How to express the idea that both actions were happening at the same time?
<sol>
while
ex: I was studying while he was making dinner.
How to express a series of parallel actions?
<sol>
ex:
When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service.
Interrupted Action in the Past
=> a longer action in the past was interrupted. (usually a short action)
ex:
[Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past]
I was watching TV when she called.
It started to rain while we were having the picnic.
Descript an interruption within a Specific Time
=> Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
What’s different between the following sentences?
1. Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner.
=> I started eating at 6 PM
2. Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
=> I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner.
<sol>
Simple Past
=>a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished
Past Continuous
=> a specific time only interrupts the action