a tense in a subordinate clause

Question

I watched Ace Ventura - Pet Detective and didn't understand past continuous usage in the scene which can be watched here: ''https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuhPPOXnyKo'' (0:42).

''I wouldn't want somebody tracing my steps, pointing out all the mistakes I was making''

One thing I know this sentence is reduced ''I wouldn't want somebody tracing my steps, pointing out all the mistakes I was making (e.g., if I were you)''

But why ''was making''?

I believe it doesn't refer to the past since context refer to present.

Thank you for helping me out.

Yosef Baskin · Answer

Tracing and making go together. In the imaginary situation he creates, someone was tracing his mistakes all day at the same times that he was making those mistakes.

This is more explicit: "In that situation, I definitely would not want to have somebody tracing my many steps (over an arc of time). Why? Anyone following me would see all of those mistakes as I was doing them over that period of watching me and would then be able to point out the mistakes during that whole time of tracing my steps."

a tense in a subordinate clause

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