he opened the door for them vs he was opening the door for them

Both phrases are correct, but they convey slightly different meanings. "He opened the door for them" indicates a completed action in the past, while "He was opening the door for them" suggests an ongoing action in the past. The choice between the two depends on whether you want to emphasize the completion of the action or the ongoing nature of it.

Last updated: April 06, 2024 • 157 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a completed action in the past.

"he opened the door for them"

This phrase is used to describe a specific action that was completed in the past, such as opening a door for someone.

Examples:

He opened the door for them and greeted them warmly.
She opened the door for her guests and welcomed them inside.

Show examples from the web [+]

he opened the door for them
When he opened the door I pulled the trigger.
And he opened the door, and it all came flooding out.
I was still holding her when he opened the door.
He slipped in when he opened the door.
That's because he opened the door and closed it again.
I answered the phone, just as he opened the door.
In so doing he opened the door for further heat transfer analysis.
I buzzed and he opened the door.
Then he opened the door and fled.
And he opened the door and fled.
Then he opened the door and fled.
Looks like he was shot when he opened the door.
That made him nervous, carefully he opened the door...
PC: That he opened the door...
Maybe he opened the door for me at night, I gave him a franc, and that was it.
I asked Plantiveau if he opened the door for anyone.
Then he opened the door and ran into the woods... with us on his heels.
When he opened the door I knew what Grandma meant when she said...
Then one day, he opened the door to get the paper.
Half an hour later, he opened the door of the house where the Paraguayan woman was expecting him for dinner.

Alternatives:

He opened the door for them and let them in.
He unlocked the door for them.
He swung the door open for them.
He held the door open for them.
He pushed the door open for them.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate an ongoing action in the past.

"he was opening the door for them"

This phrase is used to describe an action that was in progress in the past, such as the act of opening a door for someone.

Examples:

He was opening the door for them when they suddenly pushed it open.
She was opening the door for her guests when the phone rang.

Show examples from the web [+]

he was opening the door for them
Galileo had delved into unknown paths of the universe; he was opening the door wide to observe ever more immense expanses in space.
Maybe he thought he was opening the door of perception, but then unwittingly he... opened the gates of hell.
Yes. The next thing I knew, he was opening the front door from the inside.
He was opening the supermarket, and he asked me to cut the tape.
No... He was opening the eyes, but I can not see anything!
He was opening the champagne.
He was just opening the bottle for me.
He was just opening the door.
Josemaria Escriva, founder of the then-new Opus Dei movement, had turned to the Daughters for Domestic Service for help in hiring household employees for a student dormitory he was opening called the Moncloa Residence.
He was the opening act of Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean on May 6, 2010, at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California.
He was believable from the opening scene to the end of it.
He was featured on the opening track to B.o.B's second album Strange Clouds.
He was the opening act for a number of musicians in the summer of 1961, including the Smothers Brothers.
It was he who was responsible for opening the first patriarchal seminary, which has formed many priests, Bishops and Patriarchs, and even today is the heart of the Diocese.
With the King of France imprisoned in Madrid, Frangipani was commissioned to carry an official letter encouraging Suleiman the Magnificent to attack the Emperor Charles V. The response he received was the opening of the long-standing Franco-Ottoman alliance.
The rider form Lazio is luckily getting over the consequences of the fall, as he was training for the opening of Polini Italian Cup.
He was injured in the opening game against the New York Giants and replaced by Dan Reeves, who was so impressive that Renfro was moved back to defense when he returned to action and would end up being named to the All-Pro team again.
He has played in many groups, in well known venues such as the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, where he was part of the opening act for Hunter S. Thompson.
It was, says Truxler, the first paper he was reading by opening the newspaper, because "to write on the plant, it must live inside, sniffing with his guts."
It was summer and he was training for the opening of the hunting season. Jokingly he said: "Why don't you try shooting a target?" We went onto the skeet range and I tried shooting on the first platform.

Alternatives:

He was in the process of opening the door for them.
He had started opening the door for them.
He had begun opening the door for them.
He was about to open the door for them.
He was on the verge of opening the door for them.

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he opened the door for them vs he was opening the door for them