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Guest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
Damage
I have a question about this sentence,
The greatest damage being done to our planet is that being done by humans.
What is "being"? Does it mean that "the damage is being done now"?
Can I drop the two "being" s without changing the meaning of the sentence?
If the sentence can go without "being", will it be the same with "The greatest damage having been done to our planet is that having been done by humans"? Thank you very much for your help.
The greatest damage being done to our planet is that being done by humans.
What is "being"? Does it mean that "the damage is being done now"?
Can I drop the two "being" s without changing the meaning of the sentence?
If the sentence can go without "being", will it be the same with "The greatest damage having been done to our planet is that having been done by humans"? Thank you very much for your help.
Top answer
'(Which is) being done' means at the (relative) moment. '(Which is) done' means generally, without reference to time. 'Having' does not work like 'being'-- it is a perfect aspect formation, not the passive voice; what you have constructed is two nonfinite clauses carrying no meaning.
- '(Which is) being done' means at the (relative) moment.
- '(Which is) done' means generally, without reference to time.
- 'Having' does not work like 'being'-- it is a perfect aspect formation, not the passive voice; what you have constructed is two nonfinite clauses carrying no meaning.
- '-- this places the action between an undefined point in the past and now.
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3 Answers
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'(Which is) being done' means at the (relative) moment.
'(Which is) done' means generally, without reference to time.
'Having' does not work like 'being'-- it is a perfect aspect formation, not the passive voice; what you have constructed is two nonfinite clauses carrying no meaning. You will have to recast to:
'The greatest damage which has been done to our planet i
'(Which is) done' means generally, without reference to time.
'Having' does not work like 'being'-- it is a perfect aspect formation, not the passive voice; what you have constructed is two nonfinite clauses carrying no meaning. You will have to recast to:
'The greatest damage which has been done to our planet i
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Thank you very much for your help, Mister Micawber. I don't quite understand your explanation to the "having" sentence. 1. I don't see the difference between my original "having" sentence and the one you rewrote. The structure is different, but I would think they are to the same effect. 2. Speaking of the passive voice, does the "having" phrase
have a passive form?
Could you explain mo
have a passive form?
Could you explain mo
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It is easy neither to see or explain, and I misspoke in my earlier post.
All of your sentences are constructed using nonfinite clauses, which, in my previous explanation, I extended to their full clause counterparts:
'The greatest damage (which is) being done to our planet is that (which is) being done by humans.'
'The greatest damage (which is) done to our planet is that
All of your sentences are constructed using nonfinite clauses, which, in my previous explanation, I extended to their full clause counterparts:
'The greatest damage (which is) being done to our planet is that (which is) being done by humans.'
'The greatest damage (which is) done to our planet is that
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