You were right about the hotel being too crowded.

Question

Hello All,I just want to know why in the following sentence, the Longman Dictionary used 'being' ?!"right about:You were right about the hotel being too crowded."Source:http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/right_1

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Mickey Mouse 8241I just want to know why in the following sentence, the Longman Dictionary used 'being' ?

It's in a non-finite clause.

*You were right about the hotel was too crowded is not possible in English. You can't put a finite clause after a preposition (about). Any form of be becomes being in these cases, creating what is called a non-finite clause.

An alternate analysis calls this a gerund clause, but the final result is the same.

If you want to use a lot more words, you can say You were right about the fact that the hotel was too crowded, but that's not typically how we native speakers say it.

Here are some others. The prepositions are underlined.

He is wrong about the fact that the sweater is too expensive.
> more often said as
He's wrong about the sweater being too expensive.

No one objects to the fact that the car will be fixed on Tuesday.
> more often said as
No one objects to the car being fixed on Tuesday.

CJ

Mickey Mouse 8241 · Answer

Many thanks. Could you please tell me what was the original sentences?! And you meant it was the reduced adjective clause.?!

CalifJim · Answer

Mickey Mouse 8241Could you please tell me what ~~was~~ were the original sentences?

I have no idea which sentences you wish to see. Which "original" sentences?

Mickey Mouse 8241And you meant it was the reduced adjective ~~clause.?!~~ clause? [Only one punctuation mark is permitted.]

I don't think I meant anything about a reduced clause or an adjective clause. No.

The clauses with "being" that I showed you can be described as gerundive clauses, which are a sort of noun clause.

CJ

Mickey Mouse 8241 · Answer

Thanks teacher. I got it. It is very kind of you if you introduce the source for getting more information about gerundive clauses. it was firs time that I hear about it.I want to study m,ore about such grammar.
Thanks in advance.

CalifJim · Answer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerund#.22Gerund.22_clauses_with_a_specified_subject

https://www.google.com/#q=gerundive+clauses

CJ

Mickey Mouse 8241 · Answer

Hello Teacher,
I 'have finally found out what such a grammatical rule is. It is called "possessive gerund " that is what I wanted to know.
I found also that we can use the sentence as follow:
Formal :You were right about the (its)/hotel 's being too crowded.
Informal:You were right about the hotel(it) being too crowded.

Thanks again for giving me the clue to find much more about it .

Source:
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/2625/when-is-a-gerund-supposed-to-be-preceded-by-a-possessive-adjective-determiner
http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2guides/guides/wrtps/index-eng.html?lang=eng&lettr=indx_catlog_p&page=90SDm90b7Xlw.html
http://www.getitwriteonline.com/arch...asegerunds.htm

You were right about the hotel being too crowded.

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