comma before present participle [meaning?]: there I was, listening to

[zbwsb]

Hi, everyone, sorry this is a little long.

Just 2 days ago I couldn't have imagined myself even thinking about it, but suddenly there I was, listening to myself as I spoke the magic words.

Does the comma here is used as the conjunction "and"?

Then what about the comma here?

They all cowered silently in their places, seeming to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen.




Why after "," the word form is uesd as present participle "seeming" here?
Or do they happend at the same time, cowered and seeming.

My question is I do not know how to write sentences like these two. If I were the one who wrote the sentences. I would prababaly write:

1. Just 2 days ago I couldn't have imagined myself, or even thought about it, but suddenly there I was and listened to myself as I spoke the magic words.

2. They all cowered silently in their places and seemed to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen.

Can anyone explain the difference between my sentences and the original sentences? Any help will be appreciated!

 

[cropje_jnr]

Why after "," the word form is uesd as present participle "seeming" here?
Or do they happend at the same time, cowered and seeming.

That's essentially why. The present participle is used in a dependent clause (often after a comma) do emphasise that the actions expressed by the verbs are occurring concurrently.

This function is difficult to achieve using two past participles, as you have done in your examples, and indeed can sound quite odd (this is the case in your first sentence, as it is clear that you are seeking to describe two concurrent actions, yet your verb tense doesn't really express the desired meaning).

 

[zbwsb]

That's essentially why. The present participle is used in a dependent clause (often after a comma) do emphasise that the actions expressed by the verbs are occurring concurrently.

This function is difficult to achieve using two past participles, as you have done in your examples, and indeed can sound quite odd (this is the case in your first sentence, as it is clear that you are seeking to describe two concurrent actions, yet your verb tense doesn't really express the desired meaning).

Thanks again man! But I do not get it. What does the desired meaning mean here? Just 2 days ago I couldn't have imagined myself even thinking about it, but suddenly there I was, lestening to myself as I spoke the magic words.

What would be the difference if I change the sentence to: Just 2 days ago I couldn't have imagined myself even thinking about it, but suddenly there I was and listend to myself as I spoke the magic words.

Does the meaning change? It's ture that sounds weird. I prefer the original sentence. But, if I am going to write a sentence, my first feeling tells me to write the sentence as I did. It is hard for me to have the same feeling as some native speakers do.

What about the second example? The meaning is changed too? Sorry, I am not a smart guy, so can you be more specific? Thanks!

 

[Forero]

Present participles indicate that things are simultaneous, and often that an action is or was ongoing.

Listening in the first sentence does not mean "and listened". It is more like "as I listened". The meaning is that I suddenly found myself listening there to my own voice as I spoke the magic words.

"There I was and listened" sounds odd because was is part of "there I was" = "I found myself there" but if we said "there I listened ...", the word there would seem to have a different meaning. "I found myself listening" would also make sense, but "I found myself and listened" would say a completely different thing.

The second sentence means something like "As they all cowered silently in their places, they seemed to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen."

The commas are needed to separate words that do not belong in one phrase. In "there I was, listening ...", it is important to prevent "was listening ..." from being read as a present progressive form. In "cowered silently in their places, seeming ...", the comma prevents the reading "places seeming ..." = "places that seemed ...."

Does that help?

 

[zbwsb]

Present participles indicate that things are simultaneous, and often that an action is or was ongoing.

Listening in the first sentence does not mean "and listened". It is more like "as I listened". The meaning is that I suddenly found myself listening there to my own voice as I spoke the magic words.

"There I was and listened" sounds odd because was is part of "there I was" = "I found myself there" but if we said "there I listened ...", the word there would seem to have a different meaning. "I found myself listening" would also make sense, but "I found myself and listened" would say a completely different thing.

The second sentence means something like "As they all cowered silently in their places, they seemed to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen."

The commas are needed to separate words that do not belong in one phrase. In "there I was, listening ...", it is important to prevent "was listening ..." from being read as a present progressive form. In "cowered silently in their places, seeming ...", the comma prevents the reading "places seeming ..." = "places that seemed ...."

Does that help?

Yes, it helps a lot! I think now I understand the difference between those two sentences! "There I was, listening..." I think the word listening is also related to the word "was" If I change the word listening to and listened, it not only sounds weird but the meaning is changed as well.

Thank you for the explaination and really appreciate it!