When John talked to Bob, he saw a bird.

[Maybo]

When John talked to Bob, he saw a bird.

I wrote the above sentence. Can I rewrite it as follows?

1. Talking to Bob, John saw a bird.
2. When talking to Bob, John saw a bird.

 

[tedmc]

I think this is more natural:

When John was talking to Bob, he saw a bird.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd start with "While".

 

[Tdol]

They're correct, but the first would be used by very few speakers today.

 

[TheParser]

NOT A TEACHER

Maybo, may I gently remind you that it often depends on whether you are speaking or writing. If I am not mistaken, this is the case in many languages.

In speaking, we often use many more words: "I was walking down the street yesterday when I saw the President's motorcade pass by" is what you might say in a conversation with a friend.

But if you were writing a letter, one might be more terse: "Walking down the street yesterday, I saw the President's passing motorcade." And some native speakers might even use a dangling participle: "Walking down the street yesterday, the President's motorcade passed me."