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I Want to say for past time things. I was not liking one chocolate when I was in school. but now i like to eat it.

If I Say

"I was not liking this chocolate before but now I like it." Or should I Say

"I did not like this chocolate before but now I like it"

StoneyB on hiatus
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user4084
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3 Answers3

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Continuous verb tenses are generally not used for what some English grammar books call 'state' verbs. Most state verbs are what I call 'brain words' (for example 'think, know, understand') and 'heart words' (for example 'love, like, don't like, hate') (there are many others). Basically, you either like something or you don't, or at least for a long time. If you do change your liking, it is a change over a long time.

Continuous verb tenses are generally used for 'action' verbs - things that I am in the middle of doing now (or the time around now), that might change very soon, for example I am sitting on my sofa and typing this message to you.

Now, it is possible to use some state verbs in continuous verb tenses. If I say 'I am thinking about the lovely day I had today', it is probably a short thought - I might stop thinking about that very soon. If I say 'I think English is a very interesting language', it is probably a long thought - I think that all the time.

But liking chocolate is a long-term thing. I have always liked chocolate!

Sydney
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I did not like this chocolate before but now I like it.

is better. The period when you did not like chocolate is now completely in the past, so you should use the past tense "did not like".

user3169
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Use simple past for past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. "I did not like this chocolate before but now I like it" is correct.

Also use simple past for habits in the past (unspecific time),a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to". To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc. Ex.:They never went to school, they always skipped class. Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?

Rushn
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