An incident with a shelf: what happened, and what was happening

Past simple and past continuous, taught by Sophia, denied by Marcos, and narrated too precisely by Philo.

Sophia

Two ways to talk about then, Marcos.

Marcos

Then, now, yesterday — can we just skip to the part where class ends?

Sophia

Past simple: something that happened and ended. "Philo dropped the scroll."

Philo

Past continuous: something already underway.

Philo

"I was reading... when Marcos knocked over the shelf."

Marcos

I wasn't knocking anything over. I was... testing its balance.

Sophia

While Philo was reading, Marcos was testing furniture. Notice which verb gets the crash.

Philo

Yesterday I studied. Last night I was still studying. At midnight, I was asleep. Probably.

Sophia

What were you doing when the shelf fell?

Marcos

I was walking away. Very quickly.