Is when or while needed?
1.The chirping sounds of birds are always pleasing to hear preparing food for my family in the morning.
2.The chirping sounds of birds are always pleasing to hear when preparing food for my family in the morning.
3.The chirping sounds of birds are always pleasing to hear while preparing food for my family in the morning.
I think that all these three sentences are correct English.
But maybe is sentence 1 wrong because 1 lacks the word "when" or "while"?
I don't think that 1 is wrong because even without the word 'when" or "while", 1 conveys the same meaning as 2 or 3 quite well.
If 1 is wrong, could you explain why?
Top answer
fire1 I think that all these three sentences are correct English. I would not be surprised to hear any of them, but that does not make them "correct". They all read like it is the sounds that are preparing the food.
- fire1 I think that all these three sentences are correct English.
- I would not be surprised to hear any of them, but that does not make them "correct".
- They all read like it is the sounds that are preparing the food.
- A sentence should yield its meaning upon close examination, and these fail that test.
- Still, everybody would know what you meant, and I daresay most people would not notice a problem.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
fire1I think that all these three sentences are correct English.
I would not be surprised to hear any of them, but that does not make them "correct". They all read like it is the sounds that are preparing the food. A sentence should yield its meaning upon close examination, and these fail that test. Still, everybody would know what you meant, and I daresay
0The implicit subject of a participle clause is the subject of the main clause, so these all suffer from a "misplaced modifier".
They say that the sounds of birds, (when they are) preparing food ..., are pleasing to hear.
You'll need a full finite clause:
... while I am preparing food ...
CJ
0
Related Questions