I didn't hear you come/coming in
Marius Hancu
"I didn't hear you come in"
is 80 times more frequent at Google Books than
"I didn't hear you coming in."
Any real difference of meaning?
---
"I didn't hear you come in."
DeLillo, Underworld, p. 178
---
--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu
John O'Flaherty
<marius...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Hello:
>
>"I didn't hear you come in"
I didn't hear anything that let me know you'd got here.
>is 80 times more frequent at Google Books than
>"I didn't hear you coming in."
I didn't hear any sounds associated with you're coming in.
(But maybe I saw you on the monitor.)
>Any real difference of meaning?
>
>---
>"I didn't hear you come in."
>
>DeLillo, Underworld, p. 178
>---
Not a hard difference, just suggestive.
--
John
Glenn Knickerbocker
>Any real difference of meaning?
Wait, didn't we just do this with "see"? I guess it was a few months
ago:
<b1af5159-442e-41e7...@b30g2000yqd.googlegroups.com>
<80u4q9...@mid.individual.net>
<0a307e76-ecb3-4ba4...@v20g2000yqv.googlegroups.com>
<oIydnQyvf6hdAjfW...@bestweb.net>
<f1d4790e-a086-4bb9...@b33g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>
<WPednaWx6cHCIzbW...@bestweb.net>
<1jfx42j.1vmaqym1qiz3m8N%tr...@euronet.nl>
Same deal here: The progressive means the action was in progress--or it
might not be a progressive at all, but a participle modifying "I."
With the negative, it's unusual to need to distinguish between the
completed action and the action in progress. "I didn't hear you coming
in, but I certainly heard you slam the door."
¬R Where'd they come from, these guys? And why does it smell
o|-< ><> like herring and straw in here all of a sudden?
http://users.bestweb.net/~notr/engel.html --Kevin S. Wilson
DCDuring (US English, NY)
In addition to Glenn's comments, "coming in" is somewhat ambiguous in
which pronoun it modifies.
The alternative reading: When I was coming in, I didn't hear you.
DCDuring AmerE
Pat Durkin
"John O'Flaherty" <quia...@yeeha.com> wrote in message
news:c7ip16lvof5mooqn6...@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 19 Jun 2010 04:39:54 -0700 (PDT), Marius Hancu
> <marius...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>Hello:
>>
>>"I didn't hear you come in"
>
> I didn't hear anything that let me know you'd got here.
>
>>is 80 times more frequent at Google Books than
>>"I didn't hear you coming in."
>
> I didn't hear any sounds associated with you're coming in.
> (But maybe I saw you on the monitor.)
You're coming in? Stamp your feet so I will hear you!
John O'Flaherty
wrote:
>
>"John O'Flaherty" <quia...@yeeha.com> wrote in message
>news:c7ip16lvof5mooqn6...@4ax.com...
>> On Sat, 19 Jun 2010 04:39:54 -0700 (PDT), Marius Hancu
>> <marius...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Hello:
>>>
>>>"I didn't hear you come in"
>>
>> I didn't hear anything that let me know you'd got here.
>>
>>>is 80 times more frequent at Google Books than
>>>"I didn't hear you coming in."
>>
>> I didn't hear any sounds associated with you're coming in.
>> (But maybe I saw you on the monitor.)
>
>You're coming in? Stamp your feet so I will hear you!
Whoop's!
--
John
Pat Durkin
Well, I was a bit worried that _I_ might come off a bit Skittish, too.
Marius Hancu
wrote:
> > "I didn't hear you come in"
> > is 80 times more frequent at Google Books than
> > "I didn't hear you coming in."
>
> > Any real difference of meaning?
>
> > ---
> > "I didn't hear you come in."
>
> In addition to Glenn's comments, "coming in" is somewhat ambiguous in
> which pronoun it modifies.
That I agree.
> The alternative reading: When I was coming in, I didn't hear you.
Thanks.
Marius Hancu
Marius Hancu
> >Any real difference of meaning?
>
> Wait, didn't we just do this with "see"? I guess it was a few months
> ago:
[snip]
Couldn't quite get your link, seems scrambled:-), but you're right, I
forgot this thread:
Heard them talk/talking
http://tinyurl.com/29ckb4q
> Same deal here: The progressive means the action was in progress--or it
> might not be a progressive at all, but a participle modifying "I."
>
> With the negative, it's unusual to need to distinguish between the
> completed action and the action in progress. "I didn't hear you coming
> in, but I certainly heard you slam the door."
Interesting.
Thanks.
Marius Hancu
Glenn Knickerbocker
>Couldn't quite get your link, seems scrambled:-)
Wait, someone actually READS those exchanges with Peter? I figured they
were strictly write-only.
ŹR Blather, Rinse, Repeat.
http://users.bestweb.net/~notr/telecom.html
CDB
> Marius Hancu wrote:
>
>> Couldn't quite get your link, seems scrambled:-)
>
>
> Wait, someone actually READS those exchanges with Peter? I figured
> they were strictly write-only.
>
Marius Hancu
> Wait, someone actually READS those exchanges with Peter?
Guess so.
Now, in:
---
"And why is it that when I get back, the whole thing's gone and lost
and forgotten?"
p. 253
----
would
"when I'm getting back"
equally work?
With the eventual difference that only the original means "whenever I
get back?"
Thanks.
Marius Hancu
Glenn Knickerbocker
> "And why is it that when I get back, the whole thing's gone and lost
> and forgotten?"
>
> "when I'm getting back"
> equally work?
Nope, same deal with progress versus completion. It would mean you
could tell it was gone before you even got in the door--and it might
even be recovered and remembered as soon as you came back in.
> With the eventual difference that only the original means "whenever I
> get back?"
The meaning of "when" is no different between the two versions. It
happens every time, or it happens once in an incident being recounted in
the present tense.
ŹR