"did not work" vs "was not working"

Question

"did not work" vs "was not working"

Both "did not work" and "was not working" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "Did not work" is used to describe a specific event in the past that did not succeed, while "was not working" is used to describe a continuous state of not functioning in the past.

Last Updated: March 27, 2024

Use "did not work" to talk about a single event or action that failed to produce the desired result in the past.

Examples:

The machine did not work yesterday.
The plan did not work as expected.
She did not work on the project last week.

Alternatives:

failed
was unsuccessful
did not function

Use "was not working" to describe a situation where something was not functioning over a period of time in the past.

Examples:

The computer was not working all day yesterday.
The car was not working properly last month.
The phone was not working when I tried to call.

Alternatives:

was malfunctioning
was out of order
was not operational

Answer 1

did not work

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe a specific event in the past that did not succeed.

Answer 2

was not working

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe a continuous state of not functioning in the past.

"did not work" vs "was not working"

did not work

was not working

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