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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Come close to

Hi,

She cried as the doctor departed when she realized how close she came to losing her son.

Do she cried and she realized how... happen at the same time?

What does 'come close to' mean? Is it followed by gerund like the example above? Thanks a lot.
  

Top answer

Yes, they happen at the same time. But we only know this from the context, or the meaning of the words. Actually, two things expressed in the same sentence by the simple past tense could have happened centuries apart.

— Avangi

  • Yes, they happen at the same time.
  • But we only know this from the context, or the meaning of the words.
  • Actually, two things expressed in the same sentence by the simple past tense could have happened centuries apart.
  • I would have found another way to say it, since it's very unlikely they were simultaneous.
  • Yes, "losing" is a gerund, functioning as object of the preposition.
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4 Answers
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Yes, they happen at the same time. But we only know this from the context, or the meaning of the words. Actually, two things expressed in the same sentence by the simple past tense could have happened centuries apart. I would have found another way to say it, since it's very unlikely they were simultaneous.

Yes, "losing" is a gerund, functioning as object of the preposition. (You cou
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AnonymousShe cried as the doctor departed when she realized how close she came to losing her son.

Do she cried and she realized how... happen at the same time?
Not exactly at the same time, but very close. Her realization caused her to cry almost immediately, I would assume.
AnonymousWhat does 'come close to' mean?
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Sorry, Jim, your post wasn't visible when I edited. I had missed the second question.
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Thank you both Avangi and CJ very much for clear explanation!
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