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Sebayanpendam Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Tense aspects

hi, i have a question about tense aspects. when i write a narrative , i use the simple past tense most of the time. Somehow, to me, the usage of the simple past tense and past continuous tense are almost similar. for example,

1. Ally walked to school the other day when she missed a bus.
2. Ally was walking to school the other day when she missed a bus.

Am i right in this sense? If not, what would be the difference between the two?

thanks a bunch
  

Top answer

Your reasoning is not right. 1. -- when = after .

— Mister Micawber

  • Your reasoning is not right.
  • 1.
  • -- when = after .
  • The simple tenses list two past events in order of occurrence.
  • 2.
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1 Answers
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Your reasoning is not right.

1. Ally walked to school the other day when she missed a bus.-- when = after. The simple tenses list two past events in order of occurrence.

2. Ally was walking to school the other day when she missed a bus.-- Past continuous indicates an action of considerable duration within which the other action takes place: Ally was
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