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Pructus Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Past and past progressive
Hello...
a. She cried when he left.
b. She cried when he was leaving.
The meaning of b. is clear, but a. is a little ambigous?
a. can mean either the same meaning with b. or it can also mean "She cried after he left"?
a. She cried when he left.
b. She cried when he was leaving.
The meaning of b. is clear, but a. is a little ambigous?
a. can mean either the same meaning with b. or it can also mean "She cried after he left"?
Top answer
Agreed. There are ambiguities if you don't have much context. 1.
- Agreed.
- There are ambiguities if you don't have much context.
- 1.
- John got on the plane that would take him to into battle.
- She cried when he left.
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2 Answers
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Agreed. There are ambiguities if you don't have much context.
1. John got on the plane that would take him to into battle. She cried when he left. (meaning: he had left)
2. John announced he was moving out of their apartment to live separately. She cried when he was leaving. (Since the packing and conversation would take a while, it likely took place during and after his leaving.)
1. John got on the plane that would take him to into battle. She cried when he left. (meaning: he had left)
2. John announced he was moving out of their apartment to live separately. She cried when he was leaving. (Since the packing and conversation would take a while, it likely took place during and after his leaving.)
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