Can this prepositional phrase "in ~ing" modify a verb?
For example,
S1. In entering unknown structures, police officers need to have weapons drawn.
S2. "I stumbled in going to the stage".
1. Are both sentence S1 and S2 above correct English?
2. As for sentence S1, does this prepositional phrase "in entering unknown structures" modify the verb "need"?
3. As for sentence S2, does this prepositional phrase "in going to the stage" modify the verb "stumbled"?
4. Are there any natural and correct examples where "in ~ing" modifies a verb like "have", "need", "want", etc...? I want to see as many examples as possible.
Thank you very much
Top answer
fire1 Can this prepositional phrase "in ~ing" modify a verb? No. Those are cases where 'in' has the value of 'when', so the prepositional phrase acts more like a non-finite subordinate clause of time.
- fire1 Can this prepositional phrase "in ~ing" modify a verb?
- No.
- Those are cases where 'in' has the value of 'when', so the prepositional phrase acts more like a non-finite subordinate clause of time.
- The analogous finite clauses are shown in the rewrites below.
- When the police enter unknown structures, they need to have weapons drawn.
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fire1 Can this prepositional phrase "in ~ing" modify a verb?
No. Those are cases where 'in' has the value of 'when', so the prepositional phrase acts more like a non-finite subordinate clause of time. The analogous finite clauses are shown in the rewrites below.
When the police enter unknown structures, they need to have weapons drawn.
I stumble
0
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