"being V-ed" or "V-ed"

bordery · Post by **bordery** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:36 am

Hi, everyone! I've a question that I cannot give an answer to my students.
Can you help me ? Thank you very much!
In the following two sentences which expressions given in the blanks are suitable to complete the sentences:
1. Ford tried dividing the labor, each worker _________ (assigned,
being assigned) a separate task.
2. John Smith, ________ (being rejected, rejected) by two companies,
is planning to have a third try.

jotham · Post by **jotham** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 3:13 am

"John Smith, rejected by two companies..." seems plausible.
How about "John Smith, having been rejected by two companies..."?

lolwhites · Post by **lolwhites** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 7:47 am

Agree with Jotham about sentence 2. In 1, I think both are possible, though being assigned sounds better as it sits with dividing earlier on in the sentence.

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 7:52 am

To me, all these are possible:

John Smith, (after) being rejected, by two companies,
is planning to have a third try.
John Smith, rejected by two companies,
is planning to have a third try.
John Smith, suffering rejection from two companies,
is planning to have a third try.

jotham · Post by **jotham** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:11 am

metal56 wrote:To me, all these are possible:

John Smith, suffering rejection from two companies,
is planning to have a third try.

This one sounds more intense, like we're really feeling his pain.

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:55 am

jotham wrote:
metal56 wrote:To me, all these are possible:

John Smith, suffering rejection from two companies,
is planning to have a third try.
This one sounds more intense, like we're really feeling his pain.

The meaning of suffering is not limited, IMO. Would you prefer the synonym "underwent"?

jotham · Post by **jotham** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:59 am

I agree. In some contexts, there's no question, like suffering defeat. But when you have a noun that implies suffering, like depression or rejection, it just sounds too close to suffering from rejection, and might throw some people off.

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:25 am

jotham wrote:I agree. In some contexts, there's no question, like suffering defeat. But when you have a noun that implies suffering, like depression or rejection, it just sounds too close to suffering from rejection, and might throw some people off.

It exists, I use it. See any difference between these'

suffering rejection
suffering from rejection

How about suffer death? Like it?

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:30 am

Just for Jotham, I'll change it to:

John Smith, experiencing/receiving/getting/encountering rejection from two companies, is planning to have a third try.

Hope he's happy now, ie. Jotham and not JS.

lolwhites · Post by **lolwhites** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:53 pm

How about suffer death? Like it?

Hmmm. Can you suffer death? I thought the moment of death was the end of suffering?

nitpick over

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 1:52 pm

lolwhites wrote:
How about suffer death? Like it?
Hmmm. Can you suffer death? I thought the moment of death was the end of suffering?

nitpick over

Don't tell me that you also have caught the monosemous flu!

You shall suffer death from hanging.

In defence of an ideal she would quite probably be willing to suffer death,
and she didn't discard ideals easily.

If you or any member of your family suffer death, bodily injury or illness arising from negligence of our suppliers...

the Messiah is to suffer death and to rise from the dead on the third day,

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 1:55 pm

I thought the moment of death was the end of suffering?

Now where did you hear that?

God owns us so we must obey Him for His pleasure or we will suffer Eternal-Damnation in Hell.

jotham · Post by **jotham** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:26 pm

lolwhites wrote:
How about suffer death? Like it?
Hmmm. Can you suffer death? I thought the moment of death was the end of suffering?

Nah, a cat can suffer nine deaths...and I mean that both ways.

metal56 · Post by **metal56** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:29 pm

jotham wrote:
lolwhites wrote:
How about suffer death? Like it?
Hmmm. Can you suffer death? I thought the moment of death was the end of suffering?
Nah, a cat can suffer nine deaths...and I mean that both ways.

And this thread is suffering overkill.

Miss Elenious · Post by **Miss Elenious** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 7:32 am

metal56 wrote:To me, all these are possible:

John Smith, (after) being rejected, by two companies,
is planning to have a third try.
John Smith, rejected by two companies,
is planning to have a third try.
John Smith, suffering rejection from two companies,
is planning to have a third try.

All the above are possible, but do they have the same meaning? I would say that the first refers to time and the speaker is interested in a chronolohical order of the events. the second, I would analyse it into a relative clause referring to the past = 'who was rejected' and the third one I would analyse it again into a relative close with a reference to the present=' who is suffering from two companies' Am I right?