worked vs was working

The phrases 'worked' and 'was working' are both correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Worked' is simple past tense and is used to describe a completed action in the past. 'Was working' is past continuous tense and is used to describe an action that was ongoing in the past. The choice between the two depends on the specific context and the emphasis the speaker wants to convey.

Last updated: April 08, 2024 • 273 views

worked

This is a correct simple past tense form of the verb 'work'. It is used to describe completed actions in the past.

Use 'worked' when you want to talk about an action that was completed in the past. It does not indicate the duration or continuity of the action.

Examples:

She worked hard on the project yesterday.
He worked at the company for five years.

Show examples from the web [+]

They worked closely with Commander Reynolds.
Aksel never worked for the British.
I guess Damon's compulsion worked.
I worked for the Warsaw Building Enterprise.
The others just worked for the paycheck.
Everyone who's worked for Summers' properties.
I worked for everything I got.
Insight from a case I worked.
I worked undercover in L.A., Dad.
Arkady mentioned you worked with that prisoner in Sevastapol.
Peggy barely worked in the field.
I've worked high-level identity theft cases before.
I worked on an algorithm distinguishing lies from truths.
I worked the case for JPSO.
Every supplier you worked with, all your trafficking associates.
Seeing as he worked in your division...
I worked in college admissions for 16 years.
I worked the Child Abduction Task Force.
My instructor had worked at another facility during the war.
We worked a case together last month.

Alternatives:

completed the task
did the job
finished the project
accomplished the goal
carried out the assignment

was working

This is the past continuous tense form of the verb 'work'. It is used to describe actions that were ongoing in the past at a specific point in time.

Use 'was working' when you want to emphasize the ongoing nature of an action in the past. It indicates that the action was in progress at a particular time in the past.

Examples:

She was working on the project when the phone rang.
He was working at the company for five years before he got promoted.

Show examples from the web [+]

Ben was working late and Allan invited me...
Lisa was working here at home as a freelance technical writer.
Builder was working in her house.
Tomas was working closely with Homeland.
I was working late in my apartment.
If it was Wednesday night, I was working.
But that encrypted personnel file suggests he was working somewhere classified.
James was working on an advanced lithium-ion battery system.
He was working for Defense Intelligence, your department.
While Pantelija was working everything was fine.
Merlin was working on a weapon to fight the Ori.
Ozu was working with Kogo Noda on the script of An Autumn Afternoon, when he received news of his mother's death.
He stopped doing his act because he was working the Catskill mountains.
Swift was working with a geneticist.
Simultaneously, he was working on a number of top-secret government projects.
The case Donatelli was working on.
The case Donateili was working on.
Zoe was working on a biofeedback protocol.
Paul was working for the Dragons? > Give me a better theory.
Brennan was working on something the last few weeks.

Alternatives:

was in the process of working
was in the middle of working
was actively engaged in working
was occupied with working
was laboring on

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