[Grammar] when is being used

[tianhang]

My dear teachers, your help is needed here.
Sentenced to death, he felt very sad.
Being sentenced to death, he felt very sad.
Are both of them right sentences? If so, is there any difference? And when being is used? As far as I know, we often don't use being in front of the ed-form used as adverbial.
Thanks a lot! :-?

 

[bhaisahab]

My dear teachers, your help is needed here.
Sentenced to death, he felt very sad.
Being sentenced to death, he felt very sad.
Are both of them right sentences? If so, is there any difference? And when being is used? As far as I know, we often don't use being in front of the ed-form used as adverbial.
Thanks a lot! :-?

Neither is very natural, "Having been sentenced..." is better.

 

[tianhang]

Thanks a lot! I can undrstand what you mean, but I am not clear when being can be used, because I often come across sentences with such structure in my textbooks.
eg,
1. Being badly wounded, the whale soon died.
2. Being protected by a thick wall, they felt they were quite safe.
3. Being asked to give a performance, she couldn't very well refuse.
4. Being held up in the water by Old Tom, James was confident he would survive.
5. Being help out by the killer whales, the whalers were able to make a successful kill.
Futher explanation is appreciated here.

 

[tianhang]

I am waiting for your help, because I am so confused. Thanks a lot!

 

[bhaisahab]

Thanks a lot! I can undrstand what you mean, but I am not clear when being can be used, because I often come across sentences with such structure in my textbooks.
eg,
1. Being badly wounded, the whale soon died.
2. Being protected by a thick wall, they felt they were quite safe.
3. Being asked to give a performance, she couldn't very well refuse.
4. Being held up in the water by Old Tom, James was confident he would survive.
5. Being help out by the killer whales, the whalers were able to make a successful kill.
Futher explanation is appreciated here.

Yes, the structure is correct, you will find it in textbooks and in literature. It's not natural in everyday speech or writing.

 

[tianhang]

Thank you very much! As a native speaker, you can tell what is natural and what is unnatural. But as English learners, we want to know what is behind the structures. If we cross the beings in the following sentences, they are natural sentences as well. So I want to know what the difference is between the sentence with being and the one without.
1. Being badly wounded, the whale soon died.
Badly wounded, the whale soon died.
2. Being protected by a thick wall, they felt they were quite safe.
Protected by a thick wall, they felt they were quite safe.
3. Being asked to give a performance, she couldn't very well refuse.
Asked to give a performance, she couldnit very well refuse.
4. Being held up in the water by Old Tom, James was confident he would survive.
Held up in the water by Old Tom, James was ...
5. Being helped out by the killer whales, the whalers were able to make a successful kill.
Helped out by the killer whales, the whalers ...
Thanks for your patience!

 

[marmoset]

*I am an assistant ESL teacher

I believe that there is no difference in meaning in any of those pairs of sentences. I think it is just a difference in style, chosen by the writer.

 

[henz988]

Thank you very much! As a native speaker, you can tell what is natural and what is unnatural. But as English learners, we want to know what is behind the structures. If we cross the beings in the following sentences, they are natural sentences as well. So I want to know what the difference is between the sentence with being and the one without.
1. Being badly wounded, the whale soon died.
Badly wounded, the whale soon died.
2. Being protected by a thick wall, they felt they were quite safe.
Protected by a thick wall, they felt they were quite safe.
3. Being asked to give a performance, she couldn't very well refuse.
Asked to give a performance, she couldnit very well refuse.
4. Being held up in the water by Old Tom, James was confident he would survive.
Held up in the water by Old Tom, James was ...
5. Being helped out by the killer whales, the whalers were able to make a successful kill.
Helped out by the killer whales, the whalers ...
Thanks for your patience!

Take the first for example, I think "Badly wounded" is at least short and succinct compared with "Being badly wounded". Having said that, I don't think "being + P.P" would always do when it acts as adverbial.

 

[tianhang]

Thanks a lot! In some sense, I have a better understanding now. Of course, different explanations are appreciated here.:up:

 

[Bide]

Sentenced to death, he felt very sad. 'Sentenced to death' is an asolute phrase here, used as an adjective to describe 'he'. The actual sentence is 'He felt very sad'

Being sentenced to death, he felt very sad. The same here: 'Being sentenced to death' is an absolute phrase, used as an adjective to describe 'he'. The sentence is a contraction of: He was sentenced to death. He felt very sad.

Compare this with a more easily identifiable adjective: He was lonely. He felt sad. Take the adjective and use it as an absolute phrase: --> Lonely, he felt sad. --> Being lonely, he felt sad. --> He, being lonely, felt sad.

There is no difference in the meaning between: 'Sentenced to death, he felt very sad.' and
'Being sentenced to death, he felt very sad.'. The adjectival absolute phrase is just a bit longer in the latter.

明白？

 

[youandcorey]

Essentially your comparisons have the same meanings.

1. Being sentenced to death, he felt very sad.

2. Sentenced to death, he felt very sad.

However in #1, I feel the emphasis shifts from the actual sentence of the verdict to the judgment process of the verdict.

 

[tianhang]

非常明白。 谢谢！

 

[henz988]

1. Being built in 1900, the bridge still looks new.
2. Built in 1900, the bridge still looks new.

I won't use 1#, simply because it may sound something like the bridge is still in the process of being built.:-D

3. Being built, the shop has begun to start its business.

This sentence can also be understood in two ways: It has been built or It is being built. Would a half-built shop start its business? I must have seen such kind thing. Even if in this case, I think the sentence is still awful.


JUST FYI