Is it possible to put an atelic activity like "browsing the internet" into the past perfect tense?
Is it possible to put an atelic activity like "browsing the internet" into the past perfect tense?
For example: I browsed the internet from 2 o'clock to 4 o'clock. At 7 o'clock I start making dinner.
Is it grammatical to say "I had browsed the internet when I began cooking"? Or do I have to use constructions like "I had stopped browsing the internet"? I know I could say I browsed the internet before cooking dinner, but I really want to know about the past perfect.
I assume browsing the internet is atelic, because there is no clear end to it, the internet is infinite, or am I wrong?
Top answer
olive file 673 Is it grammatical to say "I had browsed the internet when I began cooking"? It's grammatical, but not quite meaningful. It doesn't even sound atelic anymore when you don't use the form 'browsing'.
- olive file 673 Is it grammatical to say "I had browsed the internet when I began cooking"?
- It's grammatical, but not quite meaningful.
- It doesn't even sound atelic anymore when you don't use the form 'browsing'.
- Try something like this: I had been browsing the internet for some time [when / before] I began to cook dinner.
- olive file 673 I assume browsing the internet is atelic, because there is no clear end to it, the internet is infinite, or am I wrong?
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
olive file 673Is it grammatical to say "I had browsed the internet when I began cooking"?
It's grammatical, but not quite meaningful. It doesn't even sound atelic anymore when you don't use the form 'browsing'. Try something like this:
I had been browsing the internet for some time [when / before] I began to cook dinner.
0
Related Questions