Is my understanding correct?

1. Jack walked to the man drinking tea.
2. Jack walked to the man, drinking tea.
3. Jack walked to the man drinking.
4. Jack walked to the man, drinking.
5. Jack walked to the drinking man.

1=Jack was walking; the man was drinking.
2=Jack was walking and drinking.
3=Jack was walking; the man was drinking.
4=Jack was walking and drinking.
Is 3 grammatical and equal to 5?

Question

Is my understanding correct?

1. Jack walked to the man drinking tea.
2. Jack walked to the man, drinking tea.
3. Jack walked to the man drinking.
4. Jack walked to the man, drinking.
5. Jack walked to the drinking man.

1=Jack was walking; the man was drinking. 
2=Jack was walking and drinking.
3=Jack was walking; the man was drinking. 
4=Jack was walking and drinking.
Is 3 grammatical and equal to 5?

Answer

Hi,

Your understanding is mostly fine.
# 2 is a poor construction.  In your construction, the man is drinking tea not Jack.  There should be no comma.  'Drinking tea' is a participle phrase which you intended to describe Jack, I think.  If I'm right, then the participle phrase needs to go as close to Jack as you can get it.  If you wanted Jack to drink the tea, the sentence should be this:  Jack, drinking tea, walked to the man.   Or, Drinking tea, Jack walked to the man. If you wanted the man to rink the tea, remove the comma.
#3 is a poor construction.  Drinking is a participle adjective.  But in English, adjectives come before the noun they describe not after.   Compare #3 to Jack drove up the winding road, not road winding.   Jack teased the sleeping dog, not dog sleeping.

Cheers

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