Korean Job Discussion Forums

Eedoryeong · Joined: 10 Dec 2007 Location: Jeju

Help, please!

"Sometimes it's good to remember how lucky one is, having avoided bad experiences other people have with other schools here."

1. What is the name of the function that 'having' has in this sentence? It's not a transition word so what is it? The closest I could get was a dependent or adjective clause marker but those aren't it.

2. Anybody know the Korean equivalent function to this, assuming one exists?

Many thanks for helpful replies only, please.

Eedoryeong · Joined: 10 Dec 2007 Location: Jeju

bumpity-bump

yawarakaijin · Joined: 08 Aug 2006

It's a tricky one. With my limited knowledge of metalanguage I would have to go with it being a reduced adjective clause. It seems to be describing the person in question, that he/she had avoided the problems others haven't.

I think however, in adjective clauses, the adjective clause and the noun it is describing usually have a "stronger," more "direct" connection.

Perhaps its a reduced adverb clause? I always get confused when the verb is "BE" Is the sentence describing him or how he is?
I definitely think having the verb "is" just before the structure in question is playing tricks with us here.

Perhaps a bit of an elliptical clause as well, leaving out certain words for form while still maintaining comprehension.

An elliptical reduced adjective clause? LOL. Man, that would be a fun class. Wink

zpeanut · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Location: Pohang, Korea

sorry, can't help you.

I just wonder though.. what kind of class are you teaching?

I really wouldn't look forward to classes with students who ask these kinds of questions..

jkelly80 · Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Location: you boys like mexico?

My first instinct was to call it an ellipted clause as well, but for the life of my I can't figure out why.

aka Dave · Joined: 02 May 2008 Location: Down by the river

I okay I learned my grammar in French, not English, so no expert.

But in the sentence having is an auxillary to avoided in gerund form. One has avoided bad experiences, up to now. (I think).

I would change the sentence by the way, as the "having avoided" means he's done this to the present.

So one is the state of "having avoided the past experiences others HAVE had" I think would be more appropriate. The implication being that others had the bad experiences before "one" and "one" managed to avoid them.

If you want to keep the verb with others as "have" you could change the clause to

"having avoided the past experiences others typically have in..."

Or a bit shakier but maybe okay:

"having avoided the past experiences others are having in..."

Which implies that the bad experiences of others are typical and ongoing.

I don't know if this makes any sense, just writing by ear. The central weakness of Koreans' essay writing is general vagueness (they often lose their subject, misplace their verb, and throw their object out the window). This sentence is a little vague and I don't think it'd be a good model sentence. Matter of taste though.

rocklee · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul

aka Dave · Joined: 02 May 2008 Location: Down by the river

Okay, I dropped a o in lose, I'll cop to that.

But this: "Looks like a word used transitively (supportive clause?) , like an example?"

Okay, WTF does this sentence even mean? You wouldn't say a word used transitively, you would say a transitive verb. Because only a verb can be transitive.

Then (supportive clause?) well it's an additional clause, but what does that have to do with supporting anything? The second clause (having avoided bad experiences...") is an additional clause, it doesn't support anyting thing partculaly in the first clause.

It's just piss poor prose, as is the last part of your sentence, "like an example". An example of what for ffs? Be specific! Define your terms! Know your subjects/verbs/objects!

rocklee · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul

Well geez don't get so defensive just because I pointed out a common spelling mistake, I just thought it was funny after all that you wrote. Seriously grow up.

My original sentence was "Looks like a word used transitively, like an example?", as in the second part of the sentence was used to support the main idea.

"Sometimes it's good to remember how lucky (the subject) is"

Why?

"(The subject) avoided bad experiences other people have had with other schools."

All I did was throw in some ideas while typing on a smartphone.

In any case, your examples are even less effective in answering the OP's query. Stick to French.