Adults only -- "Children being raised by single- parents are" -- passive voice?

Question

What tense is this? Where can I find grammar rule? Thank you.

Thank you, Answerers! I did not not write this; it is from a Yahoo story on child sexual abuse that I am using in an ESL class. I agree that "being" is unnecessary, however, it is a present participle used with a past participle as an adjective, and a modifier. I just need to find the rule on this. (Adjective and modifier are as far as I've gotten).

The sentence is present tense. "Are" is the verb here. "Being raised" is the question -- modifier and adjective or adverb? Adverbial clause?

Answer 1

It's a reduced adjectival clause.

You could write the sentence thus: "Children who are being raised...." which is a defining relative clause. This can be reduced to "Children being raised.." or "Children raised..." with very little difference in meaning. If you use the continuous form you are concentrating attention on the process, the time spent while the single-parent raises them; rather than the result, what happens afterwards.

eg "Children being raised by single-parents are often disruptive at school" vs "Children raised by single-parents often become more broad-minded than their peers in adult life".

It's passive because parents raise children, children are raised by parents. It's an adjectival clause because "being raised" is describing the children.

Answer 2

It is present tense (the children are being raised right now). It is passive voice, in that the thing that is having the action done to them (the children) is the subject and not the thing doing the action (the single parents).

Passive voice:
The cabinet was made by the carpenter.

Active voice:
The carpenter made the cabinet.

If what you are truly talking about are the children, I would not change it. Not all instances of the passive voice are bad.

Answer 3

drop the word 'being'

Children raised by single parents are

either way - present tense and passive voice
are is the verb in this phrase - and it is passive
Children ('being' raised by single parents) are

words in parens are a descripter of children and not necessary to the formation of a complete sentence

Answer 4

it is the word "being" it is probably not necessary in your sentence. For example;

Children being raised by single parents are likely to fail math.

should be more concisely written as:

Children raised by single parents are likely to fail math.

hope this helps

Answer 5

it is past tense and passive voice, it is also plural tense.

The ed tells you it is past tense and the "to be" verb tells you that it is passive voice. Children being plural makes it plural.