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Nkspb Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

A past tense to use with "till"

Hello everybody!

Could you help me, please?

Here are some sentences:

"I read (past) a book till 2 pm."
"I was reading a book till 2 pm."
"I had been reading a book till 2 pm."

Are they all grammatical? I googled such sentences and found many usages of the Past Simple/Continuous tense, but I doubt whether it is correct. If they are all correct, what's the difference in meaning? Should the Past Perfect Continuous be used here only?

Thanks!
  

Top answer

nkspb Are they all grammatical? Yes, though the third needs further context. nkspb If they are all correct, what's the difference in meaning?

— Mister Micawber

  • nkspb Are they all grammatical?
  • Yes, though the third needs further context.
  • nkspb If they are all correct, what's the difference in meaning?
  • There is no difference in basic meaning; they are simply different verb aspects.
  • com/en/cram-up/grammar/simpas-paspro nkspb Should the Past Perfect Continuous be used here only?
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2 Answers
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nkspbAre they all grammatical?
Yes, though the third needs further context.
nkspb If they are all correct, what's the difference in meaning?
There is no difference in basic meaning; they are simply different verb aspects. You can read about their uses here:
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nkspbfound many usages of the Past Simple/Continuous tense, but I doubt whether it is correct.
Hmm. I don't think Google is as unreliable as all that.
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