[Fwd: Verb aspect and ellipsis]

[Jud Evans]

----- Original Message -----  From: "Johanna Rubba" <jrubba at CALPOLY.EDU To:
<FUNKNET at listserv.rice.edu Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2001 1: 24 AM Subject:
[Fwd: Verb aspect and ellipsis]

A friend posted this query to a grammar list I subscribe to:

Here are two sentences containing adverb clauses:

(1) She raised three children while she was working two jobs.
(2) She raised three children while she worked two jobs.

Hi Joanna,
As an Englishman these two sentences were like being sloshed with a bucket
of cold water!  They sound so ALIEN.

We  [the English] would say, and I am not claiming that ours is the 'right'
way:

"She raised three children while she was working at  two jobs."

or

"She raised three children while she worked at two jobs. "

or better still:

"She raised three children while she had two jobs."

In other words the sentence is fine up to: "She raised three children while
she . . ."    but after that from a British point of view  it goes  haywire.

In sentence (1), we can make the adverb clause elliptical: "She raised three
children while working two jobs. "

Can somebody explain why the corresponding clause in (2) cannot be made
elliptical: *"She raised three children while worked two jobs"?

Any theories?

It's far too late over here now for me to even think about it - Goodnight
Johanna!

Best wishes,
Jud.