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Nkspb Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Past Simple for simultaneous events
Hello everybody! Could you please help me?
Can we use the Past Simple instead of the Past Continuous when talking about simultaneous events in sentences like below:
"I walked and listened to him."
"I sat on the shore and listened to the sound of waves."
I encounter similar sentences in songs and as a non-native speaker can interpret them as concurrent events. Very confusing, as I've never read a single rule governing such a usage of the Past Simple. Does it work this way? Isn't the only correct tense here the Past Continuous?
Thanks!
Can we use the Past Simple instead of the Past Continuous when talking about simultaneous events in sentences like below:
"I walked and listened to him."
"I sat on the shore and listened to the sound of waves."
I encounter similar sentences in songs and as a non-native speaker can interpret them as concurrent events. Very confusing, as I've never read a single rule governing such a usage of the Past Simple. Does it work this way? Isn't the only correct tense here the Past Continuous?
Thanks!
Top answer
If you do not wish to stress the duration of either or both of the actions, then there is no particular need to use a continuous form
- If you do not wish to stress the duration of either or both of the actions, then there is no particular need to use a continuous form
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1 Answers
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If you do not wish to stress the duration of either or both of the actions, then there is no particular need to use a continuous form
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