English Language & Usage Asked by Peter Yeo on September 24, 2020
Give the task of synthesizing and transforming these two sentences:
- John ran after the snatch thief.
- John tripped over a stone and fell.
Into just one of this form:
- While ____________, ____________.
The provided choices were:
Answer 1:
While running after the snatch thief, John tripped over a stone and fell.
Answer 2:
While John was running after the snatch thief, he tripped over a stone and fell.
My students are often confused as to how to synthesise and transform those two sentences. My explanation is to identify the main clause. So Answer 1 is correct.
Is there a better explanation?
From a pure English perspective, they are both correct. However, the first one will typically be considered better writing. This is because “While” is a phrase that modifies John, the noun. The second sentence is poorly constructed because the modifier is wordy relative to what is possible. In other words, it’s a poor use of a modifying clause/needlessly verbose.
Answered by Diary of a Speedreader on September 24, 2020
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