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Yoong Liat Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
'hesitating' vs 'hesitant'
The pilot was hesitating for a while before he decided to make an emergency landing.
The pilot was hesitant for a while before he decided to make an emergeny landing.
Are both sentences correct and is there any difference between them?
The pilot was hesitant for a while before he decided to make an emergeny landing.
Are both sentences correct and is there any difference between them?
Top answer
Hi Yoong Liat I don't see any real difference in meaning, but I don't think I'd ever say "was hesitating for a while" the way it's used in your sentence. I'd use the simple past tense. If you want to use the past continuous, I think it would sound more natural to remove "for a while".
- Hi Yoong Liat I don't see any real difference in meaning, but I don't think I'd ever say "was hesitating for a while" the way it's used in your sentence.
- I'd use the simple past tense.
- If you want to use the past continuous, I think it would sound more natural to remove "for a while".
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3 Answers
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Hi Yoong Liat
I don't see any real difference in meaning, but I don't think I'd ever say "was hesitating for a while" the way it's used in your sentence. I'd use the simple past tense.
If you want to use the past continuous, I think it would sound more natural to remove "for a while".
I don't see any real difference in meaning, but I don't think I'd ever say "was hesitating for a while" the way it's used in your sentence. I'd use the simple past tense.
If you want to use the past continuous, I think it would sound more natural to remove "for a while".
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YankeeHi Yoong Liat1. Does 'hesitating for a while' mean 'hesi
I don't see any real difference in meaning, but I don't think I'd ever say "was hesitating for a while" the way it's used in your sentence. I'd use the simple past tense.
If you want to use the past continuous, I think it would sound more natural to remove "for a while".
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Hi Yoong Liat
1. To me, a hesitation is always short unless otherwise defined. Adding "for a while" or even "for a short while" would indicate to me that it was a longer hesitation than usual. Using "for a while" adds a sense of duration which is also what the past continuous does. I'd probably only use "was hesitating" in a situation where the hesitation is interrupted
1. To me, a hesitation is always short unless otherwise defined. Adding "for a while" or even "for a short while" would indicate to me that it was a longer hesitation than usual. Using "for a while" adds a sense of duration which is also what the past continuous does. I'd probably only use "was hesitating" in a situation where the hesitation is interrupted
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