ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: The subject names the person, place, or thing (that is)/(which is)...

CalifJim — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 09:10:45 GMT

You've already asked this question.
Didn't you read the answer?

This is Whiz-deletion.
See Post:350047

CJ

[EDITED] The subject names the person, place, or thing (that is)/...

Jackson6612 — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 08:59:53 GMT

Jackson6612 wrote:

The following is one of those sentences which always seem obscure to me.

The subject names the person, place, or thing being talked about.

What tense are we using in that sentence? I don't know such a construction of any tense which uses being+past participle. Suppose, if the sentence is ''the subject names the person, place, or thing being talked about'', then this is passive construction of Present Continuous tense. I think being is used as a verb and talked as an adjective in the above sentence. If it were up to me, then I would write that sentence as follows:

The subject names the person, place, or thing (that is)/(which is) being talked about.

Please give your answer in the light of English grammar.

Please read my original post once again. Perhaps, Yankee has misunderstood my question.

Re: The subject names the person, place, or thing (that is)/(which is)...

Yankee — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:01:51 GMT

Jackson6612 wrote:
The subject names the person, place, or thing being talked about.
I think being is used as verb and talked as an adjective in the above sentence. But if it were up to me then I would write that sentence as follows:

The subject names the person, place, or thing (that is)/(which is) being talked about.

that = subject of the clause

is being talked (about) = present continuous of 'talk (about)' in the passive voice

Compare "is being talked about" with "is being discussed". They mean the same thing and are used the same way in this case.

The subject names the person, place, or thing (that is)/(which is)...

Jackson6612 — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 19:07:13 GMT

The following is one of those sentences which always seem obscure to me.

The subject names the person, place, or thing being talked about.

I think being is used as verb and talked as an adjective in the above sentence. But if it were up to me then I would write that sentence as follows:

The subject names the person, place, or thing (that is)/(which is) being talked about.

Please give your answer in the light of English grammar.