I got emotional listening to this song.

Romeo-Bravo

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Hi, forum. This is my first time posting here, and I would like to ask: What does each of the present participles in these three examples mean exactly?

1. I got emotional listening to this song.
2. A coworker cut his hair using mirrors.
3. Do you think you'll be okay waiting here by yourself?

Is 1. in the causal sense, 2. in the means sense, and 3. in the simultaneity sense?
 
Welcome to the forum. '

Before we continue, you need to tell us where you found those three example sentences. If you didn't create them yourself, we need to know the title of the book/website and the name(s) of the author(s) of each one.
This is a legal requirement whenever you quote someone else's words, due to the strict copyright laws in the UK (where the forum is based).
 
Welcome to the forum. '

Before we continue, you need to tell us where you found those three example sentences. If you didn't create them yourself, we need to know the title of the book/website and the name(s) of the author(s) of each one.
This is a legal requirement whenever you quote someone else's words, due to the strict copyright laws in the UK (where the forum is based).
1.

2.

3.

1. is slightly different from the original. 2. is from a post on reddit. 3. is a scene from Breaking Bad. You can see it at 1:17
 
1) I got so emotional listening to my husband share his heart

This is simultaneous, since the woman's emotions were happening at the same time that her husband was talking. However, it's primarily causal, because what she's mainly saying is that the man's words are what made her very emotional.

2) Coworker cut his hair using mirrors

Yes, this what you call the 'means' use. It means that the method the coworker used to cut his hair involved the use of mirrors.

3) Are you going to be okay waiting here by yourself?

This is equivalent to:

= Do you feel comfortable with the idea of waiting here by yourself?

Pragmatically, what the man really means to say is:

= Can I leave you here?
 
1) I got so emotional listening to my husband share his heart

This is simultaneous, since the woman's emotions were happening at the same time that her husband was talking. However, it's primarily causal, because what she's mainly saying is that the man's words are what made her very emotional.

2) Coworker cut his hair using mirrors

Yes, this what you call the 'means' use. It means that the method the coworker used to cut his hair involved the use of mirrors.

3) Are you going to be okay waiting here by yourself?

This is equivalent to:

= Do you feel comfortable with the idea of waiting here by yourself?

Pragmatically, what the man really means to say is:

= Can I leave you here?
Thanks. Glad I understand what they mean. What's happening above them grammatically?

1. "Listening to my husband share his heart, I got so emotional." or "I got so emotional [while] listening to my husband share his heart."

I'm familiar with sentences like the above example, but I've never seen the first example before. Is it some kind of variant of the above? Also, aren't the commas and while necessary when moving it to the end of the sentence? And should I determine from the context whether the example I asked about represents simultaneity or causation?

2. Coworker cut his hair [by] using mirrors.

Do you think this can be explained with a preposition like "by"? Also, is the comma not necessary here?

Can this also be transformed like this: Using mirrors, coworker cut his hair.

or isn't that natural?

3. Are you going to be okay [in / while] waiting here by yourself?

Can we put "while" or "in" in the same way? Is the comma not necessary?

Waiting here by yourself, are you going to be okay? - is this natural?


I'm sorry this question is so long.
 
Last edited:
1. Listening to her husband share his heart causes her emotion.

2. The coworker cut his hair by using mirrors. (That's the method used.)

3. Are you going to be okay waiting here by yourself? (Are you going to be comfortable here?)
 

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