with him having a lot of friends

English grammar questions, answered by Alan

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azz
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with him having a lot of friends

Post by azz »

a. Tom having a lot of friends, he can get all the help he needs.
b. With Tom having a lot of friends, he can get all the help he needs.


Are both grammatically correct?
Are both natural?

I think in (b) 'he' is not Tom! In (a) it might or might not be Tom.

Many thanks
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Alan
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Re: with him having a lot of friends

Post by Alan »

Whether with or without 'with', the initial phrase is absolute, so that in neither case does 'Tom' necessarily specify the referent of the VP 'can get' (although, without contextual indications to the contrary , this would naturally tend to be assumed).

Cf.

Tom, having a lot of friends, can get...

where Tom is the subject of both 'having' and 'can get'.
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