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MarvinTheMartian Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Past simple or past progressive
Hi,
I'm having trouble deciding whether to use the past simple or past progressive in the following two examples:
1. "At the cemetary, I saw a gravedigger shoveling earth into a ditch. Some of the townsfolk gathered there suggested he was burying his own son. Whoever it was in the casket, I could tell it must have been someone very dear to him because he shed / was shedding tears as he went about his work."
I'm not sure why exactly, but I think I would more likely use the former in writing and the latter in a conversation. Does this make any sense to any of you? If so, could you help me clarify this for me?
2. "The other night, I dreamed there was an old, rugged lumberjack cutting down the oak tree in front of my house. He cried / was crying in pain as he hacked away at the massive trunk with his ax."
Same problem here. Additionally, the second sentence doesn't seem to sound as good if I invert it. Both "as he hacked away at the massive trunk, he cried in pain" (continuous action) and "as he hacked away at the massive trunk, he was crying in pain" (also a continuous action) sound terrible for some reason... or is it just me? Could you help me understand the logic of this?
Also, is there anything in my examples you would word differently? Please let me know.
Thanks in advance.
I'm having trouble deciding whether to use the past simple or past progressive in the following two examples:
1. "At the cemetary, I saw a gravedigger shoveling earth into a ditch. Some of the townsfolk gathered there suggested he was burying his own son. Whoever it was in the casket, I could tell it must have been someone very dear to him because he shed / was shedding tears as he went about his work."
I'm not sure why exactly, but I think I would more likely use the former in writing and the latter in a conversation. Does this make any sense to any of you? If so, could you help me clarify this for me?
2. "The other night, I dreamed there was an old, rugged lumberjack cutting down the oak tree in front of my house. He cried / was crying in pain as he hacked away at the massive trunk with his ax."
Same problem here. Additionally, the second sentence doesn't seem to sound as good if I invert it. Both "as he hacked away at the massive trunk, he cried in pain" (continuous action) and "as he hacked away at the massive trunk, he was crying in pain" (also a continuous action) sound terrible for some reason... or is it just me? Could you help me understand the logic of this?
Also, is there anything in my examples you would word differently? Please let me know.
Thanks in advance.
Top answer
If you have one action expressed in past progressive tense, and another action that is going on simultaneously with the first, then it is correct to put the second verb in the past progressive tense. If there is a one-time interruption of the first action, then use the past tense. I was taking a shower, and the telephone rang.
- If you have one action expressed in past progressive tense, and another action that is going on simultaneously with the first, then it is correct to put the second verb in the past progressive tense.
- If there is a one-time interruption of the first action, then use the past tense.
- I was taking a shower, and the telephone rang.
- As he was hacking the tree with an ax, he cut his hand and cried in pain.
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5 Answers
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If you have one action expressed in past progressive tense, and another action that is going on simultaneously with the first, then it is correct to put the second verb in the past progressive tense.
If there is a one-time interruption of the first action, then use the past tense.
I was taking a shower, and the telephone rang.
As he was hacking the tree with an ax, he cut his hand
If there is a one-time interruption of the first action, then use the past tense.
I was taking a shower, and the telephone rang.
As he was hacking the tree with an ax, he cut his hand
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Thanks, but those are all general rules, some of which have no relevance to my question. What about my examples?
AlpheccaStarsIf you have one action expressed in past progressive tense, and another action that is going on simultaneously with the first, then it is correct to put the second verb in the past progressive tense.Are you suggesting that, in my fi
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MarvinTheMartianI'm not sure why exactly, but I think I would more likely use the former in writing and the latter in a conversation. Does this make any sense to any of you?
As a matter of fact, it does. I consider both tenses correct in your sentences. The progressive tense paints a more colourful picture of the scene and the simple tense just states
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MarvinTheMartianI understand you're illustrating a point here, but what about my second example, where both actions are simultaneous? The lumberjack was hacking the tree AND crying (because of back pain, psychological suffering or what not) AT THE SAME TIME.Yes, Marvin, that is exactly what I wrote - two actions going on at the same time (simultaneously
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