Hi Rachvik,

There is nothing wrong with the use of "supplying".

See this similar usage in wall street journal:

"It was around then that this tiny automobile company from faraway Japan began exporting its first cars into California"
https://online.wsj.com/article/SB119741873827822129.html

"The Arizona Department of Education recently began telling school districts that teachers whose spoken English it deems to be heavily accented or ungrammatical must be removed from classes for students still learning English."
https://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 27528.html

Infact, "supplying metal tableware" is acts as a noun in this usage. Consider for example:
Mary began rehearsals.
Mary began practicing for her dance.

Both elements in blue act as nouns.

The important thing here about the function of verb-ing is to understand that it does not act as a verb. And check for that is simple - it is not preceded by is/are/were/was/am.

For e-GMAT users, this concept is covered in the concept titled Subject-Verb Must Exist. This concept is provided in the free trial that can be accessed by registering on e-GMAT.

Thanks,

Payal

verb-ing expressions are very versatile. They can act as verbs when preceded by is/are/am/was/were. They can act as adjectives (what we know as modifiers). They can act as nouns. Lets consider a few examples:

1: It was around then that this tiny automobile company from faraway Japan began exporting its first cars into California. NOUN
2: Exporting its first cars into California, this tiny automobile company slowly and steadily rose to fame. Modifier
3: Exporting its cars into California was the next major endeavor undertaken by this tiny automobile company.
4: The tiny automobile company is exporting its cars into California. VERB

So just be cognizant of this role of verb-ing expressions as well. The context of the sentence guides you to understand the role that this expression plays. At the end of the day, you need to know the following:
1: If it is acting as a verb, then it should have a subject and it should meet the SV rules.
2: If it is supposed to act as a verb but is not preceded by is/are/was/were/am, then you know it is not correct. (Covered in SV-Must Exist e-GMAT Concept)
3: If it acts as a modifier providing additional information about a clause or about a noun, then you need to ensure that it is placed and worded correctly. (Covered in Modifiers - Verb-ing e-GMAT Concept)
4: If it acts as a noun and say there is a list of such expressions, then you need to ensure that these elements are parallel to each other. (Covered in Parallelism - Helpful Hints e-GMAT Concept)

Let me know if you have any follow-up questions.

Thanks,

Payal