The men, angry about the bill, clamored around the building to prevent its being passed
i think it should be to prevent 'it from' being passed
but i'm not sure...
2007-10-21 10:10:54 · 16 answers · asked by rachel 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
u cant manipulate the sentence...this is an error id question
2007-10-21 10:22:11 · update #1
attend some English classes first
2007-10-21 10:13:51 · answer #1 · answered by Oh My God! 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is misplaced.
Suggest U rewrite as:
To prevent the bill from being passed, angry men clamored around the building.
2007-10-21 17:18:49 · answer #2 · answered by Andy K 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The men are angry about the bill so they clamored around the building to prevent it from being passed.
or
the angry men clamored around the building to prevent the bill from being passed
2007-10-21 17:16:15 · answer #3 · answered by raly_sagrado 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
the error is in the phrase "its being passed" where IT refers to the bill, not the building. the pronoun needs to be in closer proximity to the noun it represents so that the connection is more clear. It has to be rewritten.Something like: the building was surrounded by the men , angry about the bill and trying to prevent its passage.
2007-10-21 17:27:06 · answer #4 · answered by Lillian T 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's a good one! At first sight it seemed OK, but you wouldn't say "prevent his being killed."
"Being passed" is not an actual or potential attribute of the bill but something that is done to it, consequently you wouldn't use the genitive (possessive) case "its".
So I think the correct form is "it being passed" ("it from being passed" may be OK as well, but I am slightly doubtful about it).
BTW in this case there is no problem about any ambiguity concerning whether it is the building or the bill that is in danger of being passed, since it is quite clear from the sentence that it is the bill that is referred to.
2007-10-21 17:22:38 · answer #5 · answered by 2kool4u 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
To prevent the building from being passed? Totally bad sentence structure.
2007-10-21 17:16:27 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The men, angry about the bill, clamoured around the building to prevent it being passed.
2007-10-21 17:16:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'd prefer...
"Angry about the bill, the men clamored around the building to prevent its passage."
Its stronger if you isolate the subordinate clause and unite the subject and predicate...
2007-10-21 17:20:48 · answer #8 · answered by chocolahoma 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could be to prevent it from being passed ON. But you are right (clamoured) to prevent something from an other thing is correct grammar.
2007-10-21 17:15:03 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
forget the technical term, but "its being passed" could refer to either the bill, or the building...
2007-10-21 17:14:32 · answer #10 · answered by silentnonrev 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋