Conversation started Jul 12, 2015 at 14:39.
Damkerng T.
Damkerng T.
Jul 12, 2015 14:39
The use of move vs. moving mentioned by CopperKettle and Jim in another room was intriguing.
in ELL's Cabin, 1 hour ago, by CopperKettle
"I am gradually moving away from design and now spend more time on photography." - I wonder if this combination is okay: progressive + simple
in ELL's Cabin, 1 hour ago, by CopperKettle
The original sentence was "I gradually move away" - it seemed strange to me.
in ELL's Cabin, 1 hour ago, by CopperKettle
Because move is a "momentous" verb, or whatever they call it
in ELL's Cabin, 1 hour ago, by CopperKettle
"Наше предприятие идет в ногу со временем" - our company moves/is moving in lockstep with the progress. (the reader has to guess from the context)
in ELL's Cabin, 1 hour ago, by Jim Reynolds
Our company moves is used to indicate a general truth.
in ELL's Cabin, 1 hour ago, by Jim Reynolds
It can still mean "always", "usually", "generally", regardless of how long it's been true.
in ELL's Cabin, 59 mins ago, by CopperKettle
@JimReynolds Yes, that's what I thought. Immediacy. "I gradually move towards the table, look at me, the audience!"
in ELL's Cabin, 55 mins ago, by Damkerng T.
I think it's because tenses and aspects of English are dichotomous (like present vs. past, simple vs. progressive, simple vs. prefect) that we have one form for normal expressions and another for a special effect.
in ELL's Cabin, 49 mins ago, by Damkerng T.
Methinks: I gradually move away from design. (Please sympathize with me, my dear reader.)
in ELL's Cabin, 46 mins ago, by Jim Reynolds
I can't think of a situation in which I'd use "I gradually move away from design . . ."
in ELL's Cabin, 42 mins ago, by Jim Reynolds
In 1957, Henry Ford moves gradually away from the daily management of his company and picks up a new hobby . . . one that would change thw very fabric of society.
in ELL's Cabin, 41 mins ago, by Jim Reynolds
I can see or hear how it might be used that way, but I think I've never read a grammatical explanation of such a use of the present simple.
in ELL's Cabin, 41 mins ago, by Jim Reynolds
A man walks into a bar and says . . . .
I found an interesting excerpt of a novel in the narrative present which uses both move and moving in a few consecutive paragraphs.
After Earth: books.google.com/…
Man_From_India
Man_From_India
@DamkerngT. I think it is possible to use I am gradually moving away from design, and now spends more time in photography.
Damkerng T.
Damkerng T.
@Man_From_India In expository writing, I'd prefer to use that too.
It's a bit different in creative writing.
> Now, though, as the shadow moves across it, the room has become a place of danger.
> [...]
> Senshi moves into the next room, spinning the cutlass in her hand, whipping it around in a figure eight pattern. Even as she does this, she is speaking in low, sharp tones to what Kitai realizes are other Rangers. She is bringing them up to speed, telling them that she is about to engage an enemy and that the sooner they arrive there, the better it's going to be for everyone involved.
> [...]
> Senshi is still moving her cutlass as it darts up and down, back and forth. She spins it so quickly that Kitai can scarcely follow it, and so he is sure that the Ursa is having the same problem.
Man_From_India
Man_From_India
hmmm...okay....
Damkerng T.
Damkerng T.
Jul 12, 2015 14:55
It's fun to see the simple and the progressive aspects used alternately!
(Not only with the verb move.)
Man_From_India
Man_From_India
Well, in the first quotation if as was omitted. How did it sound?
I think it sounds good because as is there. If in our sentence we use as we can use move perfectly.
But our sentence as it's now I think using the simple present tense is not that good.
Damkerng T.
Damkerng T.
I think without as, it needs to be split into two sentences.
The simple aspect can still work, imho.
> Now, though, the shadow moves across it. The room has become a place of danger.
I think the reader may not even notice the change. I mean, when we read a novel, we usually read pretty fast, dashing from one sentence to another, trying to grasp what happens (or is happening).
I think with the progressive aspect, I will imagine that the creature (that shadow) moves a little faster.
> Now, though, the shadow is moving across it. The room has become a place of danger.
Man_From_India
Man_From_India
Without the context it's hard to guess whether it's continuous or not. One might get it as the shadow moved once. And then the room became a dangerous place.
@DamkerngT. nods
Damkerng T.
Damkerng T.
It's from the book After Earth. I pasted a link to it on Google Books above.
The context should be sufficient. (Or maybe it's because I've already watched the movie.)
Man_From_India
Man_From_India
@DamkerngT. okay, this too :D
With context okay, but without any context as a one liner it's hard to determine whether the shadow moved one time or moved many times over.
Damkerng T.
Damkerng T.
Jul 12, 2015 15:02
But it was a little different in the movie. I mean this scene was way vaguer in the movie.
@Man_From_India nods -- I think it's only once with either aspect, though.
But I agree that with as, that sentence sounds better with the simple aspect.
The problem is I can't explain why.
13 mins ago, by Damkerng T.
> Now, though, as the shadow moves across it, the room has become a place of danger.
Man_From_India
Man_From_India
@DamkerngT. Maybe as already posses some aspect of continuity.
 
Conversation ended Jul 12, 2015 at 15:07.