Voltaire101 Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
What is the difference between the past continuous tense and the simple p..
I can differe between the present continuous tense and the simple present tense.
The diference is :
- Th simple present tense is used for a repeated or habitual action that happen always or often or usually.
- Th present cotinuous tense is used for an action that is still contiuing now.
but I can't differe between the past continuous tense and the simple past tens.
When we use the past cotinuous tense, we use it as these sentences:
1- The teacher was giving us a lesson.
2- A year, ago I was working in London.
And we use the simple past tense as these sentences:
1- The thief picked his pocket.
2- I passed the river yesterday.
.................
We can also use the simple past tense with the past cotinuous tense as these sentences:
1- The teacher was giving us a lesson when a little dog walked into the room.
2 - While we were having supper,all the lights went out.
3- All the lights went out while we were having supper.
4 - Hrry did his homework while the other boys were playing football.
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Ok , what is the problem If I say :
1- The teacher gave us a lesson when a little dog walked into the room.
2- While we had supper,all the lights went out.
3- All the lights went out while we had supper.
4 - Hrry did his homework while the other boys played football.
..................
When to use the simple past tense and when to use the present cotinuous tense?
The diference is :
- Th simple present tense is used for a repeated or habitual action that happen always or often or usually.
- Th present cotinuous tense is used for an action that is still contiuing now.
but I can't differe between the past continuous tense and the simple past tens.
When we use the past cotinuous tense, we use it as these sentences:
1- The teacher was giving us a lesson.
2- A year, ago I was working in London.
And we use the simple past tense as these sentences:
1- The thief picked his pocket.
2- I passed the river yesterday.
.................
We can also use the simple past tense with the past cotinuous tense as these sentences:
1- The teacher was giving us a lesson when a little dog walked into the room.
2 - While we were having supper,all the lights went out.
3- All the lights went out while we were having supper.
4 - Hrry did his homework while the other boys were playing football.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Ok , what is the problem If I say :
1- The teacher gave us a lesson when a little dog walked into the room.
2- While we had supper,all the lights went out.
3- All the lights went out while we had supper.
4 - Hrry did his homework while the other boys played football.
..................
When to use the simple past tense and when to use the present cotinuous tense?
Top answer
Personally, I think your definition of Continuous as something going on at a certain moment is embarrassing. To see how it works you can take a string of elastic and mark a point on it. Then stretch the string so that the point became a line.
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Personally, I think your definition of Continuous as something going on at a certain moment is embarrassing.
To see how it works you can take a string of elastic and mark a point on it. Then stretch the string so that the point became a line. Continuous is a point of action stretched to become a process, e.g. When I came in (a point), the phone was ringing (a process).
Hence, wha
To see how it works you can take a string of elastic and mark a point on it. Then stretch the string so that the point became a line. Continuous is a point of action stretched to become a process, e.g. When I came in (a point), the phone was ringing (a process).
Hence, wha
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Voltaire101I can differe make the difference between the present continuous tense and the simple present tense.
The difference is :
- The simple present tense is used for a repeated or habitual action that happens always or often or usua
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2- While we had supper,all the lights went out.
3- All the lights went out while we had supper.
4 - Harry did his homework while the other boys played football. OK
"All the lights went out while we were having supper". When you have a marker that tells you you have to use the past tense, yo
3- All the lights went out while we had supper.
4 - Harry did his homework while the other boys played football. OK
"All the lights went out while we were having supper". When you have a marker that tells you you have to use the past tense, yo
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Schetin :
To see how it works you can take a string of elastic and mark a point on it. Then stretch the string so that the point became a line. Continuous is a point of action stretched to become a process, e.g. When I came in (a point), the phone was ringing (a process).
Hence, what you need in order to define whether Continuous should be used, is (1) to see if the
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Voltaire101
...may be the two forms are correct:
Harry did his homework while the other boys played football. (right sentece according the book)
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Schetin wrote
Of course they are. As I said, you choose whether there's a point and whether you need to stretch it. I did, you didn't. Void of a definite context both are possible. In other examples, the context is more or less definite.
Regards,
oh!
Of course they are. As I said, you choose whether there's a point and whether you need to stretch it. I did, you didn't. Void of a definite context both are possible. In other examples, the context is more or less definite.
Regards,
oh!
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It is very easy when actions happened in a sequence like first, second, third,... you need to use simple past: i arrived home, made a phone call and went out again. but when things happened at the same time you need a continous form: i was watching TV when he called.
also depends on what you want to convey, if there is emphasis on duration a past continous is prefered. yeasterday i was wa
also depends on what you want to convey, if there is emphasis on duration a past continous is prefered. yeasterday i was wa
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Voltaire101I can differe between the present continuous tense and the simple present tense.
The diference is :
- Th simple present tense is used for a repeated or habitual action that happen always or often or usually.
- Th present cotinuous tense is used for an action that is still contiuing now.
but I can't differe between the past continuous tense
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