Say I want to write something to say:
John looked over his shoulder as he opened the door slowly.
However, for stylistic reasons I don't really want to use as in that sentence. There must be other ways of expressing simultaneity. What words or phrasing could replace the as in that sentence?
The Help Center here says
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… so please explain your choice and why your suggestion works [e.g. its grammar] as that introduces some objective measure of validity.
Best Answer
The adverb makes 'he opened the door slowly' non-punctive. It is not clear whether 'looked' is describing a punctive act or a durative one.
If the former (the apparent tautology is idiomatic):
If the latter: