"during which time" Vs "during which"

Question

1. Jackson said the blackout lasted several minutes, during which time he felt no pain, even though he had fallen and hurt himself very badly.

2. Jackson said the blackout lasted several minutes, during which he felt no pain, even though he had fallen and hurt himself very badly

3. The class lasted two hours, during which we read Hamlet.

4. The class lasted two hours, during which time we read Hamlet.

I was told that only sentence #1 was grammatically correct. How about sentence #2? I think in sentence #2 the antecedent of which is the blackout while in sentence 1, which time refers to several minutes.

My question is: Is sentence #2 grammatically correct? If it's correct, what is the difference in meaning between those two?

Answer 1

I think time is redundant. Since during is a preposition representing time span, it is clear which is referring to several minutes. I don't think the other two are necessarily wrong, but if it were me, I'd opt for the 2nd and 3rd sentences.

Answer 2

I would say that the antecedent is "several minutes" in both 1 and 2. In fact there is no significant difference in grammar or meaning between 1 and 2. In 3 and 4 the antecedent is "two hours". Again there is no difference in meaning.

Answer 3

One and two are both correct.

The first sentence is saying that he felt no pain for several minutes during the blackout. The second sentence is saying that he felt no pain while the blackout was happening. The difference is subtle, and inconsequential in this case. You are correct in your analysis of the antecedent.