Noun + being

Question

With the Democratic Party being more diverse than ever, the open minds of the young voters are essential.

With him being out, obviously it's a big loss to us.

The mistakes I made had nothing to do with it being the first game.

Hi,

My questions is:

Have the"being"s in these sentences all been used in the same grammatical way?

If so, could anyone help me deconstruct the "noun + being" usages

because I want to know whether something has been omitted in the process or some other grammatical rules have been applied to the formation of such phrases.

Thanks in advance.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Have the"being"s in these sentences all been used in the same grammatical way?

Yes. These are all non-finite clauses, specifically gerund clauses. Such clauses are sometimes introduced by 'with'. Sometimes they are introduced by 'without'. Sometimes there is no introductory word. Various paraphrases can be used to capture the equivalent meaning.

With the Democratic Party being more diverse than ever

~

[Since / Because] the Democratic Party is more diverse than ever

With him being out ~ Since he is out / Because he is out

____

In the third sentence, 'with' comes from the expression 'nothing to do with'. The gerund clause has no introductory word.

it being the first game ~ the fact that it was the first game

____

When you paraphrase the meaning in a finite clause, you need a tensed verb. Use the same tense as you find in the main clause.

CJ

Spooner · Answer

Thanks for the thorough explanation. Let me ask you a followup question.

"They objected to the youngest girl being given the command position."

"They objected to the youngest girl's being given the command position."

Someone told me the second one is correct.

If that's the case, can the same rule be applied to the three sentences in my first post?

or

Is the usage of "being" above structurally different than the "being"s in the first three sentences?

CalifJim · Answer

In the third sentence in your first post and in this most recently added sentence, the gerund clause occupies the position of a constituent of the main clause, acting in place of a noun.

In the first two sentences in your first post, the gerund clause forms a subordinate clause, adverbial in nature.

So the structure in which gerund clauses occur can be different. That doesn't mean that the structure of the gerund itself is different.

The use of the possessive 's for the subject of the gerund clause is characteristic of more formal writing. Some editors insist on it in all cases; others do not. It seems to me, just from casual observation, that the possessive form is less used when the gerund clause is adverbial.

_________________

With the possessive, your first three sentences are:

With the Democratic Party's being more diverse than ever, the open minds of the young voters are essential.

With his being out, obviously it's a big loss to us.

The mistakes I made had nothing to do with its being the first game.

Because the gerund clause is adverbial in the first two, they sound too formal to my ear - almost wrong; nevertheless, some editors would require that they be written like that.

Whether to use the 's or not is often more a matter of style than a matter of grammar.

__________________

There are some cases where the possessive is impossible.

You can't rely on there being any tickets left tomorrow. OK.

You can't rely on there's being any tickets left tomorrow. Wrong.

CJ

Spooner · Answer

Your("You" would work too?) taking the trouble to give such a marvelous explanation won't go unnoticed.

Thank you very much.

Happy Holidays

CalifJim · Answer

"You" could work too, but only in the most casual of conversations.

I strongly advise against it. I recommend "Your" in this case, especially since the gerund clause is in subject position. If you begin with "You" it will probably be taken mistakenly to be the subject of the main clause, and it isn't.

CJ

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