Nouns are sometimes post-modified with an ing-clause. These are non-finiteA clause which contains a non-finite verb (one which has no subject and which does not show tense) and which cannot stand as an independent clause. participleA non-finite verb form used as an adjective and also to form the perfect and progressive aspect, and the passive voice. clauses.
Noun Postmodification: Ing-Clauses
Understanding complex postmodification with ing-clauses
Postmodification with Ing-clauses
The ing-clause gives more information about the headwordThe head (or headword) is the main word in a phrase. Other parts of a phrase have a modifying or grammatical relationship with the headword.. Ing-clauses are less common than ed-clausesA participle clause (past participle) often used as a post-modifying clause of a noun phrase, and as part of an adverbial. and cannot always be rewritten as a relative clause with a verb in the passiveDescribes a verb when the subject of the sentence is the sufferer of the action rather than the performer. voice.
These clauses are known as ing-clauses because they are participleA non-finite verb form used as an adjective and also to form the perfect and progressive aspect, and the passive voice. clauses (in this case present participle).
- memorieshead noun phrase occurring below the age of threeing-clause (context)However, psychological research suggests that memories occurring below the age of three are highly unusual – and indeed, highly improbable.
This ing-clause, "occurring below the age of three", is a restrictive ing-clause. Without it the sentence would make little sense.
- a hypothesishead noun phrase dating back to the 1960sing-clause (context)This idea goes against a hypothesis, dating back to the 1960s , known as the “Man-The-Hunter model”, which is increasingly being debunked.
This ing-clause, "dating back to the 1960s", is a non-restrictive ing-clause. It gives extra non-essential information about the hypothesisAn idea which is open to testing and which can be refuted through demonstration or experiment., in this case when it was conceived. Note also that this sentence contains an ed-clause, "known as the 'Man-The-Hunter model'", and also a relative clause, "which is increasingly being debunked".
- the Moonhead noun phrase passing in front of the Sun at a certain distance from Earthing-clause (context)They realised this from solar eclipses, caused by the Moon passing in front of the Sun at a certain distance from Earth.
Note that this restrictive ing-clause is embeddedThe insertion of one phrase or clause inside of another (also known as nesting). in an ed-clauseA participle clause (past participle) often used as a post-modifying clause of a noun phrase, and as part of an adverbial. beginning "caused by the Moon" and "the Moon" is part of a prepositional phrase. This kind of embedding of one modifying clause inside another is common in academic texts dense with information.
- all living beings,head noun phrase including using-clause, (context)Evolution explains how all living beings, including us, came to be.
This is a non-restrictive ing-clause, enclosed in commas. Most non-restrictve clauses are enclosed in commas, but they may also be enclosed in parentheses as in the example below.
- the deuterostomeshead noun phrase ( including humansing-clause) and the ecdysozoanshead noun phrase ( including insectsing-clause) (context)Two of the major lineages, the deuterostomes (including humans) and the ecdysozoans (including insects)
- dials on the exteriorhead noun phrase (dials - post-modified with a prepositional phrase) showing the phases of the Moon, the timing of lunar eclipses, and the positions of the five planets then known (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) at different times of the yearing-clause (context)When manually rotated by a handle, the gears span dials on the exterior showing the phases of the Moon, the timing of lunar eclipses, and the positions of the five planets then known (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) at different times of the year.
The ing-clause starting with "showing" governs three different noun phrases, each of which contains at lest one prepositional phrase: 1. the phases of the Moon; 2. the timing of lunar eclipses; 3. the positions of the five planets then known (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) at different times of the year.
- balls of plasmahead noun phrase consisting of hydrogen and heliuming-clause (context)These are actually balls of plasma (very hot gas) consisting of hydrogen and helium.
- graveshead noun phrase containing similar tools associated with big-game huntinging-clause (context)The authors of the study, published in Science Advances, also reviewed evidence of other skeletons buried around the same period in the Americas, looking specifically at graves containing similar tools associated with big-game hunting.
Sometimes an ing-clause can be quite long, as in the example below.
There are a few verbs which occur often in ing-clauses such as involving, containing, consisting, including, resulting. Here are two examples with consisting and containing:
Test your understanding with the Ing-Clauses Quiz.
These examples were sourced from articles in The Conversation:
Memories;
Female Hunters;
Greek Astronomy;
Evolution;
Stars;
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