while/when

[navi tasan]

Are these sentences correct:
1-John's capture while he was fighting in Spain changed the course of the war.
2-John's capture when fighting in Spain changed the course of the war.
3-John's murder while fighting in Spain changed the course of the war.

Hi navi tasan :) .

It is me again, please remember I am not a teacher.

Originally Posted by navi tasan

Are these sentences correct:
1-John's capture while he was fighting in Spain changed the course of the war.
2-John's capture when fighting in Spain changed the course of the war.
3-John's murder while fighting in Spain changed the course of the war.

I think the first, though correct, could be enhanced with commas:-
John's capture, while he was fighting in Spain, changed the course of the war.

John's capture when fighting in Spain changed the course of the war. Is incorrect. "John's capture" would not have been fighting.

The third could be made more acceptable by:-
John's murder, whilst fighting in Spain, changed the course of the war.

I hope this helps.

[navi tasan]

Thank you for your replies.
I don't think your not being a teacher is that important. These are questions any native speaker should be able to answer. Different points of view might exist among native speakers of-course, but that is one of the good things about forums like this, I suppose. People don't use their language in the same way. Sometimes people might use sentences which sound wrong to you but are in fact acceptable. Native speakers do make mistakes sometimes too. In any case, feel free to correct my mistakes and answer my questions.