[Grammar] Being, that, and which

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mrmvp

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Which of the following is correct?

1-The company being famous in soft drinks for three decades is about to halt its production.

2-The company that is famous in soft drinks for three decades is about to halt its production.

3-The company which is famous in soft drinks for three decades is about to halt its production.

4-The company famous in soft drinks for three decades is about to halt its production.

Can I use subject as person followed by "being"? Such as the following sentence. Is it correct?

Sam being the the school principal for ten years is to retire next month.
 
J

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Actually, none of them are correct. I will set aside the fact that the definite article is not correct in these stand-alone examples, as I assume this is how they were presented to you. All of your examples need some punctuation, but thinking of just the words:

1. Which one(s) do you like?
2. If you think more than one could be okay grammatically, which one(s) are not grammatically correct?
3. How would you correct them?
 

mrmvp

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I think number three is incorrect because the clause is a restrictive that requires "that", not "which"

In regard to sentence four, I think verb to be should be used before the adjective "famous".
 
J

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#4 is the only one correct as written, though it needs some punctuation. The verb before famous in #4 is understood. Do you know what it is?

Hint #1: Nos. 1-3 are wrong.

Hint #2: What is the time frame of the company 'being famous'?
 
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Tarheel

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... is about to halt its production.

Do know what the "obvious" question is?

Perhaps:

Pepsi Cola, a well-known soft drink manufacturer, is about to halt its production of soft drinks. (They are going out of business.)
 

emsr2d2

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I don't think you've really grasped the use of "being" in such constructions. If you use it, there needs to be a clear connection between the "being" part and whatever comes at the end of the sentence. I would, as I think I said in a previous thread, enclose the "being" section in commas.

1. Coca-Cola, being the market leader in soft drinks, can pretty much set its own prices.
2. My boss, being one of the founders of the company, gets to make all the major decisions.

In sentence 1, the meaning is that Coca-Cola can set the prices specifically because it is the market leader.
In sentence 2, the boss gets to make all the major decisions specifically because he is one of the founders of the company.
 

GoesStation

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"Being" isn't a substitute for "which is", although it encompasses that meaning. Sentence 1 above could be rephrased:
  • As the market leader in soft drinks, Coca-Cola can pretty much set its own prices
  • Coca-Cola, which is indisputably the market leader in soft drinks, can pretty much set its own prices
 
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Tarheel

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Okay, I'll bite. What is the obvious question?

J&K, you are not a learner, so that question wasn't meant for you. Also, there's a reason I put that phrase in quotes. (Hint: the question is answered in the same post.)
:)
 

mrmvp

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#4 is the only one correct as written, though it needs some punctuation. The verb before famous in #4 is understood. Do you know what it is?

Hint #1: Nos. 1-3 are wrong.


Hint #2: What is the time frame of the company 'being famous'?



I think it is verb to be.


Will you please explain why number 1 and 3 are wrong?

I guess "present perfect" . What I wanted to say that the company has been famous in soft drinks for three decades is about to halt its production.
 
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mrmvp

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I don't think you've really grasped the use of "being" in such constructions. If you use it, there needs to be a clear connection between the "being" part and whatever comes at the end of the sentence. I would, as I think I said in a previous thread, enclose the "being" section in commas.

1. Coca-Cola, being the market leader in soft drinks, can pretty much set its own prices.
2. My boss, being one of the founders of the company, gets to make all the major decisions.

In sentence 1, the meaning is that Coca-Cola can set the prices specifically because it is the market leader.
In sentence 2, the boss gets to make all the major decisions specifically because he is one of the founders of the company.


There are two things that puzzled me.

First, what is the difference between "being", which, and that" when using commas.

For example

1-Coca-Cola, being market leader in soft drinks, can pretty much set its own prices.

2-Coca-Cola, the market leader in soft drinks, can pretty much set its own prices.

3- Coca-Cola, which is the market leader in soft drinks, can pretty much set its own prices.

4- Coca-Cola, that is the market leader in soft drinks, can pretty much set its own prices. ( I think it is incorrect because it is nonessential clause.)

I think number one and two are correct.

What is the tense of "being"?


====

Second.

How to use "being" as a gerund without commas.

Such as this sentence

(the name of the books) being the course books publisher establishes the fact that the course books have been written and approved by internationally acclaimed writers. This sentence is taken from my previous thread.

What is the tense of "being" in the above sentence?

Why can we not use commas?

What does "being" mean?
 
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I think it is verb to be.


Will you please explain why number 1 and 3 are wrong?

I guess "present perfect" . What I wanted to say that the company has been famous in soft drinks for three decades is about to halt its production.
1. I was hoping you would write the sentence with the understood verb written in its correct form.
2. 1-3 means numbers one through three. Post #7 explains one reason why #1 is wrong. Numbers 2 and 3 have the wrong form of to be.
3. Pretty good. The company, which has been famous in soft drinks for three decades, is about to halt its production. Note the addition of the commas.

A key element of choosing the right verb form for this sentence is the inclusion of the time reference of the three decades. The examples in post #7 do not include that past reference.
 

mrmvp

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When to use being as gerund without commas such as my post #11

What is it tense?

These are the three sentences with correction.

1-The company, being famous in soft drinks for three decades, is about to halt its production.


2-The company, that has been famous in soft drinks for three decades, is about to halt its production. Can "that" used with nonessential clause such as sentence number two?

3-The company, which has been famous in soft drinks for three decades, is about to halt its production.


Thank you. I wish I can click "thank" and "like" more than one
:up:
 
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Tarheel

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People can be famous. However, I have never seen a company referred to as famous except on this forum.
:-|
 

jutfrank

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When to use being as gerund without commas such as my post #11

I don't think you're ready for that question yet.

What is it tense?

It does not have tense.

Can "that" used with nonessential clause such as sentence number two?

The best answer is no. That is, we teach learners not to do it.
 
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mrmvp

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People can be famous. However, I have never seen a company referred to as famous except on this forum.
:-|

You should google "famous companies" and see the results.
 

mrmvp

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jutfrank

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If you give me an example, I will follow suit and write some examples.

Okay. I'll try to keep things simple.

Look at emsr2d2's sentence here:

1. Coca-Cola, being the market leader in soft drinks, can pretty much set its own prices.

Now, let's change the position of the first two parts of the sentence:

Being the market leader in soft drinks, Coca Cola can pretty much set its own prices.

You can see now that this new sentence has only two parts instead of three. The meaning is the same but the sentence is simpler in structure. The comma is important to help make clear the logical relation between the two clauses, which is one of 'because'-ness or 'since'-ness.

Here are two more ways to say the same thing:

Since Coca Cola is the market leader in soft drinks, it can pretty much set its own prices.

Coca Cola can pretty much set its own prices since it is the market leader in soft drinks.

That's all fairly complicated because the sentences above are complex. There is a much simpler and commoner way to use being at the beginning of a sentence, which is when the -ing phrase is a gerund, functioning as the subject of the main verb in a sentence. Here is an example:

Being an English teacher can be challenging.

Unlike in the Coca Cola sentence, the highlighted -ing phrase is the subject in the sentence.

Now you may go ahead and attempt to construct one or two sentences of your own. If you try to make a complex one, remember to include the logical relation between clauses.
 
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mrmvp

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Thank you so much.

Being here is similar in meaning to "since" or "because".

1-Being a rich man, it does not mean I am happy.

2-Since I am a rich man, it does not mean I am happy.

3-I can drive a lorry, because I passed the driving test.

4-Being invited to Sam's wedding, I will come early.




In the following sentence, "being" doesn't come first as a subject or in the beginning of the second clause
(after comma)

Will you please explain the following sentence?


(The name of the books) being the course books publisher establishes the fact that the course books have been written and approved by internationally acclaimed writers. This sentence is taken from my previous thread.

Thank you.
 
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