Progressive?

Hi Taka,

Your sentence: I was sitting in my room, reading a book, [and ]drinking a cup of tea.

Reading and drinking are past progressive. You were sitting in the room, reading and drinking a cup of tea (when *** arrived at my door). The tone of this sentence was set up to detail what you were doing as something else happened which seemed to be missing. So they are not participle clauses.

Absolutely!

She was alone in the corner, reading a book, [while/ and ] smoking a cigarette.

She was alone in the corner, reading a book, smoking a cigarette. as is, it's incorrect

1. I was sitting in my room, reading a book, drinking a cup of tea.

Interesting. I would tend towards interpreting them as participles, post-modifying "I". Cf:

2. Reading a book, drinking a cup of tea, I was sitting in my room.

"I was sitting" in #1 looks at the action from the perspective of the speaker's now; but I understand "reading" and "drinking" as "from the perspective of the speaker's then".

MrP

MrPedantic wrote:

1. I was sitting in my room, reading a book, drinking a cup of tea. Interesting. I would tend towards interpreting them as participles, post-modifying "I". Cf: 2. Reading a book, drinking a cup of tea, I was sitting in my room. "I was sitting" in #1 looks at the action from the perspective of the speaker's now; but I understand "reading" and "drinking" as "from the perspective of the speaker's then". MrP Hi MrP, Um…….After reading your post and looking at the sentences again, I think you are right. But what if my friend asked me  “what were you doing last nigh when I called?” and I replied “ I was reading a book in my room and having a cup of tea”. Is that that same context as the question in discussion?  The only difference is the comma which makes reading a book and drink a cup of tea a participle clause, Is this a reasonable argument?