Prep Phrase -BY

Question

The state's attorney general accused the bank of engaging in deceptive business practices by failing to honor its promise to its customers to keep records private.

Is above sentence all right ? I am sort of confused...by failing is a prepositional phrase ,hence should modify the subject or the verb "accused"... But I guess neither makes any sense? Am i missing sth?

Please help me out..

Avangi · Accepted Answer

pokhThe state's attorney general accused the bank of engaging in deceptive business practices by failing to honor its promise to its customers to keep records private.

The sentence is correct.

accused the bank of engaging in etc.

by failing

"By failing" modifies "engaging."

I think the thing that's special here is that while the gerund "engaging" is object of the preposition, it's also a verbal, so can be modified by another action word (gerund.)

You wouldn't say "accused the bank of fraud by failing etc." ("Fraud" is not a verbal.)

You're doing X by doing Y.

They accused him of wasting money by helping her. Both gerunds are objects of the preposition. One modifies the other.

Anyway, in your sentence, "of engaging" modifies "accused." And "by failing" modifies "engaging."

You could use two non-verbal nouns in a row: They accused him of murder by strangulation.

But a noun followed by a gerund wouldn't work: ~~They accused him of murder by strangling her.~~

A gerund followed by a noun is okay: They accused him of murdering her by strangulation.

And of course two gerunds are okay: They accused him of murdering her by strangling her. (Poor lady.)

Prep Phrase -BY

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