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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.
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Explained by Vince
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: September 23, 2024 • 17619 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.
  • I'm hoping there's another Dr Cox sat behind me.
  • Morgan said he sat behind you in the theater, and you were hysterical the whole time.
  • He sat behind the Broussard twins at church today And he's been in the shower ever since.
  • Shannon, you sat behind me in 8th-grade French.
  • The real victims are not able to be here but their relatives are sat behind me at the back of this court hoping you will make the right choice.
  • I sat behind you for two years in social studies.
  • I sat behind her in algebra.
  • And Dr. Milano sat behind his desk.
  • I sat behind you in chem lab.
  • In the months that Baldwin the 4400 examined, learned this center more than in the whole year he sat behind the desk.
  • I only remember the name of the dog 'cause it's the same name of the kid who sat behind me in the fourth grade.
  • I wanted to be the guy who sat behind the camera, making it.
  • I always sat behind you, Even though you were so tall I couldn't see the board.
  • M- u, M-y, I've sat behind you for three years.
  • The first time I sat behind it, I had a sort of nervous chill.
  • Whatever measure of control sat behind this chaos, that is where it did so.
  • That's why I sat behind you in Dragonbreath's class.
  • The other one sat behind him so we couldn't see him.
  • If you sat behind the wheel, you'd see the meter better.
  • You sat behind the same fences for 12 years... till I blasted the range open for you.

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.
  • My future husband was sitting behind me.
  • He was sitting behind her and he rubbed her shoulder.
  • He was sitting behind the engine, toward the back of the plane.
  • He was sitting behind his desk for this interview I was to have because he was looking for an actress for that scene in Paths of Glory.
  • At the trial, I was sitting behind you.
  • The man who was sitting behind us.
  • I was sitting behind you at the hotel.
  • Paul had the keys and George was sitting behind the wheel, as we came up.
  • Sitting behind me, a few rows back, is a tall black gentleman.
  • Dr. Henson was shot while he was sitting behind the wheel.
  • And from the angle of that camera, that someone was sitting behind the defense table.
  • Maurice... who is that man sitting behind me?
  • Queen of England had been sitting behind it.
  • Sitting behind that desk is the real Sam Diamond.
  • Since the war ended, most intelligence work is sitting behind a desk, opening foreign mail.
  • A lady and two men are sitting behind you on the balcony.
  • Guess I'm not used to sitting behind a desk.
  • He's been sitting behind that desk too long.
  • Decisions shouldn't be made sitting behind a desk.
  • He's sitting behind a table like during the Fascist period.

Alternatives:

  • He had been sitting behind me
  • He was seated behind me

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