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Park sang joon Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Wolves (being) a predator, we have tamed ones.

1. Wolves (being) a predator, we have tamed ones.
<An participle phrase Formula for the nominal complement #1 : A subject + a nominal complement>

I'd dearly love to know whether I can write such a participle phrase as #1.
Thank you, in advance, for your help.
  

Top answer

This is a disaster of a sentence. You have switched from plural wolves to singular predator and back to awkwardly plural ones . You have made it appear as if the taming of a wolf or wolves was the consequence of wolves being predators.

— Fivejedjon

  • This is a disaster of a sentence.
  • You have switched from plural wolves to singular predator and back to awkwardly plural ones .
  • You have made it appear as if the taming of a wolf or wolves was the consequence of wolves being predators.
  • This is highly unlikely.
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5 Answers
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This is a disaster of a sentence.

You have switched from plural wolves to singular predator and back to awkwardly plural ones.
You have made it appear as if the taming of a wolf or wolves was the consequence of wolves being predators. This is highly unlikely.
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Here, "wolves" indicates a species, or I intended to do so.
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OK, but don't switch number.

Wolves are predators.
The wolf is a predator.
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Are you sure being is optional there?

If I must keep the mixed form, I myself might write that one as:
Wolves being "a predator", we have tamed ones.
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SurferIf I must keep the mixed form
Please don't.
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