这是一个 being clause, being = because, since, as 的含义。
‘being’ in participle clauses
We can use an adverbial participle clause to express reason or cause as an alternative to a because/since/as clause. Using a participle clause in this way is more characteristic of written English or a literary style, rather than spoken colloquial English.
例句:Being rather over weight, Geoffrey was unable to squeeze through.
因为/由于 Geoffrey 有一点过胖,他无法挤过去。
而无须写成
Because he's rather over weight, Geoffrey was unable to squeeze through。
BBC 英文学习网页有这样的教导:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/le...原文有用 being 的相同表达方式:
... time of payment shall be 60 (SIXTY) days from the receipt of the invoice, being not prior to the date of delivery.
这样理解较容易:
由于无须在交货日期前付款,所以必须在收到发票的 60 天内支付。shall be = 必须 (法律用词)
基于以上的理解,个人相信 prior to date of delivery 是指 payment,和 receipt of the invoice 无关,而且是很重要的焦点。
供讨论。