My husband and I were ice-skating when we met. I fell down because I _____ at him. It was really embarrassing!
(1) was looking
(2) looked
Which one is better? Past tense or past continuous tense?
Thank you!!!
In this context, (1) sounds better to me and makes more sense. (2) makes sense too, but I feel the situation being described is trying to convey that the subject was staring at her husband (like he’s good looking). #1 conveys that. #2 seems to convey more of a momentary situation…like the subject fell because she momentarily looked at her husband.
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Both are correct and make equally good sense. They just describe different events. As @ericb says, (1) is a situation and requires the past continuous - she fell down because she wasn’t looking where she was going (perhaps); (2) is an event and requires the simple past - she fell down because she was distracted for a moment - “I looked at him”. Whichever the speaker chooses will tell a different story.