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Toeic/ Tense

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Lcchang  #545760  Thu, 24 Jul 08 06:56 AM
When the Research Department (A) started (B) working on a new shampoo, we (C) received phone calls from other researchers who (D) worked on the same kind of project.

Do you know which underlined part is incorrect? I can't. Please advise.
  
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Yoong Liat  #545762  Thu, 24 Jul 08 07:05 AM

Lcchang
When the Research Department (A) started (B) working on a new shampoo, we (C) received phone calls from other researchers who (D) worked on the same kind of project.

Do you know which underlined part is incorrect? I can't. Please advise.

When the Research Department ) started  working on a new shampoo, we  received phone calls from other researchers who (D) were working on the same kind of project.

I'd use 'were working' .

  
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26TMNTJG2PG  #545768  Thu, 24 Jul 08 07:33 AM
Yoong Liat

When the Research Department ) started  working on a new shampoo, we  received phone calls from other researchers who (D) were working on the same kind of project.

I'd use 'were working' .



I agree to the above suggestion.

In fact the original sentence appears all right.

However, if it is a test on consistency, then the answer may be: 

When the Research Department (A) started (B) working and worked on a new shampoo, we (C) received phone calls from other researchers who (D) worked on the same kind of project.

to be in line with all the other verbs which are in simple past tense.
  
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Lcchang  #545770  Thu, 24 Jul 08 07:39 AM
May I ask why we can't use simple past tense for (D)?
  
Yoong Liat  #545775  Thu, 24 Jul 08 07:54 AM

Yoong Liat

When the Research Department ) started  working on a new shampoo, we  received phone calls from other researchers who (D) were working on the same kind of project.

I use 'were working' so that it is consistent with 'started working'.

  
Lcchang  #545782  Thu, 24 Jul 08 08:06 AM
Sorry, but I am still confused. I thought working was formed by (start + V-ing). I wonder why these two have to be consistent. Please advise.
  
Yoong Liat  #545830  Thu, 24 Jul 08 11:26 AM

When the Research Department  started  working on a new shampoo, we  received phone calls from other researchers working on the same kind of project.

  
Lcchang  #547045  Sun, 27 Jul 08 03:48 PM
I can understand the change you've made, which sounds fine to me. In the meantime however, you seem to have taken out the word "who" which is not an underlined word and  must stay in the sentence.

In any case, I'd just like to find out if (D) can keep its original tense. Please advise.
  
New2grammar  #547051  Sun, 27 Jul 08 04:01 PM
To me, (D) can be in the simple past tense or as suggested the past continuous. Do you know the difference between these two tenses?

I was working on my homework when she came home.
I worked my homework and then washed the dishes.

Do you see the difference? The first emphasizes that the activity of doing homework was on-going or temporary (expected to finish soon).
  
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