During reading the book, I fell asleep.
I think "while" is more suitable but I want to know if it is grammatically correct to use "during" here. If it is possible, is there any difference?
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1During cleaning or while they were being cleaned.– Kate BuntingCommented Oct 1, 2020 at 10:52
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I agree, for those two examples. But for this example, "While cleaning the pantry, I got my clothes dirty.", it seems to me that it must be "while".– Jack O'FlahertyCommented Oct 1, 2020 at 15:05
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@KateBunting Can we not say While cleaning, my clothes got dirty.? Like "while" with the present progressive tense?– Dhanishtha GhoshCommented Oct 1, 2020 at 15:15
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I had interpreted the sentence in a different way (which doesn't make a lot of sense). If it means 'cleaning the house', @DhanishthaGhosh 's version is a dangling modifier. While I was cleaning [the house], my clothes got dirty - or Jack's version.– Kate BuntingCommented Oct 1, 2020 at 16:54
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1@DhanishthaGhosh If you omit the I was, the literal meaning of your sentence is that the clothes were doing the cleaning. thoughtco.com/what-is-a-dangling-modifier-1690415– Kate BuntingCommented Oct 2, 2020 at 7:27
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1 Answer
That's not a gerund, it's the present participle. For the present participle, you should use "while". For it to be a gerund, it needs a determiner: "During my reading the book, I fell asleep." That's a bit awkward, but grammatically correct.
