[Grammar] although I was studying the night before

[englishhobby]

Would it be absolutely incorrect to use the past continuous instead of the past perfect continuous in the following sentence?

The exam didn't go well although I was studying the night before.

 

[GoesStation]

Yes.

 

[Tarheel]

Say:

although I studied the night before

 

[englishhobby]

Say:

although I studied the night before

I thought only 'had been studying/had studied' would work here.

 

[jutfrank]

Past continuous, past simple, and past perfect continuous are all possible here, given the clear logical connection with the time phrase the night before.

However, the best tense is past perfect simple. In fact, this is the ideal use of the past perfect simple. Without context, there appears to be no reason why any other form would be preferable, but this is not to say that there couldn't be.

 

[englishhobby]

Past continuous, past simple, and past perfect continuous are all possible here, given the clear logical connection with the time phrase the night before.

Could you help me with the context for past continuous (for the sentence in question)?

 

[englishhobby]

Can we say: I was studying for the exam the night before, unfortunately, the exam didn't go well.

 

[emsr2d2]

Can we say: I was studying for the exam the night before, unfortunately, the exam didn't go well.

You have a comma splice. You need either a full stop or a semi-colon after "before".

 

[englishhobby]

You have a comma splice. You need either a full stop or a semi-colon after "before".

OK. I was studying for the exam the night before. Unfortunately, the exam didn't go well. And how about the use of tenses?

 

[emsr2d2]

You have still used a comma after the word "before". I told you what you needed to use in post #8.