the different behaviour of 熱狂する and 泣く in relative clauses set in the past

Question

The following sentences contain relative clauses set in a past time frame:

1a) その歌手は熱狂するファンに取り囲まれていた。

1b) その歌手は熱狂したファンに取り囲まれていた。

1c) その歌手は熱狂しているファンに取り囲まれていた。

2a) その歌手は泣くファンに取り囲まれていた。

2b) その歌手は泣いたファンに取り囲まれていた。

2c) その歌手は泣いているファンに取り囲まれていた。

1a) is the original sentence, illustrating the usage of 取り囲む on my Junior Anchor dictionary. The other sentences are variations.

1a) is translated in the dictionary as "The singer was surrounded by excited fans". 熱狂する here appears to be neither habitual nor an instance of relative future - the meaning is not "fans that would (later) get excited" or "fans that were (later) going to get excited".

Based on this discussion, it appears that 1a) and 1b) are the standard options to express such intended meaning (excited fans), perhaps with 1b) suggesting a higher degree of completion than 1a).

I don't think this applies to set 2) in the same way. I think 2c) is the standard way to express the same time relationship as set 1) (crying fans; fans in tears; fans that were crying at the time).

Because of this, I think that 熱狂する and 泣く are inherently different when it comes to expressing tense and aspect in relative clauses.

Why is this the case? Is it because 熱狂する is more adjectival in nature? Can this be generalized to a larger group of verbs?

Answer 1

• 1a) その歌手は熱狂するファンに取り囲まれていた。
• 1b) その歌手は熱狂したファンに取り囲まれていた。
• 1c) その歌手は熱狂しているファンに取り囲まれていた。

These are all natural, and typically describe the same event. Technically, Sentence 1a might mean the fans were not yet excited, and Sentence 1b might mean the fans were no longer excited. But such interpretations are highly unlikely unless some unusual context has been presented.

Among the three, I feel Sentence 1b is the most natural. Sentence 1c sounds slightly informal or colloquial, while Sentence 1a sounds slightly stiff. I don't know why, but this discussion may be loosely related. Also, Sentence 1a might be chosen if paired with a word such as ますます, which indicates the action of "getting excited" is still incomplete.

---

• 2a) その歌手は泣くファンに取り囲まれていた。
• 2b) その歌手は泣いたファンに取り囲まれていた。
• 2c) その歌手は泣いているファンに取り囲まれていた。

Sentence 2b means that the fans had been crying a while ago but were not crying at this point any more. I think this is because, unlike 熱狂した, the completion of the action of 泣く means that they're not crying anymore. Sentences 2a and 2c are interchangeable, but 2a would be chosen mainly in serious written materials.

It's difficult for me to explain the distinction between these verb types, but here is the most comprehensive explanation I know: What are the general principles of using verbs to modify nouns (e.g. 焦げるトースト/焦げたトースト)?