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Ter Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Which tense?

"While she slept, I went shopping."

"While she was sleeping, I went shopping."

Which tense should be used here? Does it depend on emphasis?

thanks for the help.
  

Top answer

I think that emphasis is the key.

— Philip

  • I think that emphasis is the key.
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5 Answers
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I think that emphasis is the key.
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In this example, both pairs have the same meaning.
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so it doesn't matter which one to use?

but if there's an emphasis, then the meaning must be different to a degree, right?
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Well, I'm a native speaker, and cannot tell any difference in emphasis or tense. The conjunction "while" transforms the simple past (slept) into the sense of continuous action. The -ing verb form does the same.
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Ter"While she slept, I went shopping."

"While she was sleeping, I went shopping."
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