| If the verb advances the narrative (even slightly), | | |
| If the action is limited in time (even if it takes 20 years!), | | |
| If the verb indicates a change in emotional or mental state, | | |
| If there is any indication to the beginning or end of the action, | | |
| If the verb merely describes what something was like, | | |
| If the verb is an ongoing action that is interrupted by another action, | | |
| If the verb interrupts another action, | | |
| If the verb is ongoing, expressed by "was ---ing" in English, | | |
| If the action is regularly repeated in the past, | | |
| Actions that someone used to do regularly, | | |
| If the action is a state of mind (with no change), | | |
| If the action expresses time, | | |