"We had been playing when the bell rang" VS "We were playing when the bell rang"
We had been playing when the bell rang.
We were playing when the bell rang.
What is the difference in meaning between these two?
Top answer
The difference is the difference between the two tenses. You need to get yourself a treatise on English verb tenses and sit down and learn them. Really learn them.
- The difference is the difference between the two tenses.
- You need to get yourself a treatise on English verb tenses and sit down and learn them.
- Really learn them.
- We all had to.
- Picking at the problem case by case is not going to get you there.
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The difference is the difference between the two tenses. You need to get yourself a treatise on English verb tenses and sit down and learn them. Really learn them. We all had to. Picking at the problem case by case is not going to get you there.
But, so as not to be churlish:
ThombDWe had been playing when the bell rang.
This would come into pla
0ThombDWhat is the difference in meaning between these two?
The meaning is the same. The usage is different.
The second one is used when you are continuing to tell your story in the same order as it occurred.
The first one is used when you interrupt your story to say something that happened before the things you are currently talking about.
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