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this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2023
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English usage and grammar
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I think both of these are actually correct. They feel fine to me, although I’d probably tighten the first one to “It is a thing that produces stuff.”
Maybe it’s a dialect thing?
That omits descriptive information though. The example includes the fact that the thing "works" which is how it "produces stuff".
It is certainly a grammatical issue.
How about an infinitive? "It is a thing that works to produce stuff."
Hm, while that does seem to fit, it feels as if its intent doesn't necessarily align. To me, that is more of a description of it's purpose rather than what it does.
Ok, how about doubling up on the present participles? "The thing is working, producing stuff."