Teacher Discussion Forums

Do you use both these in your variant?

"What does he want us to do when the boss arrives?"
"What does he want us to be doing when the boss arrives?"

Yes. And "What do you want us doing when the boss arrives?"

JuanTwoThree wrote:Yes. And "What do you want us doing when the boss arrives?"

OK, thanks, Juan.

(1) What does he want us to be doing when the boss arrives?
(2)What do you want us doing when the boss arrives?

And is there any difference in meaning or does it go to regional/personal usage?

José

Metamorfose wrote:(1) What does he want us to be doing when the boss arrives?
(2)What do you want us doing when the boss arrives?

And is there any difference in meaning or does it go to regional/personal usage?

José

I'd say they have the same meaning.

metal56 wrote:Do you use both these in your variant?

"What does he want us to do when the boss arrives?"
"What does he want us to be doing when the boss arrives?"

I can use either of them, but for the first, I'd wait until the boss arrived to do whatever, and for the second, I'd try to be in the middle of it when the boss arrived. Do you have that distinction?

Lorikeet wrote:

metal56 wrote:Do you use both these in your variant?

"What does he want us to do when the boss arrives?"
"What does he want us to be doing when the boss arrives?"

I can use either of them, but for the first, I'd wait until the boss arrived to do whatever, and for the second, I'd try to be in the middle of it when the boss arrived. Do you have that distinction?

For me, you do.

And for most people I'd have thought. I was idly trying to think of a case when the simple form did mean "in the middlle of it/in progress" but the best I can do is "He wants us to be quiet when the boss arrives" which is perhaps a little ambiguous.

JuanTwoThree wrote:And for most people I'd have thought. I was idly trying to think of a case when the simple form did mean "in the middlle of it/in progress" but the best I can do is "He wants us to be quiet when the boss arrives" which is perhaps a little ambiguous.

Yes, I remember that one. Our teacher used to use it when the headmaster was about to visit.