Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[learner1]

Hello,

"When John first started dating Sherry, he would often bring her flowers."

I have some questions about the sentence as follows:

1.Does 'while' or 'as' also work here instead of 'when'?

2.When John first started to date Sherry,...
Can I use started to date instead of started dating here?

3.Can I say 'When John first began dating...
or
'When John first began to date... instead of the original sentence?

Thank you very much.

[cgage2]

When John first started dating sherry, he would ofter bring her flowers."

You can't use "while" because "first" indicates a specific point in time. "While" indicates over a longer period of time. Do not use "as"

the answer to 2 and 3 are yes

P.S. you wrote "ofter". There is no such word. I think that you mean "often".

[learner1]

[learner1]

Hello,

1.Can I use 'used to' instead of 'would' here as in "When John first started dating Sherry, he used to often bring her flowers."? Do they mean the same if 'used to' is also fine here?

2."When John first started dating Sherry, he would/would often bring her flowers."
What is the difference between 'would' and 'would often' here?

Thank you very much.

[Bob S.]

[learner1]

Hello Bob S.,


Thank you very much for your kind answer.