The porter just stood there, expecting a tip.

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Son Ho

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Good afternoon, teachers!
Could you please tell me the second or third sentence is correct? Does it explains the action stood there?


  1. The porter just stood there. He expected a tip.
  2. The porter just stood there, expecting a tip.
  3. Expecting a tip, the porter just stood there.
 

tedmc

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I think #2 is the most natural of the three.
 

Son Ho

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Yes, they are both correct.


That's ungrammatical, and I'm not sure what you mean by it.

It means the phrase expecting a tip. Does the first sentence have the same meaning with the second and third?


  1. The porter just stood there because he expected a tip.
  2. Expecting a tip, the porter just stood there.
  3. The porter just stood there, expecting a tip.
 

emsr2d2

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[STRIKE]It means[/STRIKE] I meant the phrase expecting a tip. Does the first sentence have the same meaning [STRIKE]with[/STRIKE] as the second and third?


  1. The porter just stood there because he expected a tip.
  2. Expecting a tip, the porter just stood there.
  3. The porter just stood there, expecting a tip.

Not exactly, no. Sentences 2 and 3 mean the same as each other. Sentence 1 adds the information that the only reason he was standing there was that he was expecting a tip. The use of "because" definitely changes the tone of the sentence. 2 and 3 express that he was doing two things - standing there and expecting a tip. I accept that, logically, the reader would assume that he was standing there for exactly the purpose of receiving a tip but that's unequivocally expressed only in sentence 1.
 

PaulMatthews

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Good afternoon, teachers!
Could you please tell me the second or third sentence is correct? Does it explains the action stood there?

1.The porter just stood there. He expected a tip.
2. The porter just stood there, expecting a tip.
3. Expecting a tip, the porter just stood there.

[2] The porter just stood there, expecting a tip.
[3] Expecting a tip, the porter just stood there.

These are both fine; there's little to choose between them.

The underlined non-finite clause is best analysed as a depictive adjunct, giving descriptive information about the porter.

Note that it is interpreted with progressive aspectuality: "the porter was expecting a tip".
 

Son Ho

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Not exactly, no. Sentences 2 and 3 mean the same as each other. Sentence 1 adds the information that the only reason he was standing there was that he was expecting a tip. The use of "because" definitely changes the tone of the sentence. 2 and 3 express that he was doing two things - standing there and expecting a tip. I accept that, logically, the reader would assume that he was standing there for exactly the purpose of receiving a tip but that's unequivocally expressed only in sentence 1.

Could I express one of two actions by a present participle when they occur simultaneously? Are they exactly the same?


  1. The porter just stood there, expecting a tip.
  2. Standing there, the porter expected a tip.
 
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PaulMatthews

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Could I express one of two actions by a present participle when they occur simultaneously? Are they exactly the same?

  1. The porter just stood there, expecting a tip.
  2. Standing there, the porter expected a tip.

I think that question was answered in #2, #5 and #6.
 
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