PAST PROGRESSIVE

[rajeshmalladi]

Even, while I was working for you last summer, I worked/have worked/ had worked/was working/have been working/had been working for someone else too.

Please explain what combinations are correct and reasons for the wrong combinations.

Thankyou so much,
Rajesh.

[Rusty]

Even, while I was working for you last summer, I <strike>worked/have worked/ had worked</strike> /was working <strike>/have been working/had been working</strike> for someone else too.

Please explain what combinations are correct and reasons for the wrong combinations.
("Even, while" ... means "at the same time," so you should use the past progressive verb for both activities).

[Anonymous]

Even, while I was working for you last summer, I worked/have worked/ had worked/was working/have been working/had been working for someone else too.

Please explain what combinations are correct and reasons for the wrong combinations.

Thankyou so much,
Rajesh.

Dear Rajesh.

‘While I was working for you, I worked for another person too’ is right

While means ‘during the time’ and is a progress. Therefore we use past progressive which is the same as past continuous. Therefore ‘was working’. In the next part of the sentence with the interruption we always use past simple. Therefore ‘worked’. Some more examples:

I was studying when she called. While I was studying, she called.
When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
While we were having a picnic, it started to rain.
Sally was working when Joe had the car accident.

Rusty's answer is wrong.

Many greetings
Kaj

[rajeshmalladi]

I think Rusty's answer is right, and your's too. All your examples contain a second past action that happened at a point in time while the first action was occuring.

Rusty, could you please elaborate further.

Thanks,
Rajesh

[Rusty]

All your examples contain a second past action that happened at a point in time while the first action was occuring.
(Hi Rajesh, Yes, your analysis of Kaj's sentences is correct.
Your sentence was: "Even, while I was working for you last summer, I worked/have worked/ had worked/was working/have been working/had been working for someone else too." This might be interpreted as Kaj says, i.e. you did a specific job (worked) for someone else at the same time that you had a job working for "me." I thought of it differently, i.e. while you were working for me, you had a second job, maybe daytime for me and evening for somebody else. So both jobs were going on during the same period of time last summer).