Problems with 'as' and 'when'

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

If ,as’’ means ,at the same time as’’ and ,as’’ is used only if two things happen at the same time, so please tell me why these two sentences are incorrect:

  1. My camera was stolen as I was asleep on the bench. (I think that stealing and being asleep was together at the same time so ,as’’ here is corret, but my grammar book writes that it is wrong)
  2. I used to live near the sea as I was a child. (I think that living near the sea in the past and being a child was together at the same time so ,as’’ here for me is correct, but my grammar boook writes it is wrong).
    And these two above sentences my grammar book shows that they should be:
  3. My camera was stolen when I was asleep on the bench.
  4. I used to live near the sea when I was a child.
    Thanks for help!
2

#1 is correct. ‘When’ is also correct.
#2 is incorrect. ‘When’ is correct.

‘As’ requires a sense of duration: ‘I used to leave near the sea as I was growing up.’

3

Hi Saneta,

‘As’ often introduces a continuous form of the verb and suggests a comparison with another action. As the speaker was making his speech, several people left the room.

Alan

4

This is not an answer but some observations and more questions about Saneta’s post.

If I was given the sentence: My camera was stolen _______ I was asleep on the bench, I would fill the blank with “while”.

If, however, I were given the sentence, My camera was stolen as __________, and told to explain that I was sleeping on a bench, I would fill the blank to make it read like this:

My camera was stolen as I slept on the bench.

In the above sentence “as” means “at the same time”.

My reasoning for using “slept” would be the need to use a past participle to agree with “was stolen”, Is this correct?

When I read Saneta’s sentence, “My camera was stolen as I was asleep on the bench”, I infer the meaning, because I was asleep on the bench, my camera was stolen.

Wow, I am confusing myself!

Anyway, for this sentence:

I used to live near the sea as I was a child.

Again, it reads to me like, because I was a child, I lived by the sea.

I believe, Saneta, if you wanted to use “as”, you would have to say:

I used to live by the sea as a child

Otherwise it would be I used to live near the sea when I was a child.