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Cho7712 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Be about to
I've got a tricky problem to interpret.
i.e. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been about to fall for 600years.
According to the article, prospective aspect does not entail temporal proximity.
(Sorts of "be going to, be about to, be on the point of" are categorized into prospective in the article as well.)
and I merely can't get the meaning of this exmple in any way.
What is the paraphrase of this sentence?
and, what does it mean by 'not entail temporal proximity' ?
i.e. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been about to fall for 600years.
According to the article, prospective aspect does not entail temporal proximity.
(Sorts of "be going to, be about to, be on the point of" are categorized into prospective in the article as well.)
and I merely can't get the meaning of this exmple in any way.
What is the paraphrase of this sentence?
and, what does it mean by 'not entail temporal proximity' ?
Top answer
cho7712 What is the paraphrase of this sentence? There are a number of possible ways to rephrase the sentence, here are a few: The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been close to falling over for 600 years. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been ready to fall for 600 years.
- cho7712 What is the paraphrase of this sentence?
- There are a number of possible ways to rephrase the sentence, here are a few: The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been close to falling over for 600 years.
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been ready to fall for 600 years.
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been ready to fall over for 600 year.
- cho7712 what does it mean by 'not entail temporal proximity' ?
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3 Answers
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cho7712What is the paraphrase of this sentence?There are a number of possible ways to rephrase the sentence, here are a few:
The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been close to falling over for 600 years.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been ready to fall for 600 years.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been ready to fall over for 600 year.
cho
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The prospective aspect - it is leaning! - it looks like it might topple over any minute!- does not mean, even after 600 years, that the time for it to crash down is getting closer and closer/is imminent.
Probably, 500 years ago, some people were saying: "It looks bad to me. It's going to fall over any day now."
"Slow down, slow down. There's no rush. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has
Probably, 500 years ago, some people were saying: "It looks bad to me. It's going to fall over any day now."
"Slow down, slow down. There's no rush. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has
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Thanks for all above answers,
Then, I can think of this way ; It bears no duration, At every single moment past 600 years, it always looks like going to fall down. And going to fall should be one momentary event in any time, so there is ever an impossible indication that it is falling in midway/halfway when 500years ago. Do I understand right being in accordance with your answers?
Then, I can think of this way ; It bears no duration, At every single moment past 600 years, it always looks like going to fall down. And going to fall should be one momentary event in any time, so there is ever an impossible indication that it is falling in midway/halfway when 500years ago. Do I understand right being in accordance with your answers?
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