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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
WHILE + SIMPLE PAST
Can these sentences be formed with While + Past Simple?
"Mark stayed with Harry while he VISITED (WAS VISITING) from Boston, and one sunday Harry invited me to this barbecue in his garden."
"Mark and I started chatting while we PREPARED (WAS PREPARING) the salads , but I remember thinking he was a bit strange because he asked me if I had a boyfriend."
THANKS
"Mark stayed with Harry while he VISITED (WAS VISITING) from Boston, and one sunday Harry invited me to this barbecue in his garden."
"Mark and I started chatting while we PREPARED (WAS PREPARING) the salads , but I remember thinking he was a bit strange because he asked me if I had a boyfriend."
THANKS
Top answer
Hi, Can these sentences be formed with While + Past Simple? Yes, Past Simple is a valid choice with 'while', although the Past Continuous is often used to emphasize the length of the activity. In a particular context, one or the other may seem better.
- Hi, Can these sentences be formed with While + Past Simple?
- Yes, Past Simple is a valid choice with 'while', although the Past Continuous is often used to emphasize the length of the activity.
- In a particular context, one or the other may seem better.
- " Clive
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5 Answers
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Hi,
Can these sentences be formed with While + Past Simple? Yes, Past Simple is a valid choice with 'while', although the Past Continuous is often used to emphasize the length of the activity. In a particular context, one or the other may seem better.
"Mark stayed with Harry while he VISITED (WAS VISITING) from Boston, and one sunday Harry invited me to this barbecue in his gard
Can these sentences be formed with While + Past Simple? Yes, Past Simple is a valid choice with 'while', although the Past Continuous is often used to emphasize the length of the activity. In a particular context, one or the other may seem better.
"Mark stayed with Harry while he VISITED (WAS VISITING) from Boston, and one sunday Harry invited me to this barbecue in his gard
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Hi Clive
Would you say that, if the staying and the visiting are concurrent events (as it seems to be) then you shouldn't mix the tenses so it should either be the simple past or the past progressive?
...stayed...visited
or
...was staying ... was visiting
Would you say that, if the staying and the visiting are concurrent events (as it seems to be) then you shouldn't mix the tenses so it should either be the simple past or the past progressive?
...stayed...visited
or
...was staying ... was visiting
00
Hi,
Would you say that, if the staying and the visiting are concurrent events (as it seems to be) then you shouldn't mix the tenses so it should either be the simple past or the past progressive? I'd hesitate to suggest that as a general rule.
...stayed...visited
or
...was staying ... was visiting
Clive
Would you say that, if the staying and the visiting are concurrent events (as it seems to be) then you shouldn't mix the tenses so it should either be the simple past or the past progressive? I'd hesitate to suggest that as a general rule.
...stayed...visited
or
...was staying ... was visiting
Clive
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Thank you for your answer Clive! Sorry about the mistake with WAS/WERE!!!
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Is there a grammatical rule concerning the use of WHILE + PAST TENSE? It seems that WHILE is often used with PAST CONTINUOUS.
THANKS AGAIN!
THANKS AGAIN!
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