Timeline for change of tenses, different focus?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2021 at 15:24 | vote | accept | anouk | ||
| Mar 3, 2019 at 21:11 | comment | added | SamBC | Ah, okay, on another question. It's not some specialist term, it's just me using words that are likely unfamiliar to a learner. Something is "abstract" if it's not "concrete" or "specific". So "browse the internet" is not clearly defined, it has no well-defined endpoint, or even an idea of what it involves beyond being on the internet, so it is abstract. Making dinner or finishing homework is more concrete. | |
| Mar 3, 2019 at 20:41 | comment | added | anouk | @SamBC Sorry. This is the answer you gave: I mean if someone had a plan for the evening involving, say, "browse the internet", "cook dinner", "feed the dog", "finish my homework". In that case, "browse the internet" would be an abstract activity and they might feel they had 'done' it. – SamBC Feb 4 at 20:52 | |
| Mar 3, 2019 at 20:18 | comment | added | SamBC | @anouk that doesn't appear to be related to this question, so I'm not sure of the context...? | |
| Mar 3, 2019 at 17:05 | comment | added | SamBC | The degree of nuance is often nuanced ;) | |
| Mar 3, 2019 at 17:01 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | Initially I was a bit doubtful about your assertion that the continuous in OP's alternative carries some nuance of recently. It still doesn't really strike me as significant with the exact text as given (and no other context). But it's unquestionably present if we contrast 1) He said he had played football and 2) He said he had been playing football. Where #1 might even mean ...years ago [so he knows the rules, etc.], whereas #2 would probably imply ...just recently [so he's still sweaty and puffed out]. | |
| Mar 3, 2019 at 14:14 | history | answered | SamBC | CC BY-SA 4.0 |