second part (as + participle)

[hairstyler]

Dear Carillo,

1) The accident was reported as having been caused by carelessness.
2) She was seen bringing her son in the car.

Please help me describe the above-mentioned sentence for the reason why the first is introduced a subject complement by "as" and the second is not introduced by "as".

Thanks a million,
Hairstyler

[Joe Carillo]

Here’s my grammar take on the two sentences you presented:

(1) “The accident was reported as having been caused by carelessness.”

In the sentence above, the phrase “having been caused by carelessness” is introduced by the adverb “as” so that phrase can function as an adverbial modifier of the verb “reported,” describing the cause of the subject “accident.” When the adverb “as” is used before a participial phrase (“having been caused by carelessness” in this case), it conveys the sense of “when considered in the relation or form” specified by that participial phrase. This is precisely the sense of the sentence in question here.

(2) “She was seen bringing her son in the car.”

In the sentence above, the phrase “bringing her son in the car” is not introduced by the adverb “as” because it functions as an adjective complement in that sentence. It modifies not the passive verb form “was seen” but the subject “she.”

To understand why this is so, think of that sentence in the active voice: “I saw her bringing her son in the car.” In this form, it’s very clear that the phrase “bringing her son in the car” doesn’t modify the verb but its object “her.” Putting the sentence in the passive voice doesn’t change that function of that phrase as an adjective complement.

[hairstyler]

Here’s my grammar take on the two sentences you presented:

(1) “The accident was reported as having been caused by carelessness.”

In the sentence above, the phrase “having been caused by carelessness” is introduced by the adverb “as” so that phrase can function as an adverbial modifier of the verb “reported,” describing the cause of the subject “accident.” When the adverb “as” is used before a participial phrase (“having been caused by carelessness” in this case), it conveys the sense of “when considered in the relation or form” specified by that participial phrase. This is precisely the sense of the sentence in question here.

(2) “She was seen bringing her son in the car.”

In the sentence above, the phrase “bringing her son in the car” is not introduced by the adverb “as” because it functions as an adjective complement in that sentence. It modifies not the passive verb form “was seen” but the subject “she.”

To understand why this is so, think of that sentence in the active voice: “I saw her bringing her son in the car.” In this form, it’s very clear that the phrase “bringing her son in the car” doesn’t modify the verb but its object “her.” Putting the sentence in the passive voice doesn’t change that function of that phrase as an adjective complement.

Upon to now, I really don't know the difference between with and without "as".

Please help me describe what the meaning of the following sentence is:

1) She was seen bringing her son in the car.
2) She was seen as bringing her son in the car.

Thanks a million.

[Joe Carillo]

Based on my previous explanation, the two sentences below should have the same meaning. The difference is that Sentence 1 is grammatically correct and Sentence 2 is grammatically wrong.

(1) “She was seen bringing her son in the car.” (Grammatically correct)
(2) “She was seen as bringing her son in the car.” (Grammatically wrong with “as”)

Sentence 2 doesn’t need the conjunction “as” to work properly. In that, “as” shouldn’t be used after the verb (“was seen” in this particular case), so its construction should be as follows:

“She was seen bringing her son in the car.” (Same as Sentence 1, without “as”)
 
Instead, the conjunction “as” functions as a correlative after an adjective or adverb modified by an adverbial, as in the following sentences:

“She was as lovely as when I first saw her.” (“as” comes after the adjective “lovely”)
“She was shivering feverishly as she entered the room.” (“as” comes after the adverb “feverishly”)

I hope that you now see the difference between the Sentence 1 and Sentence 2 above, one without “as” and the other with “as.”