WHILE and WHEN

  1. While: 1 long action: simple past and past progressive, both actions happened at the same time/ ex: I called (SP) Sam while I was studying (PP).

  2. While: 2 long actions happening at the same time: past progressive ad past progressive, both actions were happening at the same time/ ex: I was working (PP) in my homework while my sibling was doing (PP) the dishes.

  3. When: 1 short action: past progressive and simple past, first action happened then it got interrupted by the second action/ ex: I was studying (PP) when I called (SP) Sam.

  4. When: 2 short actions, first action happened then the second happened: simple past and simple past/ ex: I took (SP) my umbrella when it started (SP) to rain.