How much was the tank containing?

0We could have fun flipping tenses around all night!!02br
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00Your sentence could be also worded as:02br
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00How much was the tank01u00 holding02u00 when you last inspected it?02br
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00During the time of the inspection, how much 01u00was being held02u00 in the tank?0-

0 01blockquote

01cite10Teo12cite10Why use the past progressive tense?12blockquote

10 The writer didn't know better. It's a mistake.01blockquote

01cite10Teo12cite10Can we say 11i10How much did the tank contain when you last inspected12i10 11i10it?12i

0We're talking about the STATE of an object, which is by definition a pretty stationary/stable notion. Don't use progressives in such cases. 0-

0Regarding the sale price of a house, "How much was she asking yesterday?" How do we describe the difference here which allows this question? It seems like the price would be subject to the same variations as the level of the tank.0-

1i00asking02i00 is not a state; it's an action.02br
00Containment is a state.02br
00CJ 0-

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01cite10CalifJim12cite11i10asking12i10 is not a state; it's an action. Containment is a state.12blockquote

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00Thanks, CJ. How about "holding"? i.e., must there be movement? 02br
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00Is, "The workers were able to 01u00contain02u00 the forest fire"

0 I'm glad you found the list, but as to your question "Must there be movement?", in general yes, there must be movement for there to be an "action" or "event". Nevertheless, it sometimes gets tricky. There are a few cases where a verb is used in the progressive tenses even though there is no movement. (01i00He is wearing a red tie. He has been living here for years. They are

0Thanks, Jim. I can't believe I haven't thought about this subject. (Too much of a native.)0-

0The box contains a necklace. = A necklace is in the box.02br
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00The can holds two gallons. = ... has a capacity ... 02br
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00...................................................................02br
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00These verbs (contain, hold matter, ...) also reveal their stative character in the above senses by their unacceptability with

0 Hi Teo02br
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01b00IF02b00 the verb 'contain' is used in the progressive, it will have a meaning similar to "(actively) control to keep from spreading".02br
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00Without any further context, your sentence sounds odd. However, I suppose the situation might be that the tank's main function was to prevent or control the spread of some