Question

English

posted by rfvv yesterday at 2:39am

1. I saw a boy in the car.
2. When I saw a boy, I was in the car.
3. I saw a boy who was in the car. At that time I was near the car.
[Does #1 mean either #2 or #3 according to the context? Which one is a common explanation for Sentence 1?]
Writeacher yesterday at 8:20am
1 and 3 mean the same thing. 1 is the more common expression. 3 is wordy and rather awkward.

2 does not mean what the others do.

1 means that, as I was standing or walking by/near the car, I saw a boy inside it.
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1. I saw a boy in the car.
2. When I saw a boy, I was in the car.
3. I saw a boy who was in the car. At that time I was near the car.

[Thank you for your help. If somebody asks, "Where did you see the boy?", can't we answer as in #1? In that case, #1 can mean #4 or #5, can't it?]

4. In the car, I saw the boy.
5. I saw the boy in the car. [I was in the car.]
6. I was in the car, and saw the boy there.

Answer 1

#1 can mean the same as #s 4, 5, and 6, yes.