I couldn't understand the difference between these sentences:
َ1.We were watching TV when he arrived.
2.We had been watching TV when he arrived.
OR
1.I was listening music when you called.
2.I had been listening music when you called.
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In this context, 'had been' suggests that the activity had finished when the visitor arrived.– Kate BuntingOct 12, 2018 at 13:36
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The second pair isn't grammatical unless you consider yourself to actually be a type of music.– LawrenceOct 12, 2018 at 13:52
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@Lawrence: May you explain more?– HasaniOct 12, 2018 at 14:50
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"Listening music" is a noun phrase, like "loud music" or "calm water" or "bright light". Possibly called a bare role noun phrase, like the bare role noun "king" in "I am king". It describes something of the 'essence' of the subject.– LawrenceOct 12, 2018 at 22:34
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1 Answer
'Had been' refers to an unspecified period in the past: Egyptians had been making papyrus for centuries.
'Was/were' indicates the recent past: That papyrus was intact as of an hour ago.
