using ing form after commoa

Question

Hello All,I have a question of the using 'ING' form in the following context.Is the context after 'comma' used as  an adjective clause?!When we can use  such grammar in our writing?!I plan my trips very carefully for at least three months before before I leave, reading about the places I am going to visit on the Internet and in books.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Clauses with participles (present and past) are often used to modify nouns. They are not full clauses because they do not contain a fully inflected verb, so they do not have "tense." The "tense" is taken for the context of the main sentence.

The clause in your example modifies the subject of the main sentence, It can be placed either at the beginning or end of the sentence. When placing these clauses at the beginning, make sure that they describe the subject. When put in other places in the sentence, make sure that they describe the preceding noun. Otherwise you will make a grammatical error called a "misplaced modifier."

Here are some "misplaced modifier" examples.
Barking loudly at my neighbor's poodle, I jerked on my dog's leash and scolded him.
She handed out brownies to the children stored in plastic containers.
I smelled the oysters coming down the stairs for dinner.

Mickey Mouse 8241 · Answer

Thanks for your reply and explanations.
Could you please write me more about what the
original form of my sentence was after ","?
I am so familiar with clause and each type of them.
But this example dosen't make sense to me at all.
I mean, it would be more helpful for me to show in example than in theory way only.
Thanks in advance.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

I plan my trips very carefully for at least three months before before I leave, reading about the places I am going to visit on the Internet and in books.

In traditional English grammar, the underlined is a participle phrase. The head word is a present participle.
In modern English grammar, it is called a reduced, or non-finite clause. The verb in this clause is not a full verb, but a participle.

The clause modifies "I"

Other examples:

Mark came into the room, bringing his brother with him.
The cat sits in the window, licking her fur.
Jane will come home from school, laughing and joking with her friends.
The children got on the bus, waving their hands at the people.

All these clauses describe the subject. The clauses can be in other positions in the sentence.

Mark, bringing his brother with him, came into the room.
Licking her fur, the cat sits in the window.
Laughing and joking with her friends, Jane will come home from school.
The children, waving their hands at the people, got on the bus,

Anonymous · Answer

The sentence: "Mariah risked petting the pit bull wagging its stub tail." means: "Mariah risked petting the pit bull, which was wagging its stub tail", correct?

So the sentence: "I don't know the man eating the expensive lobster" = "I don't know the man, who is eating the expensive lobster"

Because the participle refers directly to the preceding word, we don't need any commas?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

AnonymousThe sentence: "Mariah risked petting the pit bull wagging its stub tail." means: "Mariah risked petting the pit bull, which was wagging its stub tail", correct?So the sentence: "I don't know the man eating the expensive lobster" = "I don't know the man, who is eating the expensive lobster"Because the participle refers directly to the preceding word, we don't need any commas?

The examples that you have here are different than in your first post. These clauses are called relative clauses. The relative clause starts with a relative pronoun and cannot be moved into different positions in a sentence. It must directly follow the noun that it modifies.

There are specific rules when the pronoun (and helping verb) can be omitted and when they cannot.

Your first sentence
"Mariah risked petting the pit bull that was wagging its stub tail."

The relative pronoun and helping verb cannot be omitted. (Non-defining clause.)

Your second sentence:
"I don't know the man who is eating the expensive lobster."

The relative pronoun and helping verb can be omitted. Putting a comma in the place of the omitted words is incorrect.
"I don't know the man eating the expensive lobster."

When in doubt, do not omit the relative pronoun and helping verb. It is never incorrect to leave them in.

The rules are a bit complex, but you can read more here: http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/rules/relative.htm

I copied the part of the page with the rules.

Note: You cannot omit the relative pronoun a.) if it starts a non-defining relative clause, or, b.) if it is the subject of a defining relative clause.

CalifJim · Answer

AlpheccaStars"Mariah risked petting the pit bull that was wagging its stub tail." The relative pronoun and helping verb cannot be omitted. (Non-defining clause.)

Oops. I think you meant defining, right?

Defining relative clause. You can't omit "that" alone as it's the subject of the relative clause, but you can reduce the clause by omitting both "that" and "was".

CJ

AlpheccaStars · Answer

CalifJimOops. I think you meant defining, right?

It did not seem to me to be a defining clause. But there is a lot of subjectivity in that.

CalifJim · Answer

AlpheccaStarsIt did not seem to me to be a defining clause.

Hmm. I'd say it's pretty clear. "that" can be used as a relative pronoun for defining clauses, but not for non-defining clauses. A comma is not used to set off a defining clause, but it always sets off a non-defining clause. That's why I thought you had made a slip of the pen.

Defining (restrictive): Though Beethoven was deaf, he wrote symphonies that/which surprised everyone.
Non-defining (non-restrictive): Though Beethoven was deaf, he wrote symphonies, which surprised everyone. ('that' not possible)

Clever "misplaced modifier" examples, though!

CJ

AlpheccaStars · Answer

CalifJimHmm. I'd say it's pretty clear. "that" can be used as a relative pronoun for defining clauses, but not for non-defining clauses. A comma is not used to set off

I hadn't even mentioned the 'that versus which' complication.

Mickey Mouse 8241 · Answer

Hello Teacher,
Most of for your reply and more precise explanation.

For example, Do the following consider to be right form of clause before it was reduced?
-> I , was reading about the places I am going to visit on the Internet and in books, plan my trips very carefully for at least three months before I leave.

Thanks.

using ing form after commoa

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