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non-finite problem

English translation: A student who asks

16:25 Dec 17, 2005
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics / non-finite
English term or phrase: non-finite problem
Dear native speakers,

Is such a sentence linguistically correct when used as a relative clause:
This was a new audience having been atracted to a concert hall by CD recordings and I valued the experience of being a part of it.

" having been atracted" or "attracted"? Which is the best choice and can you please tell me the reason why one is a priority over the orher?

"A student having asked such questions is very eager to learn." = A student who had asked such questions is very eager to learn"

are they equally correct? As far as I know non-finite clauses are not used as post modifiers
tennure
Selected answer:A student who asks
Explanation:
If you are writing in the present tense or making generalities...students who are tall are smarter (that's a joke:-)

my advice is to stay in the present tense unless all events have happened in the past.

This is a new audience, attracted to the concert after hearing CDs. (this is a new audience that was attracted to) I value the experience and enjoyed being a part of it.

A student who asks such questions is
Selected response from:

RHELLER
United States
Local time: 21:12
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +11A student who asks
RHELLER
3 +4attracted - asked
Peter Shortall


  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +11
A student who asks


Explanation:
If you are writing in the present tense or making generalities...students who are tall are smarter (that's a joke:-)

my advice is to stay in the present tense unless all events have happened in the past.

This is a new audience, attracted to the concert after hearing CDs. (this is a new audience that was attracted to) I value the experience and enjoyed being a part of it.

A student who asks such questions is

RHELLER
United States
Local time: 21:12
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 59
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Andrey Belousov (X)
6 mins
  -> hey drey :-)
agree  flipendo
12 mins
  -> thanks Flipendo :-)
agree  Romanian Translator (X)
17 mins
  -> thanks Awana :-)
agree  Rebecca Barath
21 mins
  -> thanks, Becky :-)
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
27 mins
  -> thanks Marju :-)
agree  Dave Calderhead
1 hr
  -> Hi Dave !
agree  Jo Macdonald
1 hr
  -> thanks, Jo!
agree  Charlesp
4 hrs
  -> thanks, Charles :-)
agree  Yvette Neisser Moreno: Both options (asks or asked) can be correct depending on the context. Rita's explanation of the grammar is on target.
5 hrs
  -> thanks, Yvette :-)
agree  Yi-Hua Shih: If in the first sentence, the pronoun is That instead of This, can we say such a sentence is more likely refering to a past tense event? TIA! (I mean, This might relate to a recent or now event, while That might be refering to a long-ago event?)
21 hrs
agree  Rajan Chopra
9 days
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

46 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
attracted - asked


Explanation:
I would not use "having" in either of those sentences because "having done" an action means that it is completed before something else is commenced, and there must be a second action in the same sentence which is done afterwards. In the first example, "an audience... having been attracted" makes little sense because the audience hasn't done anything else - it has only carried out one action, not two, so "having been attracted" should not be used. In the second example, "a student having asked..." means that the student becomes eager to learn only after asking the questions ("having asked" must be completed BEFORE he/she can be eager) so again, it should not be used. Don't ask me what the relevant grammatical terms are, though!! :)

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Note added at 1 day 1 hr 55 mins (2005-12-18 18:21:29 GMT)
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Another thing to remember is that with the "having done" construction, the subject for both verbs must be the same. Nowadays there is a tendency for people to be sloppy about that and begin mixing subjects and clauses, e.g.

"The Prime Minister went on a state visit to Thailand. Having got off the plane, a delegation of dignitaries met him at the airport."

Here what is (presumably) meant is that the Prime Minister gets off the plane, but the second sentence actually means that the dignitaries got off the planes since they are the only subject! This, I am reliably informed by a grammarian friend of mine, is an example of an "unfused participle" and it really annoys me when people do that! :)

Peter Shortall
United Kingdom
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  RHELLER: having in these examples is incorrect
1 hr
  -> thanks!
agree  Yvette Neisser Moreno
6 hrs
  -> thanks!
agree  Brie Vernier
19 hrs
  -> thanks!
agree  Yi-Hua Shih
22 hrs
  -> thanks!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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