I saw him entering the room (on tiptoes).
Could we say the above sentence this way without changing its meaning:
I saw (that) he was entering the room (on tiptoes).
Thank you.
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I saw him entering the room (on tiptoes).
Could we say the above sentence this way without changing its meaning:
I saw (that) he was entering the room (on tiptoes).
Thank you.
Yes...but the first sentence is the best one.Quote:
Originally Posted by joham
I saw him entering the room (on tiptoes).
The first sentence is a matter-of-fact observation.
I saw (that) he was entering the room (on tiptoes).
The second sentence emphasizes that it was on tip-toes, that it seemed odd or suspicious. He was probably up to no good because he was trying not to be heard as he entered by walking on tip-toe.
Take this sentence:
I saw that he entered the room.
Here, in effect, the speaker is saying, I observed that he did not just stand at the door/that he did not just knock on the door, but that he actually entered the room.
By placing "on his tip-toes" at the end of the sentence, the emphasis then shifts from 'that he entered' to 'he did it on tip-toes'
Note : one can say both 'on tip-toes' or 'on tip-toe'