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ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > past tenses    

past tenses



tommy1996
Vietnam

past tenses
 
please tell me what tense is right , past simple or continuous?
I .................the course from 2000 t0 2005.( attend)
thanks in advance.

26 May 2014      





nasreddine Sarsar
Tunisia

You �re talking about an action that took a period of time in the past. You should say: I took the course from 2000 to 2005. There is no need for the progressive aspect in this sentence.

27 May 2014     



douglas
United States

Depending on the context, both options are possible; however, the simple past (attended) is usually the better choice for this sentence.
Cheers,
Douglas

27 May 2014     



darryn
United Kingdom

Yes I agree again. Both can be said;  but we normally use past continuous if we are launching into a story, or answering someone who is talking about it already, to let them know you were there. Something like that.But in your lone sentence, attended is better.

27 May 2014     



yanogator
United States

To add a little to the excellent answers you already have, the continuous tenses are used to emphasize action over a period of time. Your sentence is probably intended just to convey information (the time period), so, as the others said, the simple past is the best choice.
 
Bruce

27 May 2014     



tommy1996
Vietnam

thanks for your replies

27 May 2014