[General] in a few minutes/for an hour/till death/since I was a kid

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to give some explanation concerning the following subgroups of sentences?

The Soviets have even reduced their air force in the four years of allied rearmament.
Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.

They sat there for an hour.
What have you been doing for the last two weeks,Dell?
I have known him for over twenty years.

I will love you and live with you through life till death.
He kept on singing until he came downstairs.

She had eaten nothing since noon the day before.
I’ve known him since I was a kid.
Whom else have you been talking to since I saw you?

Thank you for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by vil

Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to give some explanation concerning the following subgroups of sentences?

The Soviets have even reduced their air force in the four years of allied rearmament.
Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.

They sat there for an hour.
What have you been doing for the last two weeks,Dell?
I have known him for over twenty years.

I will love you and live with you through life till death.
He kept on singing until he came downstairs.

She had eaten nothing since noon the day before.
I’ve known him since I was a kid.
Whom else have you been talking to since I saw you?

Thank you for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

Your sentences are correct. What sort of explanation do you want?

[vil]

Hi Raymott,

Thank you for your reply as well as for your correction concerning the omitted “been”.

There are a few eagerly awaited explanation of blurred for me situation:

1. The expression of kind similar to “in ten days” expresses a completed period of time of the modified object yet and as a rule combines with such a verb by whom in one or another way is pronounced the meaning of a perfection of the process.

In my case “The sovets have even reduced their air force in the four years of allied rearmament..”

There is a parallel example by usage of adverb “already”:

But Soams had already regretted the remark

Staihes’s cubicle was already crowded.

There is an opposite situation in the second subgroup….. (a progressive action)

Regards,

V.

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by vil

Hi Raymott,

Thank you for your reply as well as for your correction concerning the omitted “been”.

There are a few eagerly awaited explanation of blurred for me situation:

1. The expression of kind similar to “in ten days” expresses a completed period of time of the modified object yet and as a rule combines with such a verb by whom in one or another way is pronounced the meaning of a perfection of the process.

In my case “The sovets have even reduced their air force in the four years of allied rearmament..”

There is a parallel example by usage of adverb “already”:

But Soams had already regretted the remark

Staihes’s cubicle was already crowded.

There is an opposite situation in the second subgroup….. (a progressive action)

Regards,

V.

Hmm. I'm still unclear about what is concerning you. You've presented some sentences, and stated that they represent opposite situations, but you haven't said why that is a problem to you.
The different subgroups describe different kinds of situations; and they use different adverbial modifiers. Isn't that what you'd expect?

[vil]

Hi Raymott,

Thank you again.

Yes, we finally reached an agreement concerning the matter in question. I take a keen interest in the usage of the different adverbial modifiers in the separated subgroups above.

Regards,

V.