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Phrase: "His money running out..."



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
'Much' + countable nouns? | Difference between industrious and hard working
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Phrase: "His money running out..." Sat Oct 07, 2006 23:48 pm  Phrase: "His money running out..."
 

Hi

Could you please tell me what sort of phrase this is? Is it correct? If you are positive, I would request you for a few more examples of the same sort!

1- His money running out, he took a job as a dishwasher.

(A stranger in the mirror: pg:32)

Tom
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Phrase: "His money running out..." Sun Oct 08, 2006 9:51 am  Phrase: "His money running out..."
 

Hi Tom

I'd say it's a participial phrase functioning as an adjective and it modifies he.

Having no other choice, he took the job.

Smiling broadly, Sue explained her momentous discovery.

Having not studied at all, he failed the test.
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Participial phrase Sun Oct 08, 2006 10:02 am  Participial phrase
 

Hi Tom,

Just one word of warning: make sure the subject of the phrase is the same subject of the main verb.

Here is a classic example of what not to write:

Walking down the street, his hat blew off.

What's wrong with that?
I've written it small because it's wrong!

Alan
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Russian classic prose Sun Oct 08, 2006 10:16 am  Russian classic prose
 

Alan wrote:
Here is a classic example of what not to write:

Walking down the street, his hat blew off.
Hi

Funny, but the classic Russian example of this mistake

"Arriving the station, my hat blew off" © Anton Chechov

seems to be almost acceptable when translated in English directly. Smile
Or not?
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Russian classic prose Sun Oct 08, 2006 10:40 am  Russian classic prose
 

In other words: in my view, the obvious confusion in my (translated) example would be only if I used the Passive form in the second part (‘was blown off’ for hat), instead of Active (as it is in the original version of the Chechov's joke).
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Phrase: "His money running out..." Sun Oct 08, 2006 10:45 am  Phrase: "His money running out..."
 

Hi Tamara

I suspect most people would understand the intended meaning of "Arriving at the station, my hat blew off". But technically speaking, this sentence implies that only the hat arrived at the station. Laughing

Amy
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Phrase: "His money running out..." Sun Oct 08, 2006 11:17 am  Phrase: "His money running out..."
 

Thank you everybody.

Just one more question:

If I wrote the sentence this way would it be wrong?

With his money running out, he took a job as a dishwasher.

Tom
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Phrase: "His money running out..." Sun Oct 08, 2006 11:17 am  Phrase: "His money running out..."
 

Quote:
at the station

Yes, thank you, Amy. I first posted it right, but then "corrected".
'Perfect Is the Enemy of (the?) Good', you know. Smile

Quote:
only the hat arrived at the station.
Smile
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Alternative sentence Sun Oct 08, 2006 11:27 am  Alternative sentence
 

Tom wrote:
Thank you everybody.

Just one more question:

If I wrote the sentence this way would it be wrong?

With his money running out, he took a job as a dishwasher.

Tom

That would also be correct Tom.
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'Much' + countable nouns? | Difference between industrious and hard working
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