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I listened to music for a whole hourWhy do we use "listened" instead of "am listening"?

Clive · Accepted Answer

I listened to music for a whole hour
Why do we use "listened" instead of "am listening"?

I listened to music for a whole hour. You did it at some time in the past. You are not doing it right now.

I am listening to music. Sounds like you are doing it right now,

I am listening to music for a whole hour. Sounds like you are telling us your plan, ie what you are going to do very soon in the future. It's the same as eg I' m going to China for a whole month.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Can I say " I was listening to music for a whole hour" ?

Clive · Answer

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousCan I say " I was listening to music for a whole hour" ?

I can't say I'm particularly happy with the combination of past continuous with a for-phrase of time. It can work, but sometimes it doesn't work very well. The continuous aspect represents an open period of time, but the for-phrase represents a closed period of time.

CJ

Fivejedjon · Answer

CalifJimI can't say I'm particularly happy with the combination of past continuous with a for-phrase of time. It can work, but sometimes it doesn't work very well. The continuous aspect represents an open period of time, but the for-phrase represents a closed period of time.

It sounds fine to me. I think that continuous forms are used to suggest limited duration, not open periods of time.

CalifJim · Answer

fivejedjonIt sounds fine to me.

As it does to many others.

fivejedjonI think that continuous forms are used to suggest limited duration, not open periods of time.

A limited duration in a period of time whose boundaries (beginning and end) are unknown or unmentioned, therefore an "open" period. That's how it was once explained to me anyway.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

fivejedjonIt sounds fine to me.

Do you not have any preference between the two sentences in each of these pairs?

I was sleeping for 8 hours last night. / I slept for 8 hours last night.
I was watching TV for 6 hours yesterday. / I watched TV for 6 hours yesterday.
We were working on that project for 30 hours last week. / We worked on that project for 30 hours last week.

I just did a quick spot check on a few verbs, getting some Google numbers, and it's clear that the past simple is much preferred over the past continuous, at least for the verbs eat, sleep, and watch when used with for X hours. Only 3% were continuous for eat, only 6.1% for sleep, and only 7% for watch. And the more curious thing was that when I looked at the examples themselves, there seemed to be a pattern, namely that the continuous was not usually used to signal continuity (as during a single session of sleeping, watching, etc.), but to signal repetition or habit. Thus, I found these kinds of usage:

By the end of the third week we were working for 14 hours a day. (Multiple work sessions.)
The children were watching TV for more than eight hours a day, so we decided to put a stop to it. (Multiple sessions.)
After getting on that medication, finally my brother was sleeping for at least five hours a night. (Multiple sleep sessions.)

I thought this was all very interesting.

CJ

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