Past Simple or Past Continuous
Past Simple / Past Simple further functions / Past Continuous / Past Continuous further functions / Past Simple or Past Continuous / Used to /
There are moments when we can use either the past simple or past continuous. The following points will help you decide which to use
Emphasis
There is frequently no difference between the past simple or past continuous. Because the past continuous is often used to demonstrate an action or event is in progress when something else is happening we can chose to use the past simple or past continuous to emphasise which event or action we consider more significant
Completed/Incomplete Events
As we know, the Past Continuous is used to describe actions in progress at a moment in the past and the Past Simple is used to describe completed actions. This should always be remembered when considering whether to use the Simple or Continuous.
