25. Which sentence shows that the lights went out suddenly during dinner?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To determine which sentence shows that the lights went out suddenly during dinner, we need to examine how the action is framed.
Option 1: 'We ate dinner when the lights went out.' This uses the simple past tense 'ate' for the dinner act and 'went out' for the lights, which can imply sequence but does not clearly convey a simultaneous ongoing action during dinner or the sudden interruption of dinner by the lights going out.
Option 2: 'We were eating dinner when the lights went out.' Here, 'were eating' is the past continuous tense, which describes an ongoing activity happening at a specific moment in the past. The phrase 'when the lights went out' marks the interruption of that ongoing activity by the sudden event of the lights going out. This construction clearly communicates that the lights failed suddenly during dinner.
In terms of nuance, the past continuous sets the scene (they were in the middle of eating) and the past simple 'went out' denotes the sudden event that interrupts the action. The alternative uses simple past for the dinner activity, which does not foreground interruption or simultaneity as effectively.
Therefore, the sentence that shows the lights went out suddenly during dinner is the second option: 'We were eating dinner when the lights went out.'

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25. Which sentence shows that the lights went out suddenly during dinner?

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Writing & Language Seminar I - Martinez - Preparatory Academy - 1st Semester - 2025/2026 FOGChpt2_3- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

25. Which sentence shows that the lights went out suddenly during dinner?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

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