Other factors include the tendency of scientists to avoid doing original research, instead obtaining facts from other scientists.
What is this phrase in bold?
Instead is an adverb. So it can be seen as an adverb phrase. It also is a reduced adverb clause. However, if it were expanded, instead would become a conjunctive adverb, and a main clause follows:
“; instead, they obtain facts…”
That is what makes it strange to me, because reduced adverbial clauses that are expanded are still dependent clauses. Why not this one?
What other options could follow the adverb here, other than an ing? the infinitive I assume would work: to avoind…instead to obtain
Other factors include the tendency of scientists to avoid doing original research, instead obtaining facts from other scientists.
It seems to me to be adverbial. It’s just that the word “instead” appears at the front of the phrase rather than somewhere else.
...obtaining facts from other scientists instead.
...obtaining facts instead from other scientists.
What would be even better is ...instead of obtaining facts from other scientists, which would make it a prepositional phrase (instead of coming originally from in stead of).
Other factors include the tendency of scientists to avoid doing original research, instead obtaining facts from other scientists.
And why does it change from the infinitive to the participle form? If you leave out the first phrase ‘to avoid doing original research’ then it would like this, which doesn’t make sense: Or maybe it does make sense…
Other factors include the tendency of scientists obtaining facts from other scientists.
So why is it ok to be the ing form only when it comes second? It must be something to do with the adverb instead, but I’m uncertain.
Yes, I changed it to modfying tendency. I incorrectly said it was modifying scientists, so I changed it probably while you were reading the analysis. Everything else appear correct to you?
Other factors include the tendency of scientists obtaining facts from other scientists.
This doesn’t sound right. You would need to say the tendency of scientists’ obtaining facts, making obtaining a gerund, or the tendency of scientists to obtain facts. Again, this is another reason that I think to avoid modifies tendency instead of scientists in the original.
So why is it ok to be the ing form only when it comes second? It must be something to do with the adverb instead, but I’m uncertain.
You could use to obtain if you added a conjunction” Other factors include the tendency of scientists to avoid doing original research and, instead, to obtain facts from other scientists, which is why I think the last part of the sentence needs work.
Yes, I changed it to modfying tendency. I incorrectly said it was modifying scientists, so I changed it probably while you were reading the analysis. Everything else appear correct to you?
Except for instead obtaining, which I don’t like and think is cumbersome, if not altogether incorrect.
May give this topic some more thought. The sentence is copied from wikipedia, thought slightly shortened.
I know infinitives and participle are in most cases interchangeable, so I assume either can be used in this setence. I’m just having difficulty with ‘instead.’ It almost appears to be masquerading as a conjunction, but doing a poor job as signs of its true self are clear. I know it can be placed at the end of the sentence, but then i’m sure a conjunction needs to go where instead is currently.
May be boring for y’all to ponder this, so don’t be forced to.
Do I sound American saying y’all? Not sure what part of America this is common, but I have heard it in Hollywood films.
y"all is southern, saparris country, southern states. It is their national motto.
Ya’ll is short for you all and is always plural. If you here it used to address one person, the speaker is not a Southerner.
By the way, a comma preceding instead would help, but the only way I see of using the infinitive is to say, “Other factors include the tendency of scientists to avoid doing original research and, instead, to obtain facts from other scientists.”
