ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: cars bulged

Marius Hancu — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:50:31 GMT

Bulged creates the image of being swollen, which crowded doesn't.

Re: cars bulged

optilang — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:31:40 GMT

First class carriages - this is the whole section of the first class available on the train. Compartments are sections within the train carriage - but it is possible to say that the first class compartments bulged.

If you want to replace bulged with crowded you would have to say - even first-class carriages/compartments were crowded with passengers. The idea of bulged here is that they were filled to capacity. It is possible for a space to be crowded without the space being completely full.

cars bulged

New2grammar — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:26:50 GMT

The one-day walkout hobbled long distance train traffic without causing the havoc seen in past strikes. On a Paris-Nice train Thursday, even first-class cars bulged with passengers, some cramming aisles and others sitting on luggage racks for the five-hour journey.

1 Can I replace cars with compartments without change of meaning?

2. Can I replace bulged with crowded?

Thanks!