I wasn't being specific

[Glizdka]

Can these sentences serve as an example of the difference in meaning between "I wasn't" and "I wasn't being"?

(1) "I wasn't specific. I should've been more precise."
(2) "I wasn't being specific. It was just an example."

 

[jutfrank]

1) I don't think these examples work particularly well.

2) I don't really understand the point of comparing these two things in the first place.

What's your goal here exactly? What difference do you want to show? Would it not make more sense to compare the past simple with the past continuous?

 

[Glizdka]

The difference I wanted to show was:

(1) "I wasn't being specific..." was used to clarify that at that moment, the person was, contrary to how he was perceived, not specific. The person was seen as more specific than they had indended.
(2) "I wasn't specific..." was used to notice that the person turned out to be less specific than it was required in hindsight. The person was seen as less specific than they had indended.

But if an example is unclear, I guess it is a bad example.
Would it work with 'precise' instead of 'specific'?

 

[jutfrank]

Okay.

(1) could mean that, I suppose, but that wasn't clear. The person might also say I wasn't trying/meaning to be specific.

Similarly, (2) could mean that, but again it's not clear. The person might be more likely to say I wasn't specific enough.

It's not easy making clear examples like this. Remember that if you want to show the use/meaning of a piece of language clearly, you need to provide plenty of context.