Questions tagged [past-continuous]
Questions related to the past continuous or past progressive, which expresses an action that was ongoing in the past.
274
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Past Perfect vs Past Continuous
which one of these sentences is more suitable, if I need to use one of them in a self-introduction?
I think both are fine as in the first we emphasize the duration and in the second the result.
For ...
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Is " advertise" ok in this case?
The first time I heard about you was on his blog . At this time he was advertising for a concert promoting the new release of your record.
I dont know if my verb to advertise is ok in this case and if ...
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What does it mean "The interruption of an action in progress can be another action in progress."?
I didn't understand the exact meaning of this paragraph, could you explain it?
The interruption of an action in progress can be another action in
progress.
While I was trying to fall asleep in ...
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Strange present perfect continuous here?
In The Jam's song, "Smither's Jones", there is a sentence [in bold]
"Good Morning Smithers-Jones
How's the wife and home?
Did you get the car you've been looking for?
Did you get the ...
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"I wasn't listening to what the teacher was saying"? "I didn't listen to what the teacher was saying"?
We often avoid repeating the continuous form, do we? Like you say
What do you think you are doing?
instead of
What are you thinking you are doing?
How about the following sentences?
I wasn't ...
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0
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Can we change places of the past simple and past continuous? Is it always idiomatic?
Can we change places of the past simple and past continuous? Is it always idiomatic?
I was walking home when I met Dan.
I met Dan when I was walking home.
When I met Dan, I was walking home.
When I ...
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3
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Simple Past and Past Progressive - both possible in cases with defined period of time - Thomson (1986) says it should be Simple Past
I believe that the past progressive tense can be used with defined periods of time. However, A Practical English Grammar (A.J. Thomson, 1986) says that the simple past tense is used for well-defined ...
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Is the tense used here correct?
Yesterday, I was wearing black clothes at work, so everybody kept asking me if anyone has just passed away.
My question is about the past continuous of "wear". Somebody told me It should be ...
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what is the difference between the past progressive form and simple past form in this sentence?
What is the difference between the past progressive form and simple past form in this sentence?
He purchased it at ten times the price the owner was asking and carefully hid it in his house.
If I ...
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Backshifted Past Perfect
He claimed that he had been badly treated when he was shopping.
Is it possible to say 2 or 3, ie to backshift the verb in the subordinate clause:
He claimed that he had been badly treated when he ...
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What is the difference between Past Simple and Past Continuous for actions that are spread over time?
There are actions that are spread over time, to snore or to play tennis for example. For me it is not always clear should I use Past Simple or Past Continuous for such actions. For me it is absolutely ...
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How to answer this question
As soon as he …………….. (get) under the shower, the doorbell …………….. (ring)
i was thinking to use past continues on the 'ring' but he go to the shower first. so I though to use past continues on the '...
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Tense for events that went on over the same period of past time
My textbook says:
When we talk about two events or activities that went on over the same period of past time, we can often use the past continuous or the past simple for both . . .
However, it doesn’...
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What were you doing all day yestarday? / What did you do all day yestarday?
What were you doing all day yesterday?
vs
What did you do all day yesterday?
If I understand right, both sentences are correct but there are some differencies in their meaning.
We use Past ...
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Why we can not use past progressive instead of past simple in this example?
In the example below, I saw the writer used "when" at the beginning of the sentence and as I thought that going closer to the animal was the background and then noticing the plastic yoghurt ...
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I picked up the letter that was lying on the floor. Does it sound all right?
Here's my context:
I entered the room and I saw a big heap of letters on the desk. One of them had fallen on the floor. I picked up the letter lying on
the floor. / I picked up the letter that was ...
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"I was woking for five hours when..." vs. "I had been working for five hours when..."
Can you please tell me if there is any difference in meaning between the past continuous and the past perfect continuous in the sentences below?
I was working for five hours when the light went out.
...
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What is the difference between "was standing" vs "stood"? (Especially in the context of writing a formal report about past data)
Which one is correct and what is the difference between them?
1 The amount of sales was standing at $10000 in 1990.
2 The amount of sales stood at $10000 in 1990.
For example, consider this ...
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Past Simple for single events
I am trying to understand what meaning Past Simple carries when it's combined with a period of time. (compared to Past Continuous)
Yesterday I stayed home because it was raining
As I understand, ...
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1
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Regular actions in English (past simple/cont/would/context)
I was depressed for a month. When I was trying to beat my depression, I went to the cinema, I spent time outside, I learned new skills and worked out
I want the 4 actions in bold to sound as if they ...
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2
answers
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Is there a nuance of difference between "I lied" and "I was lying"?
Can you please tell me if there is a nuance of difference between I lied and I was lying? For example:
When I said that I was going to go home, I lied.
When I said that I was going to go home, I was ...
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Difference between simple past and past progressive
When you remember about an event and refer it, would you use simple past or past progressive?
For example:
Yesterday I went to a rock concert. I liked the last song very much. Everyone was singing ...
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Finally we found the path we [looked for] / [were looking for]
If two events followed one after the other, I would use the Perfect Continuous:
Finally we found the path we had been looking for.
But, if some time have passed after the first event, I could use ...
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Why we use past perfect continuous instead of past continuous in these 2 examples?
As you see in these below examples, they used past perfect continuous, but I thought it should be past continuous because they are both in shorter periods and didn't emphasize duration. And even in ...
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Perfect fit for a grammatical error
Yesterday, I had an exam in which this objective type question was asked.
Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence.
She wished she __ ...
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Even when we were children, out parents _______ family problems with us||put the correct form of discuss
I had an English test this morning and after my teacher graded it I was surprised that I had this question wrong. I filled the blank with were discussing and I know that for a fact that sounds, at ...
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I intended vs I was intending
To my ear I intended to and I was intending to sound identical in meaning. Probably any difference would stem from a difference in the present tense: I intend to vs I am intending to. This reminds me ...
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"While + Past Simple" or "While + Past Continuous"
Question :
Last night, while they (sleep), a burglar broke into their house.
Answer A :
Last night, while they slept, a burglar broke into their house.
Or
Answer B :
Last night, while they was ...
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"have just tried to turn it on" vs "was just trying to turn it on"
The TV won’t work. I have just tried to turn it on, but I couldn’t.
The TV won’t work. I was just trying to turn it on, but I couldn’t.
I'm seeing NGram Past Continuous is used, not Present Perfect. ...
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Joe was fighting with Mary
Dad got home and saw his son Joe and his daughter, Mary, were taking a time-out (punishment).
He asked Mom, "What's the matter?"
I know it is OK for Mom to say "Joe fought with Mary&...
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Correct use of "have been" [closed]
Would it be correct to say
"Since I have been reading this book, I have been learning so much"
or
"Since I have been reading this book, I have learned so much"
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"I have been talking" vs "I was talking"
May you explain me with some clear examples, what is the difference between using "I have been talking" vs "I was talking"?
I heard this sentence during an interview when he was ...
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Ways to convey Imperfectiveness in English? [closed]
How did you spend last year?
I (build) my house
I want to convey the idea that I was occupied with building my house, but I do not want to state that I succesfully finished it.
Obviously, the ...
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1
answer
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Past Continuous "anchors" (from Geoffrey Leech's book)
Geoffrey Leech in his book states that Past Continuous requires an "anchor" to be used.(most of the times) around which it forms "temporal frame". "Anchor" validates the ...
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Who has been drawing these pictures?
A teacher walked into the classroom and found that there were a few ugly pictures on the blackboard. He asked,
Who has been drawing these pictures?
Who was drawing these pictures?
Which sentence is ...
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Past Cont. example from Grammar in Use textbook
I haven't seen David for ages.
The last time I saw him, he was trying to find a job in Miami
This sentence comes from Raymond Murphy's grammar in use (AmE edition)
I've been told many times that Past ...
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1
answer
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climbing the mountain
As I understand "I climbed that mountain" means that I reached the top of it.
So If the climbing was interrupted and therefore not completed, we must not say "As we climbed the mountain,...
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Past Continuous for background info
Let's suppose my friend missed a lecture by our professor Mr. Johnson today and he (my friend) wants to find out how it was.
How was the lecture?
Not much, Mr Johnson was telling jokes, so we ...
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1
answer
38
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Past Simple instead of Past Continuous
As we know, Past Continuous is mostly used to provide context or background for main events (which are in Simple Past) e.g.
(I am in a bad shape) I had a firm grip in my 20-s because I was playing ...
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1
answer
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I was thinking of you while driving back home. / I thought of you while driving back home
Is that right both sentences are fine? The first one shows a long process of thinking, but the second one shows the complete action and the fact in the past. So, the difference that Past Continious ...
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Past continuous with duration and 2 concurrent actions
Which one of these sentences is preffered, if any:
He was playing video games while we were watching him for an hour.
He had been playing video games while we had been watching him for an hour.
He ...
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I repaired/was reparing my bike from 2 to 4pm
What's the difference between the past simple and the past continuous when using "from ... to ..."?
I read a book from 2 to 4pm.
I was reading a book from 2 to 4pm.
I built a ship from 2 ...
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Past Cont for temporary activity
"I am working 12 hours a day this month"
Pres. Cont. is used here because the speaker intends to emphasize that this situation is temporary, i.e. it is expected to last only within the time ...
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“Matt was calling while we were having dinner” Is this correct?
Matt ___ while we were having dinner.
A. called B. was calling C. has called
I chose B but answer is A.
Could you tell me why answer is A.
Ayane
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PAST CONT/SIMPLE for regular actions
How long did you study English before you faced a burnout?
How long were you studying English before you faced a burnout?
From my understanding, both are correct and natural, although 2 implies a &...
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1
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How to use the past perfect continuous tense appropriately?
Which of the following is a correct sentence?
He was waiting for two hours after she had arrived.
or
He had been waiting for two hours after she had arrived.
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3
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have been painting vs was painting
Situation:
Yesterday I painted half of my room (for any reason I'm not going to continue, maybe I've broken my leg).
A friend of mine comes into the room the next day.
He says: What's the smell?
Which ...
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past progressive or past simple: worked or working
In the following sentences, could the past progressive be replaced by the past simple with no change of meaning? Is there a preferred form?
We were working / worked hard yesterday because the boss ...
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How to say your past habits?
In my mother tongue, Japanese, we very often use past continuous to describe our past habits. But how about in English?
ex. 1... To say that you were an early bird when you were in high school, ...
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Past progressive (continuous) and hypotheses
Emergencies come up because you don't plan them. But a lot of them you could maybe have done research and seen on the horizon, discontent with employees, a product that wasn't working, something ...
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