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Jooney Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Participial clause
Hi,
My Engish grammar book(written by a Korean)says that you can convert participial clauses functioning as adjective modifiers into adverbial clauses as follows:
ex1)
A: Sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
B: Because we are sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
ex2)
A: Wanting a credit card, I will apply for one.
B: As I want a credit card, I will apply for one.
Then he goes on to say that if you wish to make the implicit subject and tense of a participial clause overtly known, you can do so by adding an 'as-clause' at the end of it, as shown in the following examples.
ex1)
A: Sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
B: Sitting at the back as we are, we can't hear a word.
ex2)
A: Wanting a credit card, I will apply for one.
B: Wanting a credit card as I do, I will apply for one.
Is anyone familiar with this rule?? Do you agree with the author?
I would appreciate your help on this. Thanks.
My Engish grammar book(written by a Korean)says that you can convert participial clauses functioning as adjective modifiers into adverbial clauses as follows:
ex1)
A: Sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
B: Because we are sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
ex2)
A: Wanting a credit card, I will apply for one.
B: As I want a credit card, I will apply for one.
Then he goes on to say that if you wish to make the implicit subject and tense of a participial clause overtly known, you can do so by adding an 'as-clause' at the end of it, as shown in the following examples.
ex1)
A: Sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
B: Sitting at the back as we are, we can't hear a word.
ex2)
A: Wanting a credit card, I will apply for one.
B: Wanting a credit card as I do, I will apply for one.
Is anyone familiar with this rule?? Do you agree with the author?
I would appreciate your help on this. Thanks.
Top answer
I agree with the guidelines, yes. However, your book suffers, as most foreign-written ones (and some native ones) do, in setting up paradigms that are in fact awkward and probably little used or not used at all in authentic texts. Let me show you, for instance, which of those are comfortably native utterances: B: Because we are sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
- I agree with the guidelines, yes.
- However, your book suffers, as most foreign-written ones (and some native ones) do, in setting up paradigms that are in fact awkward and probably little used or not used at all in authentic texts.
- Let me show you, for instance, which of those are comfortably native utterances: B: Because we are sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
- C: I want a credit card, so I'm going to apply for one.
- The rest, in my estimation, are just game-playing with grammatical rules.
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4 Answers
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I agree with the guidelines, yes. However, your book suffers, as most foreign-written ones (and some native ones) do, in setting up paradigms that are in fact awkward and probably little used or not used at all in authentic texts. Let me show you, for instance, which of those are comfortably native utterances:
B: Because we are sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
C: I w
B: Because we are sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
C: I w
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Thank you for the reply, Mr. M.
ex1)
A: Sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
B: Sitting at the back as we are, we can't hear a word.
ex2)
A: Wanting a credit card, I will apply for one.
B: Wanting a credit card as I do, I will apply for one.
Could you tell me what you think on B's? What is the point of adding the '
ex1)
A: Sitting at the back, we can't hear a word.
B: Sitting at the back as we are, we can't hear a word.
ex2)
A: Wanting a credit card, I will apply for one.
B: Wanting a credit card as I do, I will apply for one.
Could you tell me what you think on B's? What is the point of adding the '
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The point is as you have already quoted: 'to make the implicit subject and tense of a participial clause overtly known.'
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I needed confirmation on whether these sentences are used in the same way as the author described. Thank you for the help, Mr. M.
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