Passage from Matthew

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
Oh, ok -- I knew this was the case for imperative/infinitive, but not for the other moods. But even so, it seems sort of weird; isn't "not striking your foot against a stone" more a progressive/ongoing action than a single action viewed from beginning to end?
I don't think so. It's referring the whole action of striking his foot against a stone — bang! and that's it — rather than to the process of being striking his foot against a stone.
 

Callaina

Feles Curiosissima

  • Civis Illustris

  • Patrona

Location:
Canada
But it's negated...well, I suppose in that moment that he falls, he won't strike his foot against a stone (which otherwise would have been a split-second sort of action.)
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
I think I understand your thought: you were thinking that he must always not be striking his foot against a stone or sort of like repeatedly not striking his foot against a stone.

But the foot-striking here is considered more like something that could happen once, but will be prevented.
 

Callaina

Feles Curiosissima

  • Civis Illustris

  • Patrona

Location:
Canada
I think I understand your thought: you were thinking that he must always not be striking his foot against a stone or sort of like repeatedly not striking his foot against a stone.
Yes, that's exactly it.

But the foot-striking here is considered more like something that could happen once, but will be prevented.
Ok, thanks. :)
 
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