Past continuos and duration

Question

Is it possible to use the past continuos with duration as in the following sentences?I was studying for many hours.I was waiting for two hours.Thanks.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Anonymous Is it possible to use the past continuous with duration as in the following sentences? I was studying for many hours. I was waiting for two hours.Thanks.

It's possible in the sense that they are grammatical, but it's not idiomatic because "study" and "wait" are verbs which already indicate situations inherently characterized by the passage of time. They are not instantaneous kinds of actions. Use the simple past.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

CalifJim Anonymous Is it possible to use the past continuous with duration as in the following sentences? I was studying for many hours. I was waiting for two hours.Thanks.It's possible in the sense that they are grammatical, but it's not idiomatic because "study" and "wait" are verbs which already indicate situations inherently characterized by the passage of time. They are not instantaneous kinds of actions. Use the simple past.CJ

Thanks a lot CJ.

I just wasn't sure weather it is possible to use the past continuous in general with duration, as it does not seem natural to me. So are you saying the it is possible but it is not idiomatic to use it with duration in general (which is idiomatic with the simple past). That was what I understood. Am I right regarding that?

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymouswasn't sure ~~weather~~ whether it is possible

As shown.

AnonymousSo are you saying ~~the~~ that it is possible

Yes, in the sense that "Fred bought two green noses from his grandmother for three hours at City Hall" is possible. There are no grammatical errors.

Anonymousit is not idiomatic to use it with duration in general

I'm not sure I said this, but I did say that if the verb represents a situation that must naturally continue for some time, it is not usually very idiomatic to use that verb in a continuous tense. "wait" is a perfect example.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

CalifJimYes, in the sense that "Fred bought two green noses from his grandmother for three hours at City Hall" is possible. There are no grammatical errors.

Sorry I am kind of confused, and would like to make sure I understand.

Do you mean by “yes” that the sentence you wrote can also be written with the past continuous form (“Fred was buying two green .... for three hours at City Hall ”)?

CalifJimI'm not sure I said this, but I did say that if the verb represents a situation that must naturally continue for some time, it is not usually very idiomatic to use that verb in a continuous tense. "wait" is a perfect example.

So does that mean that there are cases where the use of the past continuous and duration (for) is required, or can those be conveyed by the use of the simple past and duration (for) and thus, simple past continuous is not necessary and the simple past is the idiomatic choice? I think duration can be conveyed in an idiomatic manner by the simple past and the simple past contentious and duration is not necessary, do you agree maybe?

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousDo you mean by “yes” that the sentence you wrote can also be written with the past continuous form (“Fred was buying two green .... for three hours at City Hall ”)?

No. Nothing of the kind. I mean that the sentence I wrote is grammatically correct, but it makes no sense. Who buys noses, for example? Plus, nobody buys things at City Hall. That makes no sense either. The point is that you can construct all kinds of sentences that are grammatically correct, but they don't always make sense. I was studying for two hours is a little like that. The past continuous is used to express an indefinite amount of time. A for-phrase of time is used to express a definite amount of time. They don't mix well in the same sentence.

Anonymousthere are cases where the use of the past continuous and duration (for) is required

No. I don't know of any cases where that combination is required. As I said above, that combination basically makes very little sense.

Anonymoussimple past continuous

There is no such tense. The tenses are 'simple past' (also called 'past simple') and 'past continuous'.

Don't use a for-phrase of time with the past continuous and you should be fine.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

CalifJimNo. Nothing of the kind. I mean that the sentence I wrote is grammatically correct, but it makes no sense.

I see.

CalifJim I was studying for two hours is a little like that. The past continuous is used to express an indefinite amount of time. A for-phrase of time is used to express a definite amount of time. They don't mix well in the same sentence.

Got it. That was what I wanted to know.

CalifJimNo. I don't know of any cases where that combination is required. As I said above, that combination basically makes very little sense.

I thought so, thanks for confirming. So simple past and past perfect continuous are the usual ones used for such cases, a for-phrase of time. Right?

CalifJimhere is no such tense. The tenses are 'simple past' (also called 'past simple') and 'past continuous'.Don't use a for-phrase of time with the past continuous and you should be fine.CJ

Got it, I just won’t use the for-phrase of time with the past continuous.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousSo simple past and past perfect continuous are the usual ones used for such cases, a for-phrase of time. Right?

What gave you that idea for "past perfect continuous" when the "past continuous" is not good? They both have the same problem.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

CalifJimWhat gave you that idea for "past perfect continuous" when the "past continuous" is not good? They both have the same problem.

Oh I see. But I have seen examples with the past perfect continuous with the for-phrase, where “Englishpage.com” mention that it is used to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. “For five minutes” and “for two weeks “ are durations that can be used with it.

Here are examples:
They had been talking for an hour before Toney arrived.
She had been working at the company for three years when it went out of business.

And they say if you don’t include duration speakers choose the Past Continuous, as you said.

Am I missing something here or is this the only case where it is OK to use the past perfect continuous with duration, which is when you want to show that something started in the past and continued until another time in the past, otherwise it is not good and has the same problem as the past continuous?

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymousexamples

They had been talking for an hour before Tony arrived.
She had been working at the company for three years when it went out of business.

OK. I see what you mean. These have subordinate clauses that make the continuous all right in the main clause. We have been working with sentences with only one clause. For example, "They had been talking for an hour" is not much better than "They were talking for an hour" if it stands alone. The past perfect needs a time reference in the past, and those subordinate clauses provide it.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

CalifJimThey had been talking for an hour before Tony arrived.She had been working at the company for three years when it went out of business.OK. I see what you mean. These have subordinate clauses that make the continuous all right in the main clause.

I see. I think these sentences can also be written with the past perfect and there is no need for the past perfect continuous. Do you agree?

I see that the past perfect continuous with one clause has the same problem as the past continuous, but with a subordinate clause do you still suggest I use the past perfect?

CalifJimWe have been working with sentences with only one clause. For example, "They had been talking for an hour" is not much better than "They were talking for an hour" if it stands alone

Yes, but I wasn’t sure if what you said applied to these as well. So would you say that even with these sentences it is better to use the past perfect + for-phrase rather than the past perfect continuous?

Past continuos and duration

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