Pete cooked supper while I was watching/I watched TV.

[xxwzs]

I have several questions:

1. Pete cooked supper while I was watching/watched TV. (Oxford English Grammar Course Advanced—Page 240).
Why do both ‘past progressive’ and ‘simple past’ work in the sentence? Is there any difference between them in this sentence?

2. My wife cooked supper while I was reading/read a book.
Do both ‘was reading’ and ‘read’ still work in sentence 2 like ‘was watching’ and ‘watched’ in sentence 1? Why if not?

3. Can you wait in the car while I run into the shop? (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/conjunctions-time?q=While)

4. Andy packed the suitcases while I got the children ready. (Oxford English Grammar Course Advanced—Page 240)
Usually, a durative verb is required for a while-clause. But for sentence 3 and 4, are ‘run’ and ‘got’ durative verbs here?

5. His mother looked for him while he walked through the forest.
6. His mother was looking for him while he walked through the forest.
7. His mother looked for him while he was walking through the forest.
8. His mother was looking for him while he was walking through the forest.
All of above four sentences come from a Chinese forum on English learning, for members to decide which is/are correct. I am sure sentence 8 is correct, but I have no idea for the rest. Can I have you choice?

 

[jutfrank]

1. Pete cooked supper while I was watching/watched TV. (Oxford English Grammar Course Advanced—Page 240).
Why do both ‘past progressive’ and ‘simple past’ work in the sentence?

Presumably, that's because the person who wrote the sentence did so deliberately to illustrate a point. I think we'd need to read that particular section of the book to say more.

Is there any difference between them in this sentence?

Yes, the first option brings a progressive aspect to the meaning of the clause.

2. My wife cooked supper while I was reading/read a book.
Do both ‘was reading’ and ‘read’ still work in sentence 2 like ‘was watching’ and ‘watched’ in sentence 1?

Yes.

But for sentence 3 and 4, are ‘run’ and ‘got’ durative verbs here?

Yes.

5. His mother looked for him while he walked through the forest.
6. His mother was looking for him while he walked through the forest.
7. His mother looked for him while he was walking through the forest.
8. His mother was looking for him while he was walking through the forest.
All of above four sentences come from a Chinese forum on English learning, for members to decide which is/are correct.

That's not a good exercise, since all four could be used.

 

[xxwzs]

Presumably, that's because the person who wrote the sentence did so deliberately to illustrate a point. I think we'd need to read that particular section of the book to say more.

I don't understand what 'a point' mean here. Do you mean 'was watching' and 'watched' suggest a time point or something else?

That's not a good exercise, since all four could be used.

Could you please further illustrate the situations where Sentence 5 to 8 can be used?

 

[5jj]

Here is an extract from a UE article that may be of interest: https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/english-tenses-aspects-4-durative-aspect.html

The Durative Aspect 'Rules' - marked

To the 'rule' we established for the unmarked durative aspect, We use the durative aspect when we wish to draw attention to the fact that the situation denoted has duration, and that the duration is limited, we simply add what we already know to be true of simple tenses: We use the marked form when we wish to distance the situation in vividness, reality or directness.

We will now consider some examples of the marked durative.

……12a. I was watching TV at 10.30.
……12b. I was watching TV when George got home
……12c. I was watching TV from the moment I got indoors to the time I went to bed.

All three sentences show the aspect being used for the same reason: to express the limited duration of a situation distanced in time. In [12a] the situation began before a stated time, in [12b] before the time of an action. The situation continued up to or beyond that time; context and/or co-text will make this clear as the sentences below show. The actual starting and finishing times of the situation are not stated though real-life knowledge tells us that the situation did start and finish. In [12c] these times are explicitly stated.

……12a.i. I was watching TV at 10.30. As the clock chimed I remembered that I had an early meeting next day so I switched of the TV and went to bed.
……12a.ii. I was watching TV at 10.30. I remember hearing the clock chime and thinking that I'd go to bed as soon as the film ended.
……12b.i. I was watching TV when George got home. He isn't interested in football so I switched off and made us a cup of tea.
……12b.ii. I was watching TV when George got home. He joined me on the sofa and we hardly spoke until the film ended.

While the use of the marked durative can show a longer action 'framing' a shorter one this does not have to be the case:

……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.


The writing and preparing are distanced in time. As they occurred in the past we know that the situations denoted are limited in duration (the duration does not extend to the present); the durative aspect therefore emphasises the duration more than the limitation. In [13a] the speaker emphasises the fact that the situations of writing and preparing extended over a period; in [13b] there is no such emphasis, merely a reporting that these situations actualised at the same distanced time. In [13b] and [13c] the suggestion is that the situation referred to using the durative aspect filled a longer time-period than the one referred to in the non-durative aspect. In these two sentences we can talk of one action 'framing' another.

 

[xxwzs]

I have read the article you recommended, but still having some questions.

1. What do 'marked' and 'unmarked' mean in the article? They seem to be separately related to 'past durative aspect' and 'present durative aspect'.

2. I made two sentences:
A. I was cleaning the kitchen from 19:30 to 21:00.
B. I cleaned the kitchen from 19:30 to 21:00.
If both A and B are correct, what is the similarity and difference between them?

3. A sentence from the article:
13d. While Sally was writing a report, Barry prepared lunch.
Can I infer from the sentece that Barry began to prepare lunch after Sally began to write the report, and lunch was ready before Sally finished the report?

 

[5jj]

1. What do 'marked' and 'unmarked' mean in the article?

Unmarked forms are not marked for tense. They are the traditional 'present tense' forms. Examples: am, write, prepare.
Marked forms are marked for tense. Thet are the traditional 'past tense' forms. Examples: was, wrote, prepared.

2. I made two sentences:
A. I was cleaning the kitchen from 19:30 to 21:00.
B. I cleaned the kitchen from 19:30 to 21:00.
If both A and B are correct, what is the similarity and difference between them?

They are similar in that they both say what happened during a past time period. The difference is that B presents the cleaning neutrally as a past-time occurrence. A emphasises the duration of the activity.

13d. While Sally was writing a report, Barry prepared lunch.
Can I infer from the sentnece that Barry began to prepare lunch after Sally began to write the report, and lunch was ready before Sally finished the report?

That is a reasonable inference.

 

[Tarheel]

2. I made two sentences:
A. I was cleaning the kitchen from 19:30 to 21:00.
B. I cleaned the kitchen from 19:30 to 21:00.
If both A and B are correct, what is the similarity and difference between them?

Say:

I read the article you recommended, but I still have some questions.

As for the above text, I can't imagine saying any of it. I especially can't imagine saying I made a sentence.

 

[xxwzs]

Say:

I read the article you recommended, but I still have some questions.

As for the above text, I can't imagine saying any of it. I especially can't imagine saying I made a sentence.

I am sorry I don't understand what you would like to convey to me. Is there anything wrong with my wording?

 

[emsr2d2]

I have read the article you recommended, but still having some questions.

Tarheel is suggesting you say "I read the article you recommended but I still have some questions" instead.

2. I made two sentences:

Tarheel is saying that he wouldn't say "I made a sentence". That's because it's the wrong verb. Say "I wrote the following two sentences".

As for the rest, Tarheel apparently can't imagine ever needing to say that he cleaned/was cleaning a kitchen from a particular time to another. Perhaps Tarheel never cleans his kitchen. Perhaps he simply doesn't discuss it with other people.

 

[Tarheel]

If I needed to tell somebody I cleaned the kitchen there would be no need to tell them how long it took. It definitely it wouldn't occur to me to mention the exact time frame. (I might say that I swept and mopped the floor.)