0

I’m confused about the tense of this sentence:

Now they’re in this moment where they were planning to release a bill last week.

Is it grammatically correct? And I also want to know whether there’s any difference between “in this moment where” and “ in this moment when”. Thanks！

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

It is grammatically correct but does not show the best idiomaticity, in my opinion. Something such as the following would have seemed more usual to me.

  • Now they've reached this moment [during which/when/where] they were planning to release a bill last week.

There is no difference as to meaning; "where" can be used to stand for places, situations and stages (Cambridge Dictionary). The particular moment mentioned can be identified to a given situation or stage in a progression. The given form used communicates somewhat different connotations. For instance the same general idea could have been written like so:

  • "Now they are at the point where they were planning to release a bill last week.".
Improve this answer
5
  • So it means according to the plan that they had last week they should release the bill at the moment?
    – ZaneHsu
    Commented Jul 28, 2020 at 16:20
  • 1
    @ZaneHsu No, it means "according to the plan they had at this moment (a moment possibly one month before the week mentioned) they should release the bill last week.".
    – LPH
    Commented Jul 28, 2020 at 16:30
  • 1
    @ZaneHsu To have a meaning approaching that which you mention the sentence should be "Now they’re in this moment, last week, where they were planning to release a bill.", and there is no teelling when the release will be.
    – LPH
    Commented Jul 28, 2020 at 16:34
  • 1
    "Now they are the point"? ;)
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Jul 28, 2020 at 17:01
  • @JasonBassford No, of course not, that's a typing error; I will add the missing preposition.
    – LPH
    Commented Jul 28, 2020 at 19:55

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .