he was wearing vs he wore

[alpacinou]

I often see, when they want to talk about a person's dress at an event in the past they use past continuous. Why is that?

What is the difference between these two?

1. He wore a blue jacket at the wedding.

2. He was wearing a blue jacket at the wedding.

Which one is correct, or more common?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

They're both correct and common, and they mean the same thing.

 

[jutfrank]

They're both correct. This is not a question of correctness or commonness.

The difference between them can very easily be explained using the normal distinction between past simple and past continuous. That is, there's nothing special about the verb wear.

Since they show different aspect, I'd prefer to say that they have different meaning.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

They're both correct. This is not a question of correctness or commonness.

The difference between them can very easily be explained using the normal distinction between past simple and past continuous. That is, there's nothing special about the verb wear.

Since they show different aspect, I'd prefer to say that they have different meaning.

Yes. I should have said: They mean pretty much the same thing. There is a difference, but it's too subtle for me to attempt to discuss.