[Fwd: Verb aspect and ellipsis]

[Ellen F. Prince]

>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.
>>
>> 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?
>
>I think this has something to do with the construal of 'working' as an
>ongoing process, thanks to the participial suffix; this coheres better
>with the meaning of 'while' than does the simple past 'worked'.
>
>But then why is #2 grammatical at all?

The elliptical sentence has nothing to do with #1; in #1 there is
the progressive whereas in the elliptical sentence there is a
participle. Note that verbs that do not occur in the progressive
have no difficulty appearing participially:

She lived in Manhattan while owning a house in the suburbs

vs.

*She lived in Manhattan while she was owning a house in the suburbs.


When knowing the questions in advance, one can do very well on an exam.

vs.

*When one is knowing the questions in advance, one can...


Ellen Prince