0
Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Tenses
Hello, I would like to ask you about the following sentences.
When I lived there, I paid the same amount of money for 2 years. or When I lived there, I was paying the same amount of money for 2 years.
In the past people bought a lot of vegetables. or In the past people were buying a lot of vegetables.
I would choose the second one in each pair because using simple past seems to me as if it happened only once or twice and was finished. But what if I want to express the repitition and activity of buying and paying?
When I lived there, I paid the same amount of money for 2 years. or When I lived there, I was paying the same amount of money for 2 years.
In the past people bought a lot of vegetables. or In the past people were buying a lot of vegetables.
I would choose the second one in each pair because using simple past seems to me as if it happened only once or twice and was finished. But what if I want to express the repitition and activity of buying and paying?
Top answer
Use the second of each pair. One of the uses of the past continuous tense is indicating repetition.
- Use the second of each pair.
- One of the uses of the past continuous tense is indicating repetition.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
2 Answers
0
Use the second of each pair. One of the uses of the past continuous tense is indicating repetition.
00
Related Questions