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He sat behind me vs He was sitting behind me

Both sentences are correct, but they are written in different tenses. "He sat behind me" indicates a simple action in the past, while "He was sitting behind me" suggests a continuous action or a scene-setting description. The choice between them depends on whether you want to emphasize the completion of the action or the ongoing nature of it.

Explained by Vince
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: September 23, 2024 • 17670 views

He sat behind me

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe a past action.

This phrase is used to indicate a simple action that occurred in the past. It is straightforward and direct in conveying the information.

Examples:

He sat behind me during the entire movie.
Yesterday, he sat behind me in the classroom.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 08, 2024

He sat behind me courtside when I was covering a game, and he said hi to me at halftime, obviously seeing me taking peeks at him throughout the half. I was ...
May 18, 2016 ... Later, we both moved schools and he sat behind me in Geometry class. We discussed his Russian girlfriend, who I didn't think actually ...
I went to a small junior college in Wenatchee, Washington and they were “importing” Hawaiian football players in those days. He sat behind me in history class ...
May 1, 2021 ... He sat behind me at church, and sometimes you had to remember not to laugh out loud, when Snooks was sitting behind you. Rest in peace my ...
Aug 3, 2024 ... 7, 2024. Dear Patrick ,Scott, Andrea and family,I remember Wilson from our eighth grade class at West Crisp because he sat behind me and when ...
Sep 4, 2015 ... ... bus and he sat behind me. Where I'm from, there aren't many deaf people, so if you can imagine... I was pretty nervous because I really…
Explore · Art. 2 years ago, he sat behind me in class. 18 months ago, Ii. More like this. dsmith913 · Darlene Smith. 2.2k followers ...
Nov 11, 2016 ... He sat behind me in class and one day I gave him a slap bracelet for "never making fun of me," and we've been best friends ever since. He ...
Jun 25, 2021 ... ... he sat behind me in an armchair. The passage I read introduces an analyst who is given the pseudonym Gregory Cross. As with so many of ...
James laced a telephone cord around his mother's neck and pulled until he asphyxiated her. I knew James since first grade. In fourth grade, he sat behind me ...

Alternatives:

He was seated behind me
He took a seat behind me

He was sitting behind me

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe a continuous action or a scene-setting description.

This phrase is used to describe an ongoing action in the past or to set the scene by providing more detail about the situation.

Examples:

While I was reading, he was sitting behind me quietly.
During the meeting, he was sitting behind me taking notes.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: November 08, 2024

Nov 8, 2022 ... Yeah he was sitting behind me and saw I was playing on lichess. He tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out that he was also playing on ...
Sep 14, 2019 ... on the top of his desk where he was sitting behind me. We are fancy around here. He so gently tapped my shoulder + pointed to his desk. I of ...
1 day ago ... Some creep got my Instagram on the bus, he was sitting behind me, I didn't open Instagram at all . Open | Software. Hey all, so today I was ...
Apr 8, 2021 ... He was sitting behind me whispering the jokes so only I could hear them. · Kenneth went on to champion work in the education sector, becoming a ...
... He was sitting behind me with a big tub of popcorn laughing at his own jokes and was really psyched to see himself on the big screen. At the time, there ...
Aug 3, 2022 ... Last week he was sitting behind me, having just made his first confession the day before. He loudly and proudly prayed the Our Father. The ...
I found out later that he was sitting behind me in shul, feeling terribly guilty for sitting while I stood. For many people, guilt and torture is their ...
He was sitting behind me whispering the jokes so only I could hear them. Jokes about the teacher, jokes about our classmates, jokes, jokes, and more jokes ...
Sep 12, 2013 ... Finally one day, he was sitting behind me boxing my ears and I snapped. I jumped up, yelled something, and punched him square in the nose ...

Alternatives:

He had been sitting behind me
He was seated behind me

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