because the introductory words are actually dependent clauses.
- Hi Anon Do you mean an absolute phrase?
- The examples that you gave do not follow the definition of absolute phrase, (definition: relatively independent syntactically), nor do they sound natural to me.
- Your examples all need a finite verb because the introductory words are actually dependent clauses.
- Before the rice is put into a rice cooker, I give it a rinse.
- They can be written as phrases, but then they modify the subject of the main clause: (before and after are adverbs here) Before being put into a rice cooker, the rice is given a rinse.
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1 Answers
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Hi Anon
Do you mean an absolute phrase?
The examples that you gave do not follow the definition of absolute phrase, (definition: relatively independent syntactically), nor do they sound natural to me.
Your examples all need a finite verb because the introductory words are actually dependent clauses.
Before the rice is put into a rice cooker, I give
Do you mean an absolute phrase?
The examples that you gave do not follow the definition of absolute phrase, (definition: relatively independent syntactically), nor do they sound natural to me.
Your examples all need a finite verb because the introductory words are actually dependent clauses.
Before the rice is put into a rice cooker, I give
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