I have the sentence: "The youngsters had been playing in the backyard of the home, digging in the mud, when they found something unusual just below the surface." How would the meaning here change, if I said "were playing" instead of "had been playing"?
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Please edit to tell about what you already know about past simple vs perfect. The meaning would change in line with what those tenses do. If we can make the confusion more clear we can get a better answer.– Andy BonnerCommented Mar 6 at 20:32
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1Were playing would be used if the narrative was about the moment of finding the 'something'. Had been playing suggests that the finding was in the past, and the story may go on to describe what has happened since then.– Kate BuntingCommented Mar 7 at 10:06
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@KateBunting - I came to post that as an answer, but you've already done so as a comment. Now what? :P– Seattle guyCommented Mar 7 at 17:05
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@Seattleguy - You are welcome to post it as an answer.– Kate BuntingCommented Mar 7 at 17:07
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2 Answers
As Kate Bunting concisely commented:
Were playing would be used if the narrative was about the moment of finding the 'something'. Had been playing suggests that the finding was in the past, and the story may go on to describe what has happened since then.
Past continuous vs. past perfect continuous tense
The difference between the past perfect continuous tense and the past continuous tense is a topic that could cause confusion. Both of these can show a past action interrupted by another action. However, the major difference is this:
With the past continuous, the action continues after the interruption. With the past perfect continuous, the action stops after the interruption. (though not always)
The following example would help illustrate the difference between past continuous tense and past perfect continuous tense:
1. She was cooking when the guests arrived.
2. She had been cooking when the guests arrived.
Sentence 1 - The food was still being prepared when the guests came.
In sentence 2 : She was cooking before the guests arrived and the food was ready to be served (because she had been cooking) continuous action in the past which stopped before the next action happened (guests arrived)
Using the same rationale for the OP's case :
The youngsters had been playing in the backyard of the home, digging in the mud, when they found something unusual just below the surface.
The past perfect continuous tense suggests that following the unexpected finding, they ceased to play and dig.
If we use the past continuous tense, this is not evident.
