I really need an explanation for this!

Question

Hello everybody.How come it's possible to say; We're two guys agreeing how to play football. - For me this example is exact the same as this one; I'm just a guy having your money.BUT the deal is, I got told by native speakers that the second sentence is wrong and uncorrectly English, but how come I do see people in TV saying sentence number one? - For me I see these two examples as the same so, it completely strikes me as the same! Why can't you say; We're two guys who agree how to play football or I'm just a guy who has your money? Is it really a must to follow up with a gerund or something like that? Excuse me for my English, I'm still only a 16 years old boy who doesn't live in an English speaking country.Can somebody give me a good and helpful explanation for this?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

I don't like either sentence with the -ing verb form as they stand, and I don't think you can find one of those sentences on TV.

Anyway, 'have' meaning 'possess' is one of those verbs that do not normally get used in progressive forms: I have (= possess) a headache right now vs I'm having (= drinking) a Coke right now.

Cool Breeze · Answer

ZuzakiWe're two guys agreeing how to play football.

Agreeing is a present participle in your sentence, not a gerund. Present participles are commonly used in what I call clause equivalents, in other words, in structures where a relative pronoun or a conjunction may have been omitted and there is no finite verb. As you have said, We're two guys who agree how to play football is possible instead of the clause equivalent. In some grammar books these structures are called reduced clauses. As relative clauses go, the present participle is used in active clause equivalents. Examples:

The man driving the car is Mr Smith. (= who drives / is driving)
The boys playing ice hockey are my friends. (= who play / are playing)
I didn't notice the man hiding behind a tree. (= who was hiding)

For passive clauses, the past participle is needed:
I didn't notice the ball hidden behind a tree. (= that/which was hidden/had been hidden)

However, some verbs are rarely or never used this way in relative clauses. Be and have are the most common examples of such verbs:
The man being in the car is Mr Smith. WRONG! You have to say: The man who is in the car is Mr Smith, or, better still: The man in the car is Mr Smith.

Being is possible in clause equivalents that indicate a reason, though:
Being tired, I went to bed. (= Because I was tired, I went to bed.)

These are just a few examples of clause equivalents. A complete exposition would be far too long to be written here. If you are interested, look for reduced clauses or clause equivalents in grammar books.

CB

Zuzaki · Answer

Thank you all for answering, I really appreaciate that. It's help me alot.

I really need an explanation for this!

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