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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
TRIED or WAS TRYING
Hi there,
I would be grateful if you could help with these two sentences:
Am I right?
If so, could you please pinpoint the difference?
Many thanks in advance.
I would be grateful if you could help with these two sentences:
- I was trying to do my homework but I couldn't, because my sister was playing the piano all afternoon.
- I tried to do my homework but I couldn't, because my sister was playing the piano all afternoon.
Am I right?
If so, could you please pinpoint the difference?
Many thanks in advance.
Top answer
I agree with your assessment. The difference between past simple and past continuous depends a lot on the particular verb involved. Some actions are continuous by nature and some are more like a brief event.
- I agree with your assessment.
- The difference between past simple and past continuous depends a lot on the particular verb involved.
- Some actions are continuous by nature and some are more like a brief event.
- In this case, "I tried" could be taken to mean you tried only once.
- How long did that try last?
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1 Answers
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I agree with your assessment.
The difference between past simple and past continuous depends a lot on the particular verb involved. Some actions are continuous by nature and some are more like a brief event.
In this case, "I tried" could be taken to mean you tried only once. How long did that try last? I guess it depends on what you were trying to do.
"I was trying" s
The difference between past simple and past continuous depends a lot on the particular verb involved. Some actions are continuous by nature and some are more like a brief event.
In this case, "I tried" could be taken to mean you tried only once. How long did that try last? I guess it depends on what you were trying to do.
"I was trying" s
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