【问】 The village seemed deserted，the only sign of life being an ugly-looking black goat tied toa tree on a short length of rope in a field nearby. (New Concept English，Book 3，L. 48)the only sign of life being an ugly-looking black goat...中being是否应改为was?否则这个分句就没有谓语了。

【答】 首先应当弄清楚，the only sign of life being……并不是分句，而是独立结构，或者具体点儿说，是带逻辑主语的现在分词结构。其结构特点是：主格名词(或主格代词)+现在分词，可用来充当时间状语、原因状语、条件状语、伴随情况状语等。它虽然叫做独立结构，但它并不能离开句子而独立存在，而必须依附于某个句子，这样就能在结构上突出句子本身的内容。请读下面的例句：

1. The country is experiencing its hardest winter for years，some areas having lain undersix feet of snow for nearly two months.

这个国家正经历着多年来最艰难的冬季，近两个月来某些地区积雪达六英尺。

2. ... this practice has become so widespread that the working mother is now a not unusu-al factor in a child's home life，the number of married women in employment havingmore than doubled in the last twenty-five years. (New Concept English，Book 4，L. 8)

……在过去25年里，就业已婚妇女的人数增加了一倍以上。