kadioguy
Key Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2017
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- Taiwan
- Current Location
- Taiwan
a. I was told to be waiting outside the station at 6 o'clock. (From Practical English usage 3rd 418.5)
b. I was told to wait outside the station at 6 o'clock. (My sentence)
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What is the difference in meaning between them?
A friend told me, "The first one (continuous) indicates that there's a duration to the waiting. The second just means at that instant (6 o'clock) you should wait. If this were used in a conversation, they would mean the same thing; the difference is slight."
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So I think that (a) literally means that the person had to wait outside the station before 6 o'clock, so that at 6 o'clock they could be (already) waiting there.
Is that right?
b. I was told to wait outside the station at 6 o'clock. (My sentence)
---
What is the difference in meaning between them?
A friend told me, "The first one (continuous) indicates that there's a duration to the waiting. The second just means at that instant (6 o'clock) you should wait. If this were used in a conversation, they would mean the same thing; the difference is slight."
---
So I think that (a) literally means that the person had to wait outside the station before 6 o'clock, so that at 6 o'clock they could be (already) waiting there.
Is that right?
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