When she came along

Dear native English speakers,

Would all the sentences be used? Do (a), (b) and (c) have almost the same meaning?
(a) When she came, we had been talking for an hour.
(b) When she came along, we had been talking for an hour.
(c) When she came over, we had been talking for an hour.
(d) When she appeared, we had been talking for an hour.
(e) When she dropped by, we had been talking for an hour.

Thanks in advance.

Hirashin

I don't like (a) and (b). The first part of such a sentence should be an (almost) instantaneous action. e.g., When the earthquake struck, I was having a bath.
'Come' (in the non-sexual sense!) and 'Come along' are not instantaneous actions. e.g. 'I'm going to the park to play football. Would you like to come/come along?'

Another OK alternative would be 'When she arrived,...'

Thank you for the help, Lothor.

Would the following sentences sound off, either?
(a') We had been talking for an hour when she came.
(b') We had been talking for an hour when she came along.

Would (c), (d), and (e) sound right?

First thing I thought of:


When she came along,

hirashin said:

Thank you for the help, Lothor.

Would the following sentences sound off, either?
(a') We had been talking for an hour when she came.
(b') We had been talking for an hour when she came along.

Would (c), (d), and (e) sound right?

Click to expand...

c to e were fine. I don't like a' and b' for the same reason as before.

OK, thanks, Lothor.
And thanks for the link, johnnyG. I would often listened to their songs when I was young.

I like these better with "already":
(a) When she came, we had already been talking for an hour.
(a') When she got here, we had already been talking for an hour.
(b) When she came along, we had already been talking for an hour.
(c) When she came over, we had already been talking for an hour.
(d) When she appeared came in the door, we had already been talking for an hour.
(e) When she dropped by, we had already been talking for an hour.

Also, for me "she" and "we" seem to clash a little--it takes a second to decide/conclude that she is not part of the we. Replace "we" with "my friends and I", and already seems less important:

(a) When she came, my friends and I had been talking for an hour.
(a') When she got here, my friends and I had been talking for an hour.
(b) When she came along, my friends and I had been talking for an hour.
(c) When she came over, my friends and I had been talking for an hour.
(d) When she appeared came in the door, my friends and I had been talking for an hour.
(e) When she dropped by, my friends and I had been talking for an hour.

(d) "appeared" would not typically be used in this kind of situation.