Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Teo]

The person writing reports is my colleague.
The above sentence may be interpreted, according to the context, as equivalent to one of the more explicit versions in the following.

1. The person who will write reports is my colleague.

2. The person who will be writing reports is my colleague.

3. The person who writes reports is my colleague.

4. The person who is writing reports is my colleague.

5. The person who wrote reports is my colleague.

6. The person who was writing reports is my colleague.

[A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, Quirk, et al.]

However, according to Michael Swan, we should use a relative clause to express a non-progressive meaning.

7. The man who threw the bomb was arrested.

NOT 8. *The man throwing the bomb was arrested.

If Quirk is right, sentence #8 should be acceptable, shouldn't it?

If Swan is right, the blue sentence cannot normally be interpreted as 1, 3, or 5.

Who do you think is right, Quirk or Swan?
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Thank you very much for your reply.

[myprofe]

The present continuous refers to what is happening now or around now.

The person writing reports is my colleague.
The person that is writing reports is my colleague.
The person who is writing reports is my colleague.

The past coninuous refers to what was happening at some point in the past.

The man who was throwing the bomb was arrested.

The man throwing - can not be understood as - The man who was throwing

This, however is different:

The baby that was crying was taken to the hospital
The crying baby was taken to the hospital
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I'm never going to learn if you don't correct my mistakes!

[Teo]

1. The person who writes reports is my colleague.
2. The person writing reports is my colleague.
3. The man who threw the bomb was arrested.
4. The man throwing the bomb was arrested.
Can we reduce sentences #1 and #3 to #2 and #4?
_________________
Thank you very much for your reply.

[myprofe]

1. The person who writes reports is my colleague.
The present simple is used to refer to habitual action, things that always happen or are always true.

2. The person writing reports is my colleague.

The present continuous refers to things that are happening now or around now but not always and not permanently.

3. The man who threw the bomb was arrested.


4. The man throwing the bomb was arrested.

It's possible that it is understood that the man throwing + was refers to the man who was or has been throwing but I think this is grammatically incorrect.

You should say: The man who has been or was throwing the bomb was arrested or has been arrested.
_________________
I'm never going to learn if you don't correct my mistakes!