ignoring/ignored

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By the side of a pond, there lived a heron which caught the fish in the pond for its food. As time went by, the fish became wary of it and kept away from it.

The heron deliberately stood in the water for hours, with eyes closed and ignoring/ignored the fish that swam around it.

1. Which verb should I use?

2. Are there any other errors in the sentences?

Many thanks.

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Type: Question • Score: 3 • Views: 644 • Replies: 13

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I would use "ignoring." I don't really see any problems with the rest of it. Simply as a matter of style, i might write: "At the side of a pond lived a heron . . . "

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Thanks, Setanta.

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@tanguatlay,

tanguatlay wrote:

By the side of a pond, there lived a heron which caught the fish in the pond for his food.
As time went by, the fish became wary of him and kept away from him.

The heron deliberately stood in the water for hours, with eyes closed ignoring the fish that swam around him.

1. Which verb should I use?

2. Are there any other errors in the sentences? [gender]

Many thanks.

0 Replies

@tanguatlay,

You would use ignored. Stood is past tense. So is ignored.

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Can you guys explain AM what's a gerund?

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@Francis,

If I am in error I have no problem being told that or shown that. No need to speak of me as if I'm not here.

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@tanguatlay,

With the 'and', use ignored.

The heron deliberately stood in the water for hours, with its eyes closed and ignored the fish that swam around it.

Without the 'and', use ignoring.

The heron deliberately stood in the water for hours, with its eyes closed, ignoring the fish that swam around it.

1 Reply

@JTT,

I agree with JTT.

And if I were to write it myself, I would write, 'The heron deliberately stood in the water for hours with its eyes closed, ignoring the fish that swam around it' because it flows more easily and sounds more graceful (and the image is a graceful one).

1 Reply

@aidan,

aidan wrote:

I agree with JTT.

And if I were to write it myself, I would write, 'The heron deliberately stood in the water for hours with its eyes closed, ignoring the fish that swam around it' because it flows more easily and sounds more graceful (and the image is a graceful one).

Some insects r of neuter gender; not birds.
It is a matter of biological necessity that a bird be male or female.
If u KNOW that the bird is a female, then u say "she"; if u don 't know,
or if u believe him to be a male, then u say "he" or u will make
a fool of yourself, showing that u know not elementary biology.

English grammar is based on the simplicity of logic.

David

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@OmSigDAVID,

That's true and if the heron proved to be female - the sentence would be even lovelier if it read: 'The heron deliberately stood in the water for hours with its eyes closed, ignoring the fish that swam around her.'

That's the most graceful option yet.

1 Reply

@OmSigDAVID,

And by what logic does an unknown gender become "he"? The inquiry is about logic, not tradition.

1 Reply

@aidan,

aidan wrote:

That's true and if the heron proved to be female - the sentence would be even lovelier if it read:
'The heron deliberately stood in the water for hours with its eyes closed, ignoring the fish that swam around her.'

That's the most graceful option yet.

U missed a pronoun:
" if the heron proved to be female - the sentence would be even
lovelier if it read: 'The heron deliberately stood in the water for hours with HER eyes closed,
ignoring the fish that swam around her."

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@roger,

roger wrote:

And by what logic does an unknown gender become "he"? The inquiry is about logic, not tradition.

U frased that perfectly to make your point, Roger.

David

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ignoring/ignored

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