Because of the lack of context, we’re in the realm of
invited inference. The second sentence invites the inference that what
she related happened just prior to the time of the sentence and is somehow
related to her emotional state. The first sentence permits but does not
invite this inference, and so she could also be relating something that long
before, perhaps did not involve her directly, but moved her deeply.
The pragmatics of sentences like these is particularly
interesting, and there’s been some good work done on the nature of
invited inference by Michael Geis, Jerry Morgan and others.
Herb
From: Assembly for the
Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brad
Johnston
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 9:33 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: What does this mean?
What does this sentence mean: She took a deep breath and,
between sobs, related what happened? What does this sentence mean: She took a deep breath and,
between sobs, related what had happened? .brad.04nov09. |
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