The film was still being broadcast

Question

Dear all,Please see the following sentences and tell me whether they are OK. If incorrect, please correct them. 1) The film was still being broadcast when the people wrote in.2) The film was being broadcasted when the people writing this. 3) The film was still broadcasting when the people writing this.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

cat navy 4251) The film was still being broadcast when the people wrote in.

This is the only correct one and the one the others would be corrected to.

CalifJim · Answer

1) The film was still being broadcast when the people wrote in. OK.

2) The film was being broadcasted when the people were writing this. Some dictionaries list 'broadcasted' as an alternative form, but it sounds wrong to me.

Also, "when" cannot support a clause with an explicit subject and only the -ing form of a verb. If there's an implicit subject that is the same as the subject of the main clause, you might be able to do it:

You should be careful not to spill anything when serving the soup. OK.
~ ... when you are serving the soup.

3) The film was still broadcasting when the people were writing this. Not so good as 1), but I'd call it borderline acceptable.

CJ

The film was still being broadcast

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