Learn English – thereby +(verb+ing) or thereby +(verb in other tenses)

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I've observed that "thereby" is mostly followed by (verb+ing) form regardless of whether the sentence takes place in past, future or present. As in this example from the dictionary:

"The number of uninsured cars will rise and the cost to the industry
will increase, thereby pushing premiums up further."

.

However, I seldom see "thereby" followed by a verb in other forms such as past tense. For example:

"This behavior increased demand and thereby pushed prices up still
more."

why isn't it "pushing up the prices…". Is either form right,?

I'd be glad if you could give more information/examples on thereby usage

Best Answer

Look at both sentences carefully please. In sentence 1, thereby follows the comma; however in sentence 2, there is a coordinating conjunction before thereby. Whenever you use thereby with an -ing form (-ing form is a present participle here), just place a comma before it. Whenever you use it after a coordinating conjunction (e.g. and), use the past or present tense.

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