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  1. If I am running she is sleeping

It's a correct sentence. Showing that those two events happen at the same time.

  1. If I am sick she is taking care of kids

Is 2 the same as 1? I mean two events at the same time. Maybe to make it more clear I should've said "If I am being sick"

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  • In British English being sick means vomiting! Commented Jun 17 at 8:45
  • @KateBunting Do you also find my example number 2 meaningless and unidiomatic?
    – Gregor
    Commented Jun 17 at 9:28
  • Astralbee's answer is a correct interpretation. Her currently looking after some unspecified children is not a result if your being ill. Commented Jun 17 at 9:47

1 Answer 1

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'Grammatically correct' only means you have the sentence structured correctly. It doesn't always mean they are logical or idiomatic.

Your sentences don't refer to two events happening at the same time - they seem like conditional statements. In other words, you're saying that if one thing happens then the other will be true.

Although you likely have gone running in the past, and perhaps she slept while you did so, a conditional statement about running and sleeping just doesn't sound right. It's not logical or idiomatic, for a few reasons.

Conditional statements with 'if' and 'then' usually mean that one thing happens as a result of the other. Your running doesn't cause her to sleep. Conditionals are also for possible situations, but it sounds like this is something that actually happens on a recurring basis.

It would be best if you used a temporal clause:

  • When I go running, she sleeps.

A temporal clause indicates the timing of an action relative to another action and can describe recurring events, habits, or routines.

Your other example could be either:

  • If I am sick, she takes care of the kids
  • When I am sick, she takes care of the kids

This is because being sick is only a possibility rather than a regular, expected event; however you could also view it as an inevitability, because everyone gets sick from time to time.

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  • Re @Astralbee’s comment about “grammatically correct,” consider a sentence that Noam Chomsky created to make the point: “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.” Each of the four pairs of successive words is nonsensical, but the sentence has completely valid syntax. Commented Jun 17 at 11:03

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