past simple in relation to continuous infinitve

Question

Can we use continuous infinitive with past simple. I'll give some examples.

1. I wanted to play when she came in vs
   I wanted to be playing when she came in
2. I decided to go to work vs
   I decided to be going to work
3. I went there to work vs
   I went there to be working

Can you refer to those examples and tell me which are correct or incorrect and why?

Answer 1

The second version of 2 makes no sense.

In the other cases both are correct with different meanings.

"I wanted to play when she came in" means that she came in and, as a consequence, I wanted to play. "I wanted to be playing when she came in" means that I wanted [or had the intention] to already be playing before she came in.

Similarly in 3 the two meanings are "I went there in order to work" and "I went there in order to have work to do", although the second sentence is clunky and would be ill-advised except, possibly, in some specific contexts.