Timeline for How do I use "would" when talking about the past in the context of storytelling?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 2022 at 15:18 | comment | added | Edwin Ashworth | 'Whenever they saw her coming ...' shows that the simple past is used for iterative (repeated) as well as semelfactive (one-off) actions/events. Here, 'When they saw her coming' leads one up the garden path of expecting a one-off event, so is better avoided. // tchrist's 'When I lived by the docks ...' shows that durative states may also be shown using the simple past. | |
| Apr 8, 2022 at 3:43 | comment | added | Adam Abahot | "Live" is a verb which denotes more than a one-time occurrence. | |
| Apr 8, 2022 at 3:23 | comment | added | tchrist♦ | "When I lived by the docks, I often ate clams for breakfast." | |
| S Apr 8, 2022 at 2:59 | review | First answers | |||
| Apr 8, 2022 at 5:02 | |||||
| S Apr 8, 2022 at 2:59 | history | answered | Adam Abahot | CC BY-SA 4.0 |