Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

posen · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 12

Hi,

I came across a sentence like this "Though retired from boxing, Ali's fame is as strong as ever."

Is the sentence right?

Does the subject in the participial phrase refer to "Ali"? If so, it is not the same as that in the main clause. Why does the participial phrase omit the subject?

Can I change the sentence into "Though Ali has been retired from boxing, his fame is as strong as ever." or "Though Ali retired from boxing, his fame is as strong as ever."?

Thanks a lot.

myprofe · Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 9:50 pm Post subject: no subject

Though not considred an expert in English grammar, I can assure you that the sentence is correct and all your variations would also be correct.
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CP · Joined: 12 Jun 2006 Posts: 2875 Location: California

I believe the phrase is supposed to refer to (modify) Ali, but the way it is written, it refers to (modifies) Ali's fame instead.

It would be better as:

"Although Ali is retired from boxing, his fame is as great as ever."

"Although retired from boxing, Ali is as famous as ever."
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