Are they simplified sentences?

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shabushabu

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Hi,

I read a dialogue below and don't understand some parts of it. Could you help me? Many thanks.

A: That seems like a good idea, but it won't solve the problem of Terry leaving. He's leaving because of family problems.
B: There isn't much you can do about him leaving then. But...

I dont understand why leaving is OK there. Are they some kind of simplified sentences?
 
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MikeNewYork

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Hi,

I read a dialogue below and don't understand some parts of it. Could you help me? Many thanks.

A: That seems like a good idea, but it won't solve the problem of Terry leaving. He's leaving because of family problems.
B: There isn't much you can do about him leaving then. But...

I dont understand why leaving is OK there. Are they some kind of simplified sentences?

In both cases, "leaving" is a participle which modifies the word preceding it.
 

shabushabu

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If I dont use the participles, what the possible sentences could be?
 
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MikeNewYork

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If I dont use the participles, what the possible sentences could be?

I don' understand the question. Who created the sentences with the participles?
 

shabushabu

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I don' understand the question. Who created the sentences with the participles?

Sorry I didn't make myself clear enough:

Do the participles come from these sentences?
"That seems like a good idea, but it won't solve the problem of Terry Who is leaving."
"There isn't much you can do about him who is leaving then."
 

SoothingDave

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No.

The problem is not Terry, it is his leaving.

My wife does not hate me.

She hates me snoring.
 

shabushabu

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I see. Can I say that:
"That seems like a good idea, but it won't solve the problem of Terry Whose leaving."
"There isn't much you can do about him whose leaving then."
 

SoothingDave

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No.

Why do you want to insert words?
 

MikeNewYork

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Sorry I didn't make myself clear enough:

Do the participles come from these sentences?
"That seems like a good idea, but it won't solve the problem of Terry Who is leaving."
"There isn't much you can do about him who is leaving then."

I agree with Dave. In the rewrites, the -ing words are no longer free participles, they are parts of a present continuous verb. You should Google present participles for more information.
 

Tdol

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I see. Can I say that:
"That seems like a good idea, but it won't solve the problem of Terry Whose leaving."
"There isn't much you can do about him whose leaving then."

No
 

MikeNewYork

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I see. Can I say that:
"That seems like a good idea, but it won't solve the problem of Terry Whose leaving."
"There isn't much you can do about him whose leaving then."

"Whose" is not a contraction for "Who is". The contraction is "who's".
 

shabushabu

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Because I know this sentence "When she walked out of the supermarket, Tina saw her friend." can be simplified as " Walking out of the supermarket, Tina saw her friend."
And this one " Because she was shocked by the news, Mary couldn't say a word." can be simplified as " Shocked by the news, Mary couldn't say a word."

I just want to know from which original sentences the participles come .
 

MikeNewYork

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Because I know this sentence "When she walked out of the supermarket, Tina saw her friend." can be simplified as " Walking out of the supermarket, Tina saw her friend."
And this one " Because she was shocked by the news, Mary couldn't say a word." can be simplified as " Shocked by the news, Mary couldn't say a word."

I just want to know what the original sentences the participles come from.

Those are just different ways of conveying the same meaning.
 

shabushabu

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I agree with Dave. In the rewrites, the -ing words are no longer free participles, they are parts of a present continuous verb. You should Google present participles for more information.

So, the so called free participles means you just put them after the nouns you want to define or identify and they don't necessaryly come from a clause, right?
 

MikeNewYork

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So, the so called free participles means you just put them after the nouns you want to define or identify and they don't necessaryly come from a clause, right?

A participle that is not part of a main verb can be used as a modifier. A free participle can introduce a participial phrase (not clause). A participle or phrase can follow the noun/pronoun it modifies, but it can be placed in other positions also.
 

shabushabu

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Yes. I see.

Do native speakers use the following way to convey the same meaning too?
"That seems like a good idea, but it won't solve the problem of Terry of his leaving."
"There isn't much you can do about him of his leaving then."
 

MikeNewYork

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Yes. I see.

Do native speakers use the following way to convey the same meaning too?
"That seems like a good idea, but it won't solve the problem of Terry of his leaving."
"There isn't much you can do about him of his leaving then."

No. Neither is correct.
 
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