Are these two sentences right in standard grammar?

The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam occured yesterday.
The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam occuring yesterday.
Are these two sentences right? If not, how to correct them? Thanks for your replies!8-)

The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam that/which occurred yesterday. :tick:
The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam occurring yesterday.

The second is acceptable.

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Originally Posted by roseriver1012

The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam that occurred yesterday.
The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam occuring yesterday. This sentence is incorrect. (When did the traffic jam occur? It occurred yesterday.)
Are these two sentences right? If not, how to correct them? Thanks for your replies!8-)

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Originally Posted by fivejedjon

The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam that/which occurred yesterday. :tick:
The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam occurring yesterday.

The second is acceptable.

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Fivejedjon, you can type faster than I can!!! :up:

Why is the second sentence acceptable?

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Originally Posted by fivejedjon

The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam that/which occurred yesterday. :tick:
The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam occurring yesterday.

The second is acceptable.

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The drunk driver is to blame for the traffic jam occurring yesterday.

Since the traffic jam occurred yesterday, why do we use the form of v.+ing as the attribute of "the traffic jam"?

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Originally Posted by amigos4

Fivejedjon, you can type faster than I can!!! :up:

Why is the second sentence acceptable?

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I want to know it, too! I've discussed the sentence with some teachers. Those who hold the opposite opinion gave me some other example sentences: Experts digging in eastern Canada thirty years ago found a village of houses just like those found in Greenland, Iceland and Norway. The meeting happening yesterday made a great decision. That made me think my previous idea was wrong.

Is the sentence right or not ?:?:

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Originally Posted by amigos4

Why is the second sentence acceptable?

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It's acceptable because it's commonly used and understood by native speakers who find nothing wrong with it.

Rover

The -ing participle, unfortunately known as the present participle, can be used in sentences referring to past or present time:

Closing the door firmly, he turned to face the man.

Not liking her very much, I don't spend time with her.

Roseriver, as your question was about The traffic jam occurring yesterday, that would have been a better thread title.

Rover

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The drunk driver is to blame for [the traffic jam occuring yesterday]. :tick:

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Explicitness in noun phrase postmodification may vary considerably.
From the most explicit to the most implicit:

- the traffic jam which was occuring yesterday -- finite non-reduced relative clause as postmodifier to "the traffic jam", to a noun phrase (NP)
- the traffic jam which was occuring yesterday -- tenseless -ing participle as postmodifier; WHIZ-deletion
- the traffic jam which is occuring now -- tenseless -ing participle as postmodifier; WHIZ-deletion
- the traffic jam which was occuring yesterday -- verbless clause as postmodifier