She claimed to be 19 while/when I know she's only 16.
Do both while and when work for this sentence?
Many thanks.
I prefer "while," but "when" could be used as well.
I would never use "whereas" unless I was writing a resolution for a legislative body, or some similar type of legal document.
I could use 'while' there, but not 'when'; in the original sentence, I could use either.My mum roasts potatoes in goose fat whereas I roast them in butter.
:up: Good catch! ;-)....
She claimed to be 19 whereas I knew she was really 16.
She claims to be 19 but I know she is really 16.
Yes. Something adversative fits better. Sadly, I don't think 'whereas' has much longer to live, except in the bigger dictionaries.
I have thought of one situation where I think it is used and sounds much more natural "Don't try telling me you're 19 when I know damn well you're only 16!" Here, "when" means "because". I honestly can't say why it sounds better in that context than in the original statements.
The problem, as I see it, is that both "when" and "while" are commonly used in this sort of context but neither of them really fits. I definitely wouldn't say that the tense of the sentence makes any difference to the choice. They are both words used colloquially in the context without really being the appropriate word because time (to which both "when" and "while" relate) is really irrelevant. I would go with something like:
She claimed to be 19 whereas I knew she was really 16.
She claims to be 19 but I know she is really 16.
I have thought of one situation where I think it is used and sounds much more natural "Don't try telling me you're 19 when I know damn well you're only 16!" Here, "when" means "because". I honestly can't say why it sounds better in that context than in the original statements.