being the fact that VS is the fact that

[shoshanna]

Hello teachers!

I’m struggling with this “being” in the following sentence (source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fly-in-the-ointment):

I'm looking forward to Sunday, the only fly in the ointment being the fact that I'll have to sit next to my mother-in-law.

I’d like to know if itcan be replaced by another form of the verb ‘to be’ without any change in meaning, such as in the following:

I'm looking forward to Sunday, the only fly in the ointment is (/will be) the fact that I'll have to sit next to my mother-in-law.

Thanks a lot.

Shosh

 

[emsr2d2]

Welcome to the forum. :hi:

Both your suggested versions are possible if you replace the comma with a semi-colon.

 

[shoshanna]

Welcome to the forum. :hi:

Both your suggested versions are possible if you replace the comma with a semi-colon.

Hi emsr2d2 and thanks for the prompt reply!:-D

Could you please explain me why only the semi-colon can make my versions acceptable? Is it because using a semi-colon makes it an independent clause?

Still, I'm missing something here, maybe I don't understand the grammar value of being in the original sentence

..

 

[Tarheel]

Two things. One, in the original sentence(s) you have two independent clauses connected by a comma. Two, you can simplify the sentence thus:

I'm looking forward to Sunday. The only fly in the ointment is that I'll have to sit next to my mother-in-law.

 

[jutfrank]

It's ungrammatical to use a finite verb form (is) because that would create a comma splice. If you did that, you'd have two grammatically separate sentences.

In the the original sentence, the verb be is in the -ing form because the part after the comma is a present participle clause, making a single complex sentence.

 

[Tarheel]

Two things. One, in the original sentence(s) you have two independent clauses connected by a comma.

That describes a comma splice, Shoshana.