Who can tell me what the difference is between the meaning of the following?
She was in labour for 3 hours.
She went into labour.
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3The difference is in the implied current state. The first implies that she was in labour for 3 hours but is no longer in labour now. The second just says that her pregnancy entered the "labour" phase and unless more news is available, she's likely still in labour.– JimMar 26, 2014 at 7:37
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Once again, the comment answer strikes xD– MMJZMar 26, 2014 at 22:12
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1 Answer
"She went into labour.":
- she started giving birth (generally means her waters broke or she otherwise started experiencing labour pains)
- we don't know whether she is still in labour now or not
- we're focusing on the moment the labour started (moment in time, not duration)
"She was in labour for 3 hours.":
- 3 hours passed from the moment she went into labour to the moment the baby was born
- we're focusing on the length of the labour (duration, not moment in time)
