as

[wench]

Friends,

This is a sentence I came across in a book today:

"I debate whether to include Dylan Thomas's Poems In October which seems to me a unique and beautiful poem,.. ., but I decide against it finally as being much too sophisticated for my purpose.

I think the "as" above means "because", it is a conjuction. We say " I decide against it finally because it is much too sophiscated," and we should say "I decide against it finally as it is much too sophisticated ".
Why then does the writer use being instead of it is after "as" ?

Thanks.

[ponpoco256]

BBC World Service (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv197.shtml) says:
being in participle clauses

We can use an adverbial participle clause to express reason or cause as an alternative to a because/since/as clause. Using a participle clause in this way is more characteristic of written English or a literary style, rather than spoken colloquial English. Compare the following:Being French, he is passionate about wine and cheese.
Because he is French, he is passionate about wine and cheese.

Being a friend of Tony Blair, I'm often invited to No 10.
As I am a friend of Tony Blair, I'm often invited to No 10.

ponpoco

[wench]

BBC World Service (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv197.shtml) says:


We can use an adverbial participle clause to express reason or cause as an alternative to a because/since/as clause. Using a participle clause in this way is more characteristic of written English or a literary style, rather than spoken colloquial English. Compare the following:Being French, he is passionate about wine and cheese.
Because he is French, he is passionate about wine and cheese.

Being a friend of Tony Blair, I'm often invited to No 10.
As I am a friend of Tony Blair, I'm often invited to No 10.

ponpoco

Ponpoco,

Both examples BBC listed above omitted because/since/as, whereas mine keeps 'as'. It's kind of redundant; I still can't understand it.

[ponpoco256]

Both examples BBC listed above omitted because/since/as, whereas mine keeps 'as'. It's kind of redundant; I still can't understand it.Simple adverbial participle clauses are often difficult to take its exact sense. Take the following sentence for example: "Being a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady."
This could be one of the following:(1) Because/As he was a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
(2) Although he was a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
(3) While/When he was a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
To make the sense clearer, you can put a conjunctive before the participle:(1) Because/As being a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
(2) Although being a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
(3) While/When being a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.

ponpoco

[Temico]

Simple adverbial participle clauses are often difficult to take its exact sense. Take the following sentence for example:"Being a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady."This could be one of the following:(1) Because/As he was a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
(2) Although he was a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
(3) While/When he was a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
To make the sense clearer, you can put a conjunctive before the participle:(1) Because/As being a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
(2) Although being a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
(3) While/When being a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.

ponpoco

(1) Because/As being a poor student, he loved a wealthy lady.
Did I not hear somebody say "idiosyncratic language"???

[ponpoco256]

My English teacher Doraemon says he would not be surprised if some of English learners at beginners' levels take expressions used in English literature as if they were kind of idiosyncratic language. (1) To be sure that was, because being a younger man himself, he believed those that by their elder age were acquainted and conversed with him.
(2) I was answered that, as being a Catholic, he could not be of the Council, which I did not consider before
(3) When taunted for his timidity, or as being a mere infant, he parried by using a number of nasty words, some of which he did not know the meaning of.

ponpoco

[liuchunsheng123456]

in most cases , such as 'being ill,she stayed in bed for two days.
express the meaning of cause and effect , IF you want to express other meanings ,please add iF,Athough , before the"being ."
that is my answer,if it isn't right ,please tell me about it .

[liuchunsheng123456]

in most cases , such as 'being ill,she stayed in bed for two days.
express the meaning of cause and effect , IF you want to express other meanings ,please add iF,Athough , before the"being ."
that is my answer,if it isn't right ,please tell me about it .

And because pay more attention to cause ,but as pay more atention to effect ,so we can used two words according to the context .

[ponpoco256]

in most cases , such as 'being ill,she stayed in bed for two days.
express the meaning of cause and effect , IF you want to express other meanings ,please add iF,Athough , before the"being ."
that is my answer,if it isn't right ,please tell me about it .
You are right. Writers often intentionally elide words when they think readers can take what word is elided. In most cases, conjunctions like "as"/"because"/"when"/"while" in headed participle clauses are elided. As for "if", I seldom come across sentences where the participle clause is used in the sense of "if conditional".

ponpoco