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Perfect Stranger Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Past simple/past continues in one sentence... any real difference?

Dear Users,

Would you please look at these sentences?

We were sunbathing on the beach and big yachts sailed near the harbor.

I think it'd be better to say were sailing near the harbor, but on the other hand using past simple doesn't sound incorrect either...
  

Top answer

The sentence is natural. The simple past is a completed action, but that action could have taken some time to complete. It does not always imply an interrupted action ( stated in the past progressive).

— AlpheccaStars

  • The sentence is natural.
  • The simple past is a completed action, but that action could have taken some time to complete.
  • It does not always imply an interrupted action ( stated in the past progressive).
  • We were sunbathing on the beach when it started to rain.
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2 Answers
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The sentence is natural. The simple past is a completed action, but that action could have taken some time to complete. It does not always imply an interrupted action ( stated in the past progressive).

We were sunbathing on the beach when it started to rain.
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Thank you Alphecca.

Two follow-up questions, if I may.

1) Would the meaning be very different if I actually kept that second part of the sentence in the present continuous tense?
2) Would it be OK to say put the first verb in simple past? We sunbathed...
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