When and why can you omit “when” (or other conjunctions or prepositions) before a gerund clause that’s used adverbially?

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  1. I had a bad experience working there.

Is that sentence correct, or must I write:

  1. I had a bad experience when working there.
  2. I had a bad experience while working there.

or even:

  1. I had a bad experience while I was working there.
  2. I had a bad experience when I worked there.

It seems like sometimes gerund–participle clauses (meaning -ing clauses) can be directly used in an adverbial way, without any sort of conjunction or preposition joining them to the rest of the sentence.

  1. Working there, I developed a real sweet tooth.
  2. While working there, I developed a real sweet tooth.
  3. By working there, I developed a real sweet tooth.
  4. I developed a real sweet tooth working there.
  5. I developed a real sweet tooth while working there.
  6. I developed a real sweet tooth by working there.

Are there rules governing when you can use a gerund clause on its own like this without a connecting word?

Answer

The additional words you are using all add meaning to the sentence.

‘When‘ indicates a there was a specific time in the past (although it is not specified).

‘While‘ indicates it occurred during the course of a broader time in the past.

‘By‘ indicates it was the cause of the experience.

The rule would be that you use a connecting word that adds the correct additional meaning, or don’t if the meaning is sufficient.

Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Best_Name , Answer Author : Manhatton

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