Timeline for "are sitting" vs "have sat"
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
6 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2022 at 19:10 | comment | added | Jeff Morrow | @Darlingtonia I agree that you have defined contexts in which each construction would be sensible, but I do not see that we can infer such context from the examples given. | |
| Sep 22, 2022 at 18:06 | vote | accept | alireza | ||
| Sep 22, 2022 at 17:57 | comment | added | Darlingtonia | I imagine the different situations relating to the expectations of the theater and audience. The first phrase I read more like "A lot of people have taken their seats [so it's appropriate for the theater to start the movie]." While the second phrase implies, "A lot of people are sitting [impatiently], waiting for the [delayed] movie to start." It also changes the implied subject. In #1 "a lot of people" could be replaced with "the audience", while #2 is more about the continued sitting of individuals waiting for the movie. | |
| Sep 22, 2022 at 17:19 | comment | added | Jeff Morrow | @Barmer Yes, exactly. It is not that constructions very similar to the example given would be odd in any way. It is the bivalent nature of “sit” that makes the example odd. | |
| Sep 22, 2022 at 15:49 | comment | added | Barmar | "have sat" is indeed weird, but "have bought tickets" would be natural. Perhaps because this emphasizes why they're in an expectant mood. | |
| Sep 21, 2022 at 16:10 | history | answered | Jeff Morrow | CC BY-SA 4.0 |