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Hi.Could you tell me what are difference between the following sentences in terms of meaning? Thank you.==1. When I would bring the business attorney what I thought was a finished piece of work, he would read it quietly and take out his pen.2. When I brought the business attorney what I thought was a finished piece of work, he would read it quietly and take out his pen.

Dimsumexpress · Accepted Answer

Would - wasn't used appropriately in both of the sentences in my opinion.

If your intent of using "would" was to express a past tense context, it doesn't work that way.

# 1 is unidiomatic.

# 2: When I brought what I thought was a finished piece of work to the business attorney, he read it quietly and tooke out his pen.

CalifJim · Answer

lucas21cCould you tell me what ~~are~~ the differences are between the following sentences in terms of meaning?
...
1. When I would bring the business attorney what I thought was a finished piece of work, he would read it quietly and take out his pen.
2. When I brought the business attorney what I thought was a finished piece of work, he would read it quietly and take out his pen.

No differences in meaning. These are two ways of expressing the same idea. The first makes it easier to understand that the when-clause applies to a habitually occurring situation. The reader doesn't grasp that correctly in the second sentence until he gets to the would in the second clause.

CJ

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