Is "What does he want us to be doing when she arrives?" correct?
Is the "want + noun/pronoun + to be doing" good use?
Is the "want + noun/pronoun + to be doing" good use?
What does he want us to be doing when she arrives?
Sounds OK to me.
The whole sentence is a bit complex, though (but I don't see an obvious way to streamline it without changing the meaning).
The whole sentence is a bit complex, though (but I don't see an obvious way to streamline it without changing the meaning).
What does he want us to do when she arrives?
What does he expect us to do when she arrives?
What does he expect us to do when she arrives?
Substituting "to do" for "to be doing" seems to slightly change the meaning, for me. "to do" seems to imply that we are supposed to start doing something right after the arrival. "to be doing" seems to imply that we are supposed to be in the process of doing some activity when the arrival occurs (perhaps so it looks like we've been busy all along?)
<What does he want us to do when she arrives?
What does he expect us to do when she arrives? >
I hope those are not corrections of Davy's sentence, Guest. The difference between "What does he want us to do when she arrives?" and "What does he want us to be doing when she arrives?" is very important in English usage.
"What does he want us to do when she arrives?" (The action can begin the moment she arrives or just after.)
"What does he want us to be doing when she arrives?" (The action should begin prior to her arrival and be in progress upon her arrival)
What does he expect us to do when she arrives? >
I hope those are not corrections of Davy's sentence, Guest. The difference between "What does he want us to do when she arrives?" and "What does he want us to be doing when she arrives?" is very important in English usage.
"What does he want us to do when she arrives?" (The action can begin the moment she arrives or just after.)
"What does he want us to be doing when she arrives?" (The action should begin prior to her arrival and be in progress upon her arrival)
I agree with the two posters above. "What does he want us to do when he arrives" and "What does he want us to be doing when he arrives" have different meanings. In the first sentence, the desired action begins when "he" arrives, whereas in the second sentence, the desired action is already going on when "he" arrives.