How to differentiate Past Simpe Tense and Past Habits / Generalisation while reading?

Question

Past Simple can be use to describe past habits same as would and use to. Hence, I am getting difficulties to differentiate and understand the meaning of Simple past tense or Past habits while reading. How to overcome of this, Please help.

Like.

E.g. 1) "He spoke of it when he was drunk."

It could mean

a) Every day or whenever He was drunk he spoke of it. (Past Habit)

b) Once he was drunk he spoke of it. (Past Tense)

E.g. 2) "He did not allow children to play in front of his house"

It could mean

a) Every day or whenever children come to play in front of his house every day he did not allow them to play. (Past Habits)

b) Once when children came to play in front of his house he did not allow them to play there. (Past Tense)

Answer 1

Hence, I am getting difficulties to differentiate and understand the meaning of Simple past tense or Past habits while reading.

English words do not exist in a vaccuum, each word is affected by just about every other in a sentence and other sentences. This is probably more so than in other languages that encode a lot of meaning in word endings.

You must be aware of context and be able to create it. Jumping in the middle of a conversation requires anyone to ask questions about things unless they have knowledge beforehand about what is going on.

If the difference matters, the speaker/writer will have qualified it with additional words.