difference between two sentences

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

What’s the difference between two sentences?
1-The police went over the car looking for fingerprints.
2-The police went over the car and looked for fingerprints.
Why do we use gerund “looking” there?

Thanks in advance,
Mohammad

2

#1 = The police went over the car while looking for fingerprints.
#2 = The police went over the car while they looked for fingerprints.

IMO, no considerable difference.

3

Hi sir,

Sentence does not have “while”. I have come across this sentence in dictionary.

  1. vt examine something carefully: to examine or check something carefully
    The police went over the car looking for fingerprints.
    Microsoft® Encarta® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Do you mean that it is possible to omit “while” in some special situations?

4

Yes, sir. “while” is not necessary and can be replaced by “and” in #2.

5

I got it.
Thank you very much

6

I would use only #1, as #2 suggests to me that the two actions were separated in time, when in fact they were performed at the same time.

I think this will work:
The police went over the car looking for fingerprints and matched the found fingerprints to the perpetrator.

7

As Tort says, the difference is in the emphasis on the relationship between the two actions, but just to clarify, sentence 2 is also acceptable.