(Q) Gerund? or something else?

Question

"Earn money to fulfil the needs and desires of the politicians governing you."

what is "governing" in this case?

Is this sentence grammatically correct?

Shouldn't it be "... politicians, who are governing you?"

Grammarfreak · Accepted Answer

Anonymous"Earn money to fulfil the needs and desires of the politicians governing you."what is "governing" in this case?Is this sentence grammatically correct?Shouldn't it be "... politicians, who are governing you?"

I find the meaning of this sentence odd and incomplete. Did you write this ? Because of the unclear nature of the sentence, the meaning of 'governing' is rather obscure. Thought it appeared to be a participle modifying politician.

Cool Breeze · Answer

Anonymous"Earn money to fulfil the needs and desires of the politicians governing you."what is "governing" in this case?

Governing is a present participle. In Scandinavian grammar structures like this are called clause equivalents since the sentence could also read: Earn money to fulfil the needs of the politicians who/that are governing / govern you.

Another example of a relative clause equivalent:
The man walking in the park is Mr Smith. (= who is walking)

In the passive voice:
The letters written this morning have been posted/mailed. (= which/that were written)

CB

(Q) Gerund? or something else?

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