Thanks! I appreciate it.Here's a passage from a UE article, https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/english-tenses-aspects-4-durative-aspect.html that you might find useful. The examples numbered 13 a-d show the range of combinations possible.
I'm not sure, do these two 13b and 13c tell us that the report was completed? (I suppose, 13a and 13d don't tell us that)……13b. While Sally wrote a report, Barry prepared lunch.
……13c. Sally wrote a report while Barry was preparing lunch.
The use of the distancing (past) tense implies that neither the writing nor the preparation is still in progress.……13a. Sally was writing a report while Barry was preparing lunch.
……13b. While Sally wrote a report, Barry prepared lunch.
……13c. Sally wrote a report while Barry was preparing lunch.
……13d. While Sally was writing a report, Barry prepared lunch.
No. The answer usually fits the question. The natural answer would be "We watched ..."A: What did you guys do last night?
B: We were watching horror movies all night long! (emphasizing the duration of the process)
Does that work fine?
Yes, I understand that it may be saying of something that happened, say, ten years ago.The use of the distancing (past) tense implies that neither the writing nor the preparation is still in progress.
What I can't figure out is this: do I understand correctly that 13a and 13d don't tell us whether the report was completed or not, while 13b and 13c show us that the report was completed? And this is the main thing in the choice of the past continuous or the past simple?……13a. Sally was writing a report while Barry was preparing lunch.
……13b. While Sally wrote a report, Barry prepared lunch.
……13c. Sally wrote a report while Barry was preparing lunch.
……13d. While Sally was writing a report, Barry prepared lunch.
None of them necessarily mean that the report was completed.do I understand correctly that 13a and 13d don't tell us whether the report was completed or not, while 13b and 13c show us that the report was completed?
No, this doesn't necessarily mean you finished the book. You may or may not have.She played tennis while I read a book. (the book was finished)
Even these two?None of them necessarily mean that the report was completed.
……13b. While Sally wrote a report, Barry prepared lunch.
……13c. Sally wrote a report while Barry was preparing lunch.
I think this is a good example of a sentence where the context tells you if she finished what she was doing or not. I'd take this to mean she finished getting ready while the other person cooked dinner."Violent got ready while I cooked dinner" is quite normal. Nothing surprising there!
Without any context "She wrote a report" or "She's written a report" may mean either?@Michaelll It is almost impossible to overemphasize how important context is.
I'd take both those to mean she completed the report. Especially the second.Without any context "She wrote a report" or "She's written a report" may mean either?
Barry prepared lunch while Sally wrote a report. If she hadn't written the report, she'd have had time to do something else.I'd take both those to mean she completed the report. Especially the second.
If she hadn't written the report, she'd have had time to do something else.
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