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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Use of Past Participles

I would like to ask whether we can use "being + past participle" in a adverbial clause which is put at the beginning of the sentence?

e.g. "Being punished by his form teacher,Peter could not play basketball with his friends in the recess."

Is the above sentence correct? Can it mean "Peter could not play basketball with his friends in the recess, because he was punished by his form teacher."?

Also, if the above sentence is correct, what is differnece from the following sentence?

"Punished by his form teacher, Peter could not play basketball with his friends in the recess."

Many thanks for your help.
  

Top answer

You can use it, though it is often awkward and therefore avoided. Being punished by his form teacher = he is now under punishment Punished by his form teacher = Under punishment now or in the past. This verb form has no tense.

— Mister Micawber

  • You can use it, though it is often awkward and therefore avoided.
  • Being punished by his form teacher = he is now under punishment Punished by his form teacher = Under punishment now or in the past.
  • This verb form has no tense.
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8 Answers
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You can use it, though it is often awkward and therefore avoided.

Being punished by his form teacher = he is now under punishment
Punished by his form teacher = Under punishment now or in the past. This verb form has no tense.
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Mister Micawber
Being punished by his form teacher = he is now under punishment

Punished by his form teacher = Under punishment now or in the past. This verb form has no tense.


Hi, MM

Why doesn't 'being' take the tense from the finite verb in the main clause? EG:

Being a doctor, George knew how to ha
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Because -ing is a present participle but nonfinite, its contextual tense is ambiguous.

Being a doctor, George knew how to handle the situation-- Being now or then a doctor....
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Mister MicawberBecause -ing is a present participle but nonfinite

Yes, I know that much, but all ing nonfinite verbs normally take the tense from the finite verb...

I'm sorry, but I'm not quite sure I understand. Could you please try once more? What's different about this ing clause that it doesn't take its tense from the main clause?
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Being a doctor, George knew how to handle the situation-- Being now or then a doctor. The speaker can easily be thinking and speaking of George as a doctor now, even though his activity happened in the past: that's all I am saying.
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Thanks, so you are saying that 'being' is an exception, because it is contextually ambiguous: Is he a doctor now or then.

But do other ing verbs take the tense from the main verb?
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I've never checked. 'Being' may be exeptional-- but then what about other linking verbs? Anyway, we may be out of the realm of grammar. I can see that -ing is normally going to relate to the time of the main clause.
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OK, thanks. I think I understand now.

Walking along the path, I saw a bird. =ing clause past

Walking a long the path, I'm seeing a bird. =ing clause present

Being a Teacher, I taught the kids maths in no time. =present

Being a Teacher, I'm teaching the kids maths in no time. =present
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