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In my essays I use the constructions like the following once in a while:

The implications of someone being elected into higher office are far-ranging.

What are sentences that contain constructions like "being elected into higher office" called? Knowing this would help find and study the rules surrounding this.

Edwin Ashworth
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Sam
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2 Answers2

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Being elected is a gerund phrase. When expanded to being elected to higher office it is still a gerund phrase. Such phrases start with the gerundial form of a verb. See for example:

Grammarly

A gerund phrase is a phrase consisting of a gerund and any modifiers or objects associated with it. A gerund is a noun made from a verb root plus ing (a present participle). A whole gerund phrase functions in a sentence just like a noun, and can act as a subject, an object, or a predicate nominative.

"My doctor suggests running to improve my health."

Knowing this may help you compose other prose of the same sort of construction.

Anton
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  • However, if it's a noun, shouldn't somebody be somebody's? – Andrew Leach Dec 19 '21 at 08:47
  • @AndrewLeach Yes I agree with you entirely, but that would be to start another vein of analysis of the question's quotation. – Anton Dec 19 '21 at 10:48
  • OP should realise that this is an ACC-ing construction. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 19 '21 at 12:12
  • @EdwinAshworth Firstly, why should the OP realise or even know? If they did they wouldn't be asking in the first place. And secondly, what is ACC-ing? I found a linguistics question not dissimilar to the OP's What kind of phrase is Acc-ing gerund? and finally I understood that ACC stands for accusative. – Mari-Lou A Dec 19 '21 at 13:12
  • @EdwinAshworth Many things "should" be in this world but, despite that, they are not. Surely we "should" help and explain rather than prescribe and judge? What is ACC? I find dozens of definitions of this acronym, so why should any OP know about it? – Anton Dec 19 '21 at 13:13
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    The primary aim of ELU is to provide a non-bloated, easy-to-search, correct (or showing divided opinion where necessary) repository of English usage. It is not primarily a Q-&-A instant-help service (hence the 'duplicate' CV reason). Here, the structure The implications of [{someone} {being elected into higher office}], which constitutes the essence of this question, is an ACC-ing structure, covered before on ELU, and easily searchable. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 19 '21 at 16:53
  • @Anton Thank you very much for helping me understand this better! – Sam Dec 27 '21 at 08:24
  • Thank you Sam. Keep coming here. You will get help, advice, even criticism; but in general they are all designed to help you and I have found that the site is a good place for reasoned discussion. – Anton Dec 27 '21 at 09:51
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Warning: Grammar terms vary.

Being elected is the passive form of the present participle electing. For example:

Active: The implications of voters electing somebody are far-ranging.

Passive: The implications of somebody being elected [by voters] are far-ranging.

If you remove the subject (e.g. voters) in front of the participles, you can turn them into gerunds (which function like nouns). For example:

Active: The implications of electing somebody are far-ranging.

Passive: The implications of being elected are far-ranging.

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