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Ivanhr Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

omission of when

Do you think that "when" is optional in the following sentence?

(When) asked whether he intended to return soon, he replied that he would be away for about three months.

I'm of the opinion that the sentence is correct even without the "when" . However, a native speaker told me the sentence was wrong.

Is there a rule governing the omission of "when" in sentences like this one?
  

Top answer

I agree with you. It can be easily omitted here. I cannot spout a rule, though.

— Mister Micawber

  • I agree with you.
  • It can be easily omitted here.
  • I cannot spout a rule, though.
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6 Answers
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I agree with you. It can be easily omitted here. I cannot spout a rule, though.
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Ivanhr(When) asked whether he intended to return soon, he replied ...
(When (he was)) asked whether he intended to return soon, he replied ...
(When ........... ) asked ...
.........................Asked ...

(When (it is)) seen from above, the city looks ...
(When .......) seen ...
...................Seen ...

(When (he was)) c
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CJ, the way you parsed those examples suggests to me that dropping "when" is possible when the subject of the main clause is the same as the subject of the subordinate clause. However, I don't think that we can make this a rule yet because it seems that other conditions (not sure what those are) must still be met.
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Ivanhrit seems that other conditions (not sure what those are) should still be met.
That's a reasonable observation. Let me know if you think of a way of approaching this conundrum that might work. At the moment I'm clueless as to what these conditions are, or even where to begin the search for them.
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CalifJimLet me know if you think of a way of approaching this conundrum that might work
Actually, I'm pleased with your answer as well as MM's so trying to devise a rule that might work here isn't very important for me. Thx guys
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