past and past continous tense II

Question

Police got a shock when they _____ (stop) a motorist as she ______ (speed) on the highway.I fill in "stopped" and "was speeding" in the blanks. I wonder if "were stopping" is also a good answer. Please advise.LCChang

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

Good answers.
"were stopping" doesn't work here.

Lcchang · Answer

Is that because stop is a static verb which can not be used to express a long-lasting action?

LCChang

BarbaraPA · Answer

I think it could work, but what you chose first is better.

Generally, "stop" does not express a long-lasting action, but a "police stop" could involve putting on their lights, their siren, having the person pull over, walking up the car, taking the driver's information, etc. In other words, this type of "stop" has a far longer duration than, say, my stopping an arguement between two kids, in which I say "Hey, knock it off!" and it's immediately done with. If you wanted to do that, though, I might say "in the process of stopping" - and that's so wordy by the time you're done that your original looks even better by comparison!

Lcchang · Answer

Grammar Geek
I think it could work, but what you chose first is better.

Generally, "stop" does not express a long-lasting action, but a "police stop" could involve putting on their lights, their siren, having the person pull over, walking up the car, taking the driver's information, etc. In other words, this type of "stop" has a far longer duration than, say, my stopping an arguement between two kids, in which I say "Hey, knock it off!" and it's immediately done with. If you wanted to do that, though, I might say "in the process of stopping" - and that's so wordy by the time you're done that your original looks even better by comparison!

Thank you. I also got another idea. The really situation is like...the police stopped the motorcyclist first and then got shocked. So, these two actions happened one after the other. It is not like the cops got shocked in the process of stopping her. Does that make sense?

LCChang

CalifJim · Answer

a "police stop" could involve putting on their lights, their siren, having the person pull over, walking up the car, taking the driver's information, etc.

While there is nothing untrue in this description of what a police stop might consist in under one reading of stop, I don't think all this would be done, or even could be done, as the sentence says, as she was speeding!

CJ

past and past continous tense II

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